Ethiopia: African activists call for action on climate and poverty at climate gathering
Community representatives from all corners of Africa spoke out last week about their frustration with the slow pace of international action and the urgent need to use local and indigenous knowledge alongside modern science in how we prevent and adapt to climate change.
African activists call for action on climate and poverty at Ethiopia climate gathering
AfricaAdapt media release
www.africa-adapt.net
17 March 2011
Community representatives from all corners of Africa spoke out last week about their frustration with the slow pace of international action and the urgent need to use local and indigenous knowledge alongside modern science in how we prevent and adapt to climate change.
Last week, AfricaAdapt’s symposium at the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, brought together 160 researchers, activists, community representatives, international donors and government ministers from 23 African nations to discuss the impact of climate change on Africa and what communities are doing to adapt.
Their messages to African governments are clear:
1. Don’t let governments’ slow response to climate change derail development and agriculture in Africa
2. Indigenous and local knowledge, complimented by
modern scientific research, can help Africans
3. Women, the backbone of the African economy, should
be empowered and supported in their efforts to adapt to a
chaotic climate
African vision on the 'road to Durban'
With this year’s international climate change negotiations taking place in Durban, South Africa, it’s a unique opportunity for African governments to crank up the pressure on the world’s largest carbon emitters.
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More about AfricaAdapt
AfricaAdapt is an independent bilingual network (French/English) focused exclusively on Africa. The Network’s aim is to facilitate the flow of climate change adaptation knowledge for sustainable livelihoods between researchers, policy makers, civil society organisations and communities who are vulnerable to climate variability and change across the continent.
AfricaAdapt is hosted by Environment and Development in the Third World (ENDA-TM); Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA); IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC); and Institute of Development Studies (IDS). The network is funded through the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Climate Change Adaptation in Africa programme.
High resolution images, interviews and case studies are available.
Contact
Emilie Wilson (communications officer, Institute of Development Studies)
E-mail: [email][email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1273 915779
Binetou Diagne, Knowledge Sharing Officer,
ENDA Tiers Monde,
Dakar, Sénégal,
[email][email protected]