Kofi Adu Domfeh receives Floriculture and Horticulture Award

For his activities in promoting sustainable green economic development, Ghanaian journalist and climate advocate, Kofi Adu Domfeh, has been honoured at the 2021 Ghana Garden and Flower Show (GGFS).

 

He was awarded Best Floriculture/Horticulture Reporter at the flagship event of the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, an initiative of Strategic Communications Africa (Stratcomm Africa).

 

This 9^th Show with the theme: “9G: 9 Years of Green Living”, aimed at creating awareness about the commercial, environmental, health and aesthetic benefits of flowers and gardens as well as promoting positive attitudes and behaviours towards green living.

 

There was a call on all stakeholders to see Green Living as a collective responsibility and take up innovative and responsible ways to protect the environment.

 

Chief Executive of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah, stated that it is everybody’s responsibility to ensure a greener, cleaner, wealthier, healthier, richer and more beautiful country.

 

“The earth laughs in flowers,” she said. “What we have found in doing this Movement is that people are perishing because they do not know that green is good for them, that green keeps them healthy, green gives them wealth, green brings beauty”.

 

Over 100 exhibitors of green living-related products and services and green innovators were honoured at the event.

 

“This honour came as a big surprise and I’m indeed grateful,” said Domfeh. “I did not know that the least I do in highlighting the importance of tree planting and greening of the environment was catching attention.”

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a multiple-award winning journalist in business, energy, environment and climate change reporting.

 

He is passionate about tree planting and has over the past decade championed environmental promotion and protection, through public education and planting projects.

 

Last year, he was honoured with the Green Ring Pin by former US Vice President Al Gore, Founder of The Climate Reality Project. The Green Ring is awarded to Climate Reality Leaders who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to their roles as climate communicators and activists.

 

Domfeh is the Founder/Convener of CLAP Gh – Climate, Livelihood and Agriculture Platform. The environmental group mobilises young professionals to become part of the momentum created by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change to partner all interest groups to share knowledge and take action.

Kumasi, a Garden City failing to groom its green spaces

It’s Earth Day, and the rains have poured heavy early morning in the Garden City of Kumasi.

 

Such rains should come as soothing relief to residents of Kumasi. But many a community are not enthused with such downpour – more rains will result in flooding of homes, markets and streets in parts of Ghana’s second largest city.

 

The devastation of the recent phenomenon is real and discomforting to people.

 

But would Kumasi see its greens restored?

 

The theme for Earth Day 2021 offers a cue: “Restore Our Earth”, focusing on natural processes and emerging green technologies that can restore the world’s ecosystems.

 

 

A dysfunctional Garden City Model

 

The declining state of urban environments was one of the driving forces behind Ebenezer Howard's invention of the Garden City model in the late 1800s, as a way to preserve much of the natural environment while creating a blend of town and country or village life in an urban setting.

 

Kumasi is one of the few cities in Africa where the Garden City model has been implemented. The British developed a development plan for Kumasi in 1945 that adopted the common Garden City model of the time, allocating a large portion of the city's land area to green spaces.

 

These green spaces refer to both public and private open spaces in urban areas that are largely protected by natural vegetation and are accessible for human use directly or indirectly.

 

Urban parks, gardens, trees, woodland, wetlands, and green belts were examples of such spaces in Kumasi at the time. The city's subsequent growth followed a similar trend, with many green spaces retained in the physical landscape. In the 1960s, this circumstance earned the city the title of "Garden City of West Africa."

 

However, due to excessive urbanization and physical alteration of the green vegetation – indiscriminate tree felling, degradation of wetlands, and unsustainable infrastructure growth – Kumasi is losing its green vegetation at an alarming pace.

 

The sad tale of Kumasi journalists planting trees in vain

 

In May 2019, journalists in the Ashanti region undertook a massive coconut tree planting at a wetland bordering the Subin River at Danyame in the Kumasi Metropolis.

 

Planting along the waterlogged area was the group’s contribution to climate action and to help check perennial flooding of the area at every rainstorm.

 

During the exercise, concerns were raised about unrestrained cutting down of trees, with a call for residents, traditional and local authorities to stay vigilant to the environmental havoc.

