Episode Description

As the COP29 Climate Change Conference was ongoing in previous week, we sat to discuss the present state of the climate, the mitigation and adaptation cause, how far it has been achieved within the stipulated time and how realistic the actualization of the net zero goal was with prevailing realities of changed world leadership, growing hardware and software demands and consumption, and inequalities with climate finance and associated capacity in leading the effort in stemming emissions, global warming and climate change.

We accessed this from the lens of Africa and the relevance to the continent and its food systems. It was realize that the continent generated/generates one of the lowest GHGs emissions but is one of the most affected and most at risk of climate change effects but still receives the lowest share of global climate finance which appears unfair and impedes her adaptive measures to climate change and could have worsened human development indexes already burdened by hunger, poverty and inequality and has an agriculture-dependent economy usually rain-fed which climate change could disrupt.

Prof. Fadairo helped to understand the reasons for such climate finance gap citing standard fiduciaries, adequate technical capacity and effective local governance in properly utilizing disbursed funds for targeted goals. He emphasized that while the beneficiary countries could be lacking in those departments that there are instances of structural factors which obstruct finance access for instance, giving grants as loans, gap between fund allocated and fund actually disbursed, and incorporating consultants from the global north countries as part of finance conditions with the position that the global south countries is lacking of required technocrats.

While he acknowledges many of the lapses in the global south countries, in the case of Nigeria, and advising for investment in capacity building, appropriate governance and utilization of received funds, he canvassed for transparency, fairness and honest commitment with the climate cause.

He argued that conditions albeit standards must be
adhered should take into considerations separate local conditions of respective countries and advocated the need for focus on humanity of the cause than politicization.

We discussed how issues as these have been breeding division and loss of faith in not only the unified effort in combatting climate change but also the idea of climate change itself, being termed a hoax -means for rich, developed and industrialized global north countries to have developing and struggling global south subservient economically wise.

In tandem the climate change skepticism we also assessed the role misinformation, propaganda, unnecessary hysteria and fear mongering disseminated by the media, researchers and public figures, and called for responsible and balanced reporting and helping the public to understand climate change, their role in causing it and in mitigating it and helping to establish adaptive responses. In tandem, we informed on the need for people’s participation.

Prof. Fadairo touched highlighted significant additions the COP29 should include to its governance, operation and execution to ensure fairness, participation, productivity and effectiveness.

Discussing adaptive and mitigation strategies to climate change in Africa, he called proactiveness with government responses to climate change effects and enjoining partnership and participation and instituting domestic revolving climate funds and the importance of investing in
researches, researches, supporting them on abroad mission to learn and help locally operationalize global knowledge and best practices about climate change.

He informed farmers should adopt sustainable and resilient practices, and engage in multiple income generating activities. He called for government support for farmers, assisting with inputs, funds, forecast,
and insurance against decimations of climate change.