Let’s pay attention to climate change – Bagbin to global parliamentarians

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin, has urged parliamentarians across Africa to pay much more attention to climate change, emphasising the risk it has on the continent.

He said this at the 145th Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.

As the Speaker and leader of the Ghana delegation, he touched on the effects, risks and challenges of climate change and the critical role of parliaments and parliamentarians of the world in addressing these existential issues.

Below are details of Speaker Bagbin’s full address:

Address by the Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, at the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Global Parliamentary Group (GPG) Annual Dialogue on Tuesday, 11th October 2022 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda.
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Fellow Speakers of Parliament

Honourable Members of Parliament

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is a great honour, privilege and pleasure to address the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Global Parliamentary Group’s (GPG) Inaugural Annual Dialogue here in Kigali. On behalf of the Ghana Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who took time to join our meeting today. Addressing the challenges facing the climate today has become an existential issue for countries the world over, requiring urgent global interventions. We as legislators have a critical role to play in this; that is what makes this forum absolutely imperative.

I can tell from the Members of Parliament from CVF countries and observer states in attendance that as parliamentarians we have made a clear and conscious decision to rise to the challenge of ensuring action on climate change. That is very encouraging indeed. We should also consider what we can do to mobilize other key actors within the space to create a lot more awareness and readiness to act so that in a concerted manner, we can confront today’s climate change demands. In unity, as we told, lies strength. We can achieve a lot more together than if we leave national institutions, state and global actors to operate in silos.

The effects of climate change are real and they are being felt in every country around the world. As CVF member states, the impacts are more severe as a result of our inefficient adaptive capacities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing geopolitical crises, which have further pushed our vulnerable communities into deeper impoverishment. What is clear however is that no single government agency or entity can by itself safeguard populations against the threat of disaster that the issue of climate change comes with. It is imperative that all sectors are included, and are made to work together.

Distinguished participants, the role of parliaments in addressing climate change cannot be overstated. Parliamentarians are crucial role players in ensuring government accountability and effectiveness, as well as assuring of a country’s response and resilience to climate change. Parliamentarians also have a distinct opportunity to promote the voices of the locals – their constituents – and appropriately address their needs through the adaptation and contextualization of global decisions on climate change. Such global decisions must be implemented, bearing in mind the peculiarities that our various geo-political circumstances come with. These peculiarities, however, should not be the reasons to jettison such global decisions: it is all about adaptation.

In our role as lawmakers, the passing of key climate change legislation must not merely be a box-checking exercise. We must ensure that adequate resources are allocated for the implementation of key policies and decisions to avoid the creation of white elephants in our respective statute books. As we are told, we can have a lot of ideas, but ideas without funding are mere hallucinations! It is imperative that we pass evidence-based legislation and develop such policies that speak to the real needs of our constituents: that is one sure way of obtaining funding for our ideas.

Ladies and gentlemen, we must drive exemplary leadership as parliamentarians in our communities, facilitating public awareness and education campaigns that promote climate action. As leaders, let us strive to move away from the category of leaders, of whom the 18-year-old Greta Thunberg, the renowned climate activist, said “Blah Blah Blah… This is all we hear from our so-called leaders, words. Words that sound great, but so far, have led to no action. Our hopes and dreams drown in their empty words and their promises.” She goes on to say “Our leaders’ intentional lack of action is a betrayal. The people in power cannot claim that they are trying because they are clearly not.” Therein lies our challenge as CVF GPG!

Yes, the world is facing serious threats from the impacts and risks of climate change, but we also have an opportunity to seize upon new technologies and approaches that can help us adapt and build our resilience to this challenge. For example, today, a lot more people are using digital devices for their work, for communication and for storing information. Consequently, it has led to a reduction in the reliance on paper, which goes to reduce deforestation. Bear in mind that trees, by being an important source of oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, help to reduce climate change.

Distinguished participants, Ghana is extremely happy to have taken up the role of Chair of the CVF Global Parliamentary Group in the person of Hon. Dr Emmanuel Marfo, who is the Chairperson of the Environment Science and Technology Committee, which is the relevant Committee in whose remit climate change issues fall in the Ghana Parliament. I place my utmost faith in his capabilities to ensure the success of the priorities of the CVF GPG and in support of the CVF priorities of 1.5ºC Ambition, Adaptation, Loss and Damage and Finance.

The Parliament of Ghana is committed to supporting the work of the CVF GPG through the Chairperson of the CVF GPG. May I also take this opportunity to thank our Host Parliament, the Parliament of Rwanda, and Rt. Honorable Speaker, Donatille Mukabalisa, for hosting us. My appreciation also goes to the Secretary General of the IPU for facilitating the meeting of the CVF GPG.

I thank you for your attention.

Source: Classfmonline.com