 

But soon the very trees planted by the journalists, together with over 1,500 plant species, were cleared on the wetland for a construction project.

 

The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) demanded compensation for the destruction of its project. But that is all the group could do.

 

The GJA was disappointed as the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly claimed it had not authorized any developer to carry out a project at the area.

 

The space is currently cordoned to ward off encroachment.

 

Destroying the King’s trees with impunity

 

In June 2019, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, declared his commitment to plant and manage 2.5 million trees around Lake Bosomtwe, the only natural lake in Ghana.

 

The five-year landscape restoration project, covering 4,000 hectares, is in line with the King’s move to provide protection for water bodies in Asanteman.

 

“The project is envisioned to contribute to Ghana’s environmental protection efforts, contribute to the fight against climate change, contribute to Ghana’s pledge to the Bonn Challenge as well as improve tourism around Lake Bosomtwe,” the Asantehene said.

 

Under the project, three fringe communities on the Lake Bosomtwe Basin – Amakom, Adjaman and Atafram – planted hundreds of trees in the buffer zones of the Lake in commemoration of the 2020 International Day of Forests and World Water Day.

 

But in less than a year after the exercise, a private developer encroached the buffer of the tourist site to wreak havoc. He cleared trees planted along the Lake and destroyed the spawning areas where the fishes lay their eggs.

 

Such is the spate of impunity in killing a healthy balance between biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use.

 

Sadly, the destruction of green spaces in Greater Kumasi is often motivated by the selfish interest of traditional leaders, regulatory agencies and local government authorities.

 

Restore the Garden in the City

 

The destruction of urban trees has resulted in the degradation of the environment.

 

Over the past two decades, there have been several projects initiated by the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to green the city. But most of these have remained mere rhetoric.

 

In 2014, the KMA embarked on the Urban Forestry project with a target of planting one million trees along highways, open spaces and school compounds. But the goal of restoring the city’s Garden City status by 2017 could not be achieved.

 

Under the current Keep Kumasi Clean and Green project, the KMA says over 100 thousand trees have been planted along water bodies and ceremonial streets.

 

But is the beauty of the flora and fauna of the city invisible?

 

The Importance of Green Spaces

 

Studies show green spaces in a city can save lives. They help lower air temperatures and boost well-being.  

 

As a result, there is an increasing understanding of the significance and value of urban green spaces in cities. Conserving green spaces in the physical environment of cities – parks, gardens, and forests – has been described as an activity that contributes to city sustainability.

 

However, certain obstacles must be resolved in order to preserve such spaces, and this has received little attention.

 

Urban sprawl is very common, resulting in a significant loss of green vegetation on the city's outskirts. Kumasi now lacks much greenery, which runs counter to the city's original garden city model.

 

Overcoming the "physical" obstacles to urban green spaces would help to ensure their long-term viability in Kumasi.

 

Conflicting ownership rights, encroachment, and inadequate maintenance have been identified as major physical obstacles to the creation of urban green spaces and are factors impeding Kumasi's greening.

 

To improve the quality of urban green spaces, the city authorities should prioritize the preservation of green vegetation, with an effective green space plan in place to direct the creation of the city's green spaces.

 

There are suggestions for the construction of additional parks and gardens, the development of brownfield sites into green spaces, and the institutionalization of a green space award scheme.

 

In order to foster a positive attitude toward green space management in Kumasi, intensive public education is needed.

 

In addition, agencies responsible for the maintenance of green spaces in the Kumasi Metropolis are advised to follow environmental bylaws, physical planning codes, and standards.

 

Perhaps, the spirit of Earth Day 2021 will spur interest groups to act in restoring the greens of Kumasi to regain its ‘Garden City’ accolade.

 

The writer, Kofi Adu Domfeh, is a Development Journalist, Environmental Advocate and Climate Reality Leader adomfeh@gmail.com

Countries asked to ensure full representation towards achieving SDGs #ARFSD2021

The Seventh Session of the African Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) has ended with a call on African countries to pursue full representation of all citizens, including women, children, and the disabled, irrespective of background, belief or geographic location, in efforts to attain the sustainable development goals without leaving anyone behind.

