The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has on Tuesday, 20th June, 2023 encouraged participants of the two day Forest and Climate Leader’s Partnership engagement, to be practical on what is needed to halt and reverse forest loss significantly and offer a genuine space for tropical forest countries to be heard.
“It is my believe that having the voices of Tropical Forest Countries heard audibly and feeding into the initiatives being designed will be very key for the success of nature and climate discussions” he touted.
Stating the need for this meeting he said The world has signed on to an ambitious target of reversing forest loss by 2030. Therefore, the expectation of the Steering Committee is that these two days in Accra will be used to delve deeper into what the outcomes of the various initiatives should be and what can be accomplished by COP28, particularly, in respect of reductions in forest loss.
The Minister explained that the climate crisis is reaching a tipping point and the Earth is also now 1.1 degrees Celsius, warmer than it used to be decades ago. He said the effect of this is being experienced by every individual wherever they find themselves, whether in Accra, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Budapest, Cairo, Bamako, London, Oslo, Ouagadougou, Paris, Washington or Jubah.
He continued that the desire therefore for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, is essential in maintaining a livable climate, but was quick to say that “the good news is, there is a solution, and it is within our reach”.
Hon. Jinapor touted a number of things Ghana is doing to meet this target. Pertinent among he sais the Government has launched the Green Ghana Project as an aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme in 2021, to restore Ghana’s degraded landscapes and contribute to the global fight against climate change. Over Forty million (40,000,000) seedlings were planted in the first two editions of the Green Ghana Day, a day set aside yearly to plant seedlings across the country.
Minister Jinapor urged the chaperones and partners from the over 19 countries present at the on-going two-day FCLP meeting in Accra, to always remember that the fight against climate change requires conscious and collective effort by all. “citizens of the world. Let us roll our sleeves and get to work” He charged.
Madam Christine Dragisic, a representative of the Co-Chair on FLCP with the Lands Minister, Mr. John Kerry said the idea was conceptualised at COP27 and the meeting was to come together to reconsider the commitments made by the Glasgow leaders to halt forest loss by 2030 in the context of sustainable development and come up with practical solutions.
She hoped that collectively, they will be able to use these two days to advance discussions on actionable solutions that will help meet the target set by the global leaders and eventually save the world.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
