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Africa: Environmental Experts Explore Links Between Climate Change, Water And Health
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Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)
19 June 2008
Posted to the web 19 June 2008
Climate change briefings organised by the Commonwealth Foundation aim to carry forward momentum following the Lake Victoria Plan of Action agreed by Heads of Government last November
Environmental experts have called for greater involvement of young people in global and local programmes aimed at fighting climate change.
"Children are key players in all the risk communities; that is one of the key strategies that we need to explore as we implement programmes on climate change," said Professor David Harper, Director General for Health Improvement and Protection, UK Department for Health told the briefing at a briefing on climate change held on 11 June 2008 at Marlborough House in London organised by the Commonwealth Foundation.
The fifth in the series, the briefing featured presentations from leading experts, who explored the links between climate change, water and health in Commonwealth countries.
Professor Andy Haines, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, highlighted negative effects of climate change such as weather extremes, food, water, infectious diseases, and noted that the most vulnerable populations are those in low income countries. Adaptation, he observed, would require strengthening of public health systems and combined efforts from everyone.
"Climate change is more than just a climate issue. It is one of the most dangerous problems of our age. But the degree will also depend on the regulation," he said.
Action Plan
At their biennial meeting held in Kampala, Uganda, last November, Commonwealth Heads of Government, endorsed the Lake Victoria Commonwealth Climate Change Action Plan.
Heads of Government called "to strengthen the quality and participation levels at international negotiations on climate change, such as assisting Commonwealth developing countries with their national negotiating capacity."
On the effect of climate change and water security, Girish Menon, Director of International Operations at the charity Wateraid, was critical of the undue emphasis governments have placed on fulfilling the Millennium Development Goal of providing water to their citizens but without putting in place measures to ensure the sustainability of these sources.
Highlighting successful examples of Wateraid's work in countries such as Uganda - where water tanks have been specially constructed by rural communities to tap rainwater, he said there is need for local governments to factor in climate change while planning their programmes.
Dr Saleemul Huq, Head of Climate Change, International Institute for Environment and Development, spoke of the importance of closer collaboration between researchers and the public sector, to share experiences and learn from each other.
"We cannot do away with climate change, but we can implement measures to reduce the impact, and enable countries to cope better," he noted.
Dr Mark Collins, Director, Commonwealth Foundation spoke of the numerous challenges that member states are facing in addressing climate change, which is a direct threat to the very survival of some Commonwealth countries, particularly small island states as well as low-lying coastal regions.
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Dr Collins said that the Foundation's initiative, to host a set of climate change briefings, is in response to this urgent need for action, as well as to carry forward the momentum from the 2007 Commonwealth People's Forum and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The aim is to raise awareness about critical climate change issues facing the Commonwealth and how they can be effectively addressed.
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