During the four-day Forum, discussions showed that efforts by countries, including achievements made in achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063, have been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, setting back strides in addressing the continent's development needs.

The Forum, hosted by the Government of Congo Brazzaville and held virtually, also called on governments to ensure peace and human security, remove restrictions on spaces for activists and journalists and work to avoid election violence.

The Forum also emphasized the importance of data which is a key component of tracking the SDGs. In this regard the UN Resident Representative in Zambia, Ms. Coumba Mar Gadio stated that the UN has worked with the Zambian government to mainstream the SDGs and provided support to localize SDGs and national planning.

That, she said, was to ensure that the national plan followed a strategy to apply the SDGs.

Ms. Joy Kategekwa, Head, UNCTAD Regional Office for Africa, called for a regional approach in procurement as the continent continues to fight COVID-19; urged the continent to fight corruption; and added that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should also work for women and young people.

In spite of the challenges, there are some success stories, as narrated by Ms. Micheline Baussard of the UNDP. She indicated that cooperation among regional groups has led to new initiatives and called on countries to develop a roadmap for attaining the SDGs.

“There is need to invest in human capital in the implementation of this roadmap,” she said, adding that “90 per cent of the goals are related and therefore impact from one goal will affect the other.”

Ms. Edith Madela-Mntla of the University of Pretoria urged that the process of implementing the SDGs should be people-centred and inclusive. The homeless, disabled and marginalized should be included in the process, she added.

Ms. Madela-Mntla also called on countries to pay attention to climate change and the environment; and look at how to manage COVID-19 related waste, think of how to deal with disasters, cyclones, floods and disasters and ensure low carbon emissions.

Among the key highlights of the Forum’s resolutions, which would be reviewed by member-countries till March 14, 2021, include the need for countries to pay attention to data collection and the Voluntary National Reviews and Voluntary Local Reviews. The need for the SDGs to address poverty and gender across all sectors; reducing illicit financial flows, reinforcing small-holder farmers and looking at using the AfCFTA to create jobs in the agriculture sector.

Participants also called on governments and the private sector to enhance value chains across the continent and the use of innovative financing to address climate change.

The forum was held under the theme; "Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and 2063".

Combating inequality in Africa crucial as fight against COVID-19 continues

Poverty and inequalities remain a major challenge in Africa raising the need for all stakeholders to do more to address widening disparities that have worsened due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This is shared by participants at a parallel meeting at the 7^th Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD).

Deeply entrenched anomalies and inequalities in most African countries require sound policies to promote economic inclusion of all regardless of sex, race or ethnicity, they agreed as they called on governments to do more to lessen inequities to reduce poverty, especially during this global Decade of Action.

Bearing the brunt more are women, youth and vulnerable populations including refugees, migrants, indigenous people, older persons, the disabled and children. Many said inequalities were widening in their countries with a small portion of the continent’s population getting richer as the ranks of the poor kept growing.

Solutions, they agreed, include improving regulation, encouraging development assistance and foreign direct investment to regions where the need is greatest; facilitating safe migration and mobility of people as a key to bridging the widening divide.

During the parallel session focusing on SDG 10 on “Reduced Inequalities”, participants agreed there were linkages to SDG 1 on “No Poverty”, SDG 2 on “Zero Hunger”, SDG 3 on “Good Health and Well-being”, SDG 4 on “Quality Education”, SDG 5 on “Gender Equality”, SDG 8 on “Decent Work and Economic Growth” and also Aspiration 1 of African Union’s Agenda 2063 which calls for “a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development”.

In a presentation, Ms. Phumza Manqindi, Migration Policy and Liaison Officer with IOM Ethiopia, noted that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offered African an opportunity to increase returns from remittances. She said governments need to encourage the free movement of persons within the continent.

In Africa, women participation and representation remained a key challenge with most women lacking access to equal opportunities as opposed to their male counterparts. Rwanda is the exception with over half of its parliamentary seats held by women.

Mr. Mabingue Ngom, Regional Director for UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO), for his part highlighted the challenges heightened by crisis situations. He noted the Sahel region where the majority of poor children were out of school due to security issues. Education, health, security and climate change were key areas that need to be addressed to ensure reduced inequalities, said Mr. Ngom.

The UNHCR promotes inclusivity and forges partnerships in this regard with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) seeking to address inequalities, said Mr. Cosmas Chanda, UNHCR's representative to the AU, for his part.

The UNHCR also supports economies which host refugees, he said, adding the UN agency had invested in initiatives to collect data, for example through the World Bank-UNHCR Joint Data Center on Forced Displacement. Mr. Chanda emphasized the need for partnership to work towards poverty reduction, especially now through COVID-19 response strategies.

Participants also rallied behind the call for Africa to produce her own COVID-19 vaccines. The continent was called on to invest in policies that will shore up its health and economic sectors and invest in interdisciplinary research for inclusive development. Africa also needs to close the technological gap, the participants agreed, adding the pandemic had brought to the fore glaring rural-urban digital capabilities gaps.

Participants called on governments to reduce taxes levied on mobile money transfers; push for digitization and reducing inequalities that arise from lack of access to water, in particular.

They were agreed that despite all the challenges the continent is facing, there was an opportunity in it all for Africa to build back and forward better and recover from the pandemic. Africa has a booming young population, increasing connectivity through transport and communications and increasing freedom of movement within regional blocs, which offer a comparative advantage as the continent continues to tackle COVID-19 and remain on track to reduce inequalities.

Africa is not on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030, #ARFSD2021

Africa is not on track to achieve zero hunger by 2030, Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Regional Representative for Africa, Abebe Haile-Gabriel, told a meeting reviewing progress made by the continent towards attaining that goal so far.

Co-organised by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the World Food Programme (WFP), in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Congo, the meeting is part of the Seventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) that is underway in Brazzaville.

“The results remain unsatisfactory and there are many challenges due to climate change, the poor economic situation and the negative impacts of COVID 19, as well as the lack of public investment,” said Mr. Haile-Gabriel.

He, however, said the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was a unique opportunity for the transformation of the continent’s food system.

To address the issue of hunger in Africa, Mr. Haile-Gabriel said political will and commitment at the highest level was key, adding national and local level actions and investments were also critical.

He said there was an urgent need for the continent to build back and forward better after the COVID-19 pandemic, with governments being called on to invest in social protection measures to save the most vulnerable in society. The transformation of the African food system is crucial to help end hunger, he said, adding the adoption of holistic multi sectoral approaches was needed.

Chris Toe from the WFP said African countries need to prioritize and scale up investments in rural transformation, sustainable infrastructure and human capital development as they work towards eliminating hunger and food insecurities.

This, he said, will not only help to sustain ongoing progress, but also assist in the continent’s quest to achieve zero hunger as espoused in the SDGs and Africa’s 2025 commitment to end hunger and Agenda 2063 aspirations.

A Congolese government official, M. Mukena Bantu, an adviser in charge of cooperation and projects, speaking on behalf of Agriculture Minister, Mr. Joseph-Antoine Kasongo, said the new administration was determined to accelerate the development of agriculture to end hunger.

“We have declared that the soil must take over the subsoil,” he said, adding, “There is political will to carry out all the actions necessary to achieve food security.”

The side event provided a platform for member States to reflect and share on transformative actions and investments that will facilitate the building of Africa’s food systems better towards meeting the aspirations and goals of the 2030 Agenda and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

 

ECA launches Building Forward for an African Green Recovery report

The Economic Commission for Africa has launched the Building Forward for an African Green Recovery report which highlights the continent’s bold post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery strategy.

The report seeks to bolster the continent’s valiant quest for the realization of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), attainment of the Paris Agreement’s climate change targets and achievement of the prosperity objectives articulated in Africa’s Agenda 2063.

The Building Forward for an African Green Recovery will contribute significantly towards achieving and enhancing sustainable trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) over the next decade.

