French President Macron calls for more investment in climate

French President Emmanuel Macron has challenