More than a Community issue, climate change is a matter of concern and the subject of numerous meetings and summits. Discussions are being held around the world to find solutions for adapting to this cross-cutting, global phenomenon. In Burkina Faso, the issue is also at the heart of collective and individual initiatives. In an interview with a newspaper, Jérôme William Bationo, coordinator of the Africa Green Initiative and initiator of Africa Green Week, addressed the issue of climate change and put forward proposals for better ways of adapting to this phenomenon.
Even though climate change is an international issue, the consequences are being felt more keenly on the African continent, according to Jérôme William Bationo, Coordinator of the Africa Green Initiative and initiator of Africa Green Week, who is taking the IPCC studies as evidence. “IPCC experts and other experts around the world are unanimous in their view that climate change will have a negative impact on the continent, particularly on countries south of the Sahara”, he said. He points out that the consequences of climate change are already visible on the African continent. As proof, he points to the innovations and new habits that people are adopting to live in these conditions. “We are seeing more and more people being forced to find mechanisms that were not foreseen in their approach, in their daily lives”, said the Coordinator of the Africa Green Initiative.
Jérôme William Bationo notes that the consequences are still being felt in Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, which are experiencing security instability and are home to large numbers of livestock farmers. In addition to its impact on the environment, climate change can also have repercussions for human health. “It has to be said that climate change has an impact on health, on plants, on living animal organisms, and of course on humans”, he said.
To combat climate change effectively and efficiently in Africa, he recommends a number of solutions: “First of all, we need to explain the concept to the people, which is a popular concept that everyone talks about, but very few really know what it is,” he says. In addition to awareness campaigns, the authorities need to be deeply involved. He believes that urban development in our countries, and the infrastructure we build, must take account of these issues of climate change and its future effects. According to him, in the face of this phenomenon, endogenous adaptation initiatives are necessary, as it is more a question of adaptation than of combating the phenomenon. “It is important for people to take these issues to heart and find solutions to adapt, to reinvent themselves, to propose concrete mechanisms to the political authorities so that they can take these climate change issues into account”, concluded Jérôme William Bationo, Coordinator of the Africa Green Initiative and initiator of Africa Green Week.
Tiba Kassamse OUEDRAOGO
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