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President Yar’Adua warns of food insecurity in Africa due to climate change
Nov 28, 2007, 15:42
| | President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has warned of the possible consequences of climate change to create food insecurity in Africa by the year 2050 which can further deepen poverty situation in the continent.
The President who stated this on November 27 at the Africa Regional Human Development Report launch, which has as its theme, "Fighting Climate Change: Human Solidarity in a Divided World,” by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Abuja, noted that although Africa contributes the least percentage in terms of activities that are damaging the environment, the continent is the most vulnerable, with the least capacity to protect them.
He stressed the need for countries to find alternatives to sources of Green House Emissions, while developed countries must live up to their obligations in preventing a global disaster, especially as they are the greatest contributors to environmental damages.
Minister of Housing and Environment, Mrs. Halima Tayo Alao, said the Nicholas Stern’s report and the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on climate change, has emphasised the seriousness of the threats to lives.
It is estimated that in the Sudan Sahel area of Nigeria, between 89,297 and 133,944 square kilometres of arable land would be at risk and capital value of the risk stands at about $6.4 billion for the current level of development. With a 30-year development, the value stands at $23.9 billion if no measure is taken.
It is worthy of note that the United Nations has raised an alert that the world is emitting excessive Green House Gases (GHG) than the atmosphere can absorb, which portends impending global disaster.
According to UN statistics, though Africa contributes only two per cent of the total GHG, it would suffer no less effect, as it has been estimated that 26 per cent of Africa’s agriculture, amounting to $26 billion may be affected by climate change.
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