The report shows the African region faces its first recession in 25 years with output losses due to COVID-19 estimated to be 99 billion USD. This is compounded by climate impacts on economic output projected to cause annual losses of between 3-5% of GDP by 2030 under a business-as-usual scenario. In some cases, this will be as much as -15% of GDP.  With credible data available on the impact of climate change, the ECA Building Forward for an African Green Recovery makes a case for Africa to make informed assessments and take knowledgeable decisions. The report calls for the uptake of nature-based solutions at national, regional and continental levels to inspire policies that preserve the global commons.

ECA has been at the forefront of supporting transitions in African countries towards sustainable development pathways illustrated on Green or Blue Economy pillars, which endorse climate-smart agricultural approaches, sustainable fisheries, ecotourism and adoption of cleaner energy sources including solar, tidal, wind and geothermal sources.

“For us to build back better we need a lot of energy. The conversation in Africa is about substituting expensive bad fossil fuels with something that is cleaner and cheaper,” said UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA, Vera Songwe.  “We have to replace fuel-based energies with green and sustainable ones.”

This report seeks to galvanise support for Africa’s Green and Blue Economy strategies and mobilise resources to bolster the continent’s climate adaptation and mitigation measures. It summarizes the continental outlook of how collaborative partnerships bringing together development partners, multilateral agencies, private sector, international and non-governmental organisations can boost Africa’s green and blue livelihoods recovery programme.

Ms. Songwe noted that with the impact of COVID-19 and its associated economic contractions coupled with the debilitating impact of the climate crisis, Africa’s focus on recovery was even more essential. According to the ECA Chief, there is an urgent need to roll-out financial aid packages, investments in sustainable infrastructure and structure fiscal stimuli to cushion the expected transition into the green and blue economy.

In the immediate this involves a new issuance of SDRs to boost liquidity for African countries, and extension of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI).  The ECA has also been advocating for SDRs to be made available for on-lending to provide cheaper forms of finance for investment in sustainable priorities such as clean energy. Opportunities for green and blue bonds using appropriate credit enhancements should also be considered alongside the opportunity for debt restructuring using debt for climate or debt for nature swaps.

The “circular economy” concept has been defined as one which is restorative, as it heavily relies on renewable energies and eradicates waste and toxic chemicals.  In the same vein the green economy is described as one that improves well-being, promotes social equity, reduces ecological risks and is capable of transforming the global economy towards a low-carbon development uptake. 

In his remarks, Albert Muchanga, African Union’s Commissioner for Trade and Industry, welcomed the launch of the South African case studies.  “The launch of the report and case studies has come at an opportune moment as the AU will work together with the ECA and other partners in fulfilling the objective of an African post-pandemic Green recovery,” the AUC Commissioner said.

“Africa has immense renewable energy potential to boost its economic growth through adoption of cleaner energy pathways which are a boost to adaptation and climate mitigation.”

Commenting on the need for urgent global action to support Africa’s green recovery initiatives, Sir Nicholas Kay, the UK regional Ambassador for Africa of the Climate Conference (COP26), said “Global political will is building up as has been seen with the return of the US to the Paris Agreement, commitment of China to net-zero emissions and raised ambitions by the UK, among other developed nations, to pursue a Green Industrial Revolution. All these are a boost for Africa to adopt greener economic pathways for attainment of sustainable development goals.”

“Green energy is the future,” he added.

Speaking during the launch, Julia Bird from the Oxford University, who collaborated with the ECA in producing the report said; “Africa is endowed with some of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots, and one of the most important natural carbon sinks, such as the peatlands of the Congo basin which can lock in up to 30 billion tons of carbon.”

“This sequestered carbon is equivalent to 3 years-worth of the whole world’s emissions. Carbon off-sets provide an opportunity for Africa to tap into the value of its natural assets by factoring in carbon sequestration values. Uptake of reliable green energy will support Africa’s economic transformation and clean transition.”

Ms. Songwe underscored the need for a “paradigm shift from resource-heavy and inefficient models of production and consumption that incentivise overexploitation, to models that are centred on sustainable use of resources and bring value throughout the production and consumption cycle as part of a circular green economy.”

 

African governments urged to pay attention to impacts of conflict, climate change and COVID-19 on food systems.

