Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on stakeholders in the public and private sectors to help eradicate the adverse effects of climate change in the world.

The greatest threat to the planet remains climate change, a problem that affects both developed and underdeveloped countries.

The UN climate panel's most recent assessment indicates that the adverse effects of climate change are accelerating more quickly than anticipated less than ten years ago.

Speaking at the 6th edition of the Sustainability and Social Investment (SSI) Awards, he said mankind has contributed in one way or another to the planet's predicament today.

As such, a strong coordination between the two will go a long way in finding an end to the menace.

“The benefits of synergy between the public and private sectors cannot be overstated. There is a very tall list of instances and impacts of safe partnerships, but the most practical example of this is the joint response of both parties in the pandemic.

“It was a sharing of other resources, including time and strategies, that brought out the best in us at a time when humanity was most under attack. It is evident in my mind, and I trust in yours as well, that if we are to truly witness meaningful transformation in this regard (climate action), then we will need the private and public sectors to once again collaborate extensively.

“As we speak, global temperatures have risen by 1.8 degrees or 1 degree centigrade between 1901 and 2020; and the rise in global sea level has accelerated from 1.7 millimetres a year throughout most of the 20th century to 3.2 millimeters a year since 1993. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by 25 percent since 1958, and about 40 percent since the Industrial Revolution,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by Professor Yaw Gyan Baffour, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).

SSI Awards is an award scheme that appreciates individuals and organizations for their regular investments that have had and are still having an influence on society.

Meanwhile, the country director of ActionAid Ghana, John Nkaw, has urged wealthier polluter nations to bear financial responsibility for the harm that climate change does to the most vulnerable and underdeveloped nations.

According to him, numerous farmers in fragile countries like Ghana are suffering as a result of the abrupt changes in the climate; as a result, developed countries must support developing ones.

“These sad realities demand our collective action to prevent a further increase in the wealth gap. We must continue our campaign for the establishment of an international financing facility to help vulnerable countries recover and rebuild in the aftermath of climate disasters,” he indicated.

Nevertheless, he added that consistent and varied climate change research is essential to enhancing stakeholders' comprehension of adaptation and influencing both private and public initiatives to entice investors in vulnerable communities.

Source: The Independent Ghana