President William Ruto will be on the frontline of the fight against climate change and the bid to avert the impending crisis the world faces, pointing out the need to curb climate change during Kenya’s Presidential Inauguration ceremony.
The President during his inauguration urged that Africa should be on the frontline of dealing with the climate crisis as it has suffered immensely from it. He called on the essence of unification as Africa in this dimension.
“Africa has the opportunity to lead the world. We have immense potential for renewable energy. Reducing the costs of renewable energy technologies make these the most viable energy source. We call on all African states to join us in this journey,” he said.
Ruto who is attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, has revealed that he will rally African leaders to raise their voices on the danger of climate change to enable the empowerment of the people.
“Among the central concerns of my government will be climate change. In our country, women and men, young people, farmers, workers, and local communities suffer the consequences of climate emergency,” he said, suggesting he will encourage alternatives to fossil fuels.
Ruto is set to meet African leaders with the agenda of discussing climate change and its effects, food scarcity, the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, and flooding in Sudan.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kenya, this 77th UNGA comes at a well-timed moment when most countries in the Horn of Africa have been faced with severe drought over the past few decades.
“At the United Nations Headquarters, Kenya will seek to promote its foreign policy at the multilateral system including enhancing participation in the quest for realization of SDGs and global leadership in emerging issues including climate change,” stated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
UNGA has become a tradition whereby leaders convene in New York each September to attend bilateral meetings, and mini-conferences, as well as offer speeches seeking answers to issues faced in their various states.
This 77th UNGA theme is based on “A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to interlocking challenges”, which will see leaders delve into matters like the Russia-Ukraine war, climate change, the global energy crisis, and the post-covid-19 recovery.
It is a dire call considering the need to lessen carbon emissions in an aim to deal with the increased global temperatures.
As Africa leads on with Egypt set to host the UN Conference of Parties (Cop27) on climate, a pledge from African countries for funding to assist deal with temperature rise, smart agriculture, clean energy formation, and technological developments necessary.
