NAIROBI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Green campaigners on Friday called on African countries to increase climate ambition and build resilience in lowering emissions in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
Mithika Mwenda, executive director, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance, said that the current global health emergency has important lessons for all African nations and their leaders on how best to manage climate change as well.
"African leaders should learn from the COVID-19 crisis and move decisively to prevent a climate meltdown, which presents an even graver existential danger," Mwenda said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
"Dangerous levels of climate change, projected within the next decade without ambitious mitigation actions, will be more disruptive in the continent," he added.
Mwenda observed that even at the current ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, models show that a rising sea will bury hundreds of communities, cities and entire countries.
"We must act swiftly since climate-induced migration is already occurring at a scale higher than the combined displacement of people due to conflict and political strife," the official said.
He observed that in Africa and much of the developing world, unpredictable rains, droughts, cyclones and pest outbreaks have increased the burdens of poverty, famines and disease.
"Countries in eastern Africa and the Middle East have had to deal with locust invasions in recent months and the crippling impacts on food security are yet to be quantified, hence the need to stay on course in managing climate change," he added.
Mwenda said that if not given emphasis, a climate meltdown will rip apart economies, wipe out thousands of species and push humanity to the brinks.
