KAMPALA: With various philanthropists gathered in Uganda at Imperial Resort Beach Hotel, Entebbe, to discuss African Philanthropy under the theme ‘Driving Change’ during the 2022 Africa Philanthropy Network (APN) Assembly, topics such as poverty, disease, and climate change topped conversations.
Addressing poverty and climate change, the ACTIVE Program Director at African People & Wildlife(APW), Alais Ole Morindat said reducing poverty is harder with climate change since the two go hand in hand.
Recent climate observations indicate that there is increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like floods, hurricanes, wildfires and droughts that threaten lives, driving people from their homes and jeopardizing food sources and livelihoods. All these climate disruptions are having devastating impacts on human lives and livelihoods, increasing the likelihood of more conflict, hunger and poverty.
Quoting the Shock Wave by S Hallegatte · 2016 on ‘Managing the Impacts of Climate Change on Poverty’, Morindat said by 2030, 100 million people will be poor as a result of climate change.
To reverse the prediction, Morindat said African philathropists have a lot to think about in terms of stabilizing the climate so as to end poverty induced by climate change.
Speaking at the COP27 climate change summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told attendees that, “we are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator”.
The United Nations secretary general issued the warning to attendees at the COP27 summit that the world is losing its fight against climate change. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” he noted.