Africa, as a food producing continent can produce enough to feed itself and the rest of the world. But instead of being the food basket of the world, the continent is facing increasing hunger and malnutrition due to factors such as the impact of climate change, conflict and COVID-19, described as the ‘Triple Cs’.

These challenges are not only threatening future food production prospects but they are also rolling back achievements in Africa’s food systems.

At a panel discussion held virtually as a side event of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (ARFSD) on Monday, the discussants gave vivid images of the threats posed by the ‘Triple Cs’ and made recommendations on fashioning out appropriate responses to dealing with the issues.

According to Dina Saleh of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the interactions between conflict, climate change and COVID-19 negatively impact the food system as well SDGs and Agenda 2063. She urged African countries to build resilient food systems to address the challenges.

In his contribution, Dr. Chimimba David Phiri, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and FAO Representative to the African Union, noted that there was no better opportunity to discuss Africa’s food systems than now.

Citing incidents of droughts and floods, Mr. Phiri said what used to occur every 10 years in the past, now occurred every two years.

He said climate change was one of the causes of resource-based conflicts, for example over water, and posed real challenges to food systems by displacing families and farmers.

“The emergence of COVID-19 has worsened the vulnerability of food systems, especially of people living in rural areas,” said Mr. Phiri.

Kafkas Capralzi of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said a sustainable food system that provides food, is profitable, broad-based and has a positive and neutral impact on the environment.

He said while large scale food producers were able to adapt production practices due to climate change and have food sufficiency, small scale producers could not.

“In the next 10 years if we don’t take action, there will be chronic hunger,” he said. “Risk is a hazard, and when it meets humans, governments have an obligation to act.”

Magadalena Moshi, Deputy Director, African Union Liaison Office in Addis Ababa at UN World Food Programme, said the ‘Tripple Cs’ were key drivers behind worsening food security.

She said the global food system should be inclusive and food production systems must be expanded to reach more vulnerable people.

Amjad Abbashar, Chief, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) Regional Office for Africa, said Africa experiences at least two disasters per week.

He said the cascading nature of risk can affect other areas of life in multiple ways with ripple effects, impacting development gains in the process.

In his presentation, Gerald Masila, the Executive Director at the Eastern Africa Grain Council, said failure to increase local food production has seen the continent’s food import bill rising. This has discouraged local farmers, affected local supply chains and also deterred investors from investing in agriculture, and in the process weakening the ability of local producers to compete.

He recommended the conversion of small scale farms into large scale farms by bringing them together so they can focus on value chains and lower production costs. He called for improved value chains on the continent and accountability in the way cooperatives are run.

The four-day meeting is being held under the theme “Building forward better: towards a resilient and green Africa to achieve the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063”. 

UN Secretary-General warmly welcomes US steps to rejoin Paris Agreement on Climate Change

The UN Secretary-General has welcomed President Biden’s steps to re-enter the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and join the growing coalition of governments, cities, states, businesses and people taking ambitious action to confront the climate crisis.  

 
Following last year’s Climate Ambition Summit, countries producing half of global carbon pollution had committed to carbon neutrality.

The commitment by President Biden brings that figure to two-thirds. But there is a very long way to go. The climate crisis continues to worsen and time is running out to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build more climate-resilient societies that help to protect the most vulnerable. 
 
Antonio Gutteres is looking forward to the leadership of United States in accelerating global efforts towards net zero, including by bringing forward a new nationally determined contribution with ambitious 2030 targets and climate finance in advance of COP26 in Glasgow later this year. 
 
“I am committed to working closely with President Biden and other leaders to overcome the climate emergency, and recover better from COVID19,” he said.
 

On Wednesday 27 January, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the University of Oxford will launch the global results of the ‘Peoples' Climate Vote.’ The survey is the biggest ever on public opinion on climate change and covers 50 countries and more than half of the world’s population over the age of 14. 
 
The innovative survey was distributed across mobile gaming apps in order to include hard-to-reach audiences in traditional polling, like young people under the age of 18. It asked people if they believe that climate change is a global emergency and the policies – across energy, economy, food and farms, transportation, protecting people, and nature – that they would like to see enacted.