By Our Correspondent
Cross River State Governor, Senator Ben Ayade has made a strong case for a climate equalization fund for Africa if the battle to reduce Green House Gas emissions is to succeed.
Ayade, a professor of Environmental Science, made the case at the ongoing Climate Change Summit in Paris, France.
The governor, who is the leader of African governors to the Summit, was of the view that the fund has become imperative since Africa must find alternative source of livelihood for her people who are largely dependent on forest resources before it can embark on forest conservation.
“Decarbonisation is sequestration of African economy. A climate equalization fund for livelihood adaptation is imperative if Africa must conserve her forest, cap their oil wells and shut their coal mines,” he stated.
He however, advised against a holistic adaptation of the approaches being employed by the West and other developed nations in the climate change battle by Africa.
Ayade, the only African governor who addressed the Summit, said Africa must design her own solution to the climate change challenge.
According to him, “Africa must respond but slowly to renewable energy. We copied democracy without modifications, so we are about copying climate change battle without designing our own solutions. Africa must not come to the international community cap in hand begging for pittance. Indeed, Africa is the CO2 sink of the world and must be treated as mother earth.”
In the impassioned speech that led to a standing ovation, Ayade also made a case for Africa renaissance, imploring the leaders of the continent to raise from their slumber and reinvent the African story.
“As a continent, we have slept for far too long that our blackness is moved from color to character. We must reinvent the story of the black man. Africa must rise above what divides and distracts us and chart a course that decoupled us from technology dependence.
“Only then can Africa be set on the path of renewable energy with cuts in carbon footprints and aggressive carbon tax,” he concluded.