EALA Speaker requests for climate change funds

Global warming:Develop national action plansThe Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Abdirahin Abdi has called for a stronger financing mechanism to combat climate change, warning that the globe still remains vulnerable to the problem.

Sunday, March 18, 2012
EALA speaker Abdirahin Abdi.

Global warming:Develop national action plansThe Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Abdirahin Abdi has called for a stronger financing mechanism to combat climate change, warning that the globe still remains vulnerable to the problem. Abdi made the remarks on Friday during the closure of a three day conference on reviewing the significant consequences of climate change in Dhaka, Bangladesh. "There is need to persuade bigger emitters to check the problem, push regional initiatives to stay the course and devote budgets to developing renewable energies if we are to reverse the trends”, the Speaker said. The Dhaka Declaration, a copy of which The Sunday Times obtained, tasks governments to put aside US$30 billion dollars for the startup of a Green Climate Fund with a view towards growing the fund by three over the next ten years. Parliamentarians from over 20 nations agreed to consolidate efforts in global Climate Change mitigation by unequivocally supporting legislation and relevant policies enhancing disaster risk reduction and early warning systems.They announced the establishment of a global network of Parliamentarians in support of people most vulnerable to climate change.The grouping known as the Parliamentarians for Climate Justice Network shall focus its resources in communities deemed vulnerable all over the world. The Network’s aim is to promote strategic alliances of like-minded Parliamentarians working through existing structures where possible – including cross-party groups and parliamentary networks. Participants called on governments to develop national action plans on climate change adaptation and to allocate fixed proportion of national budgets to check on the effects of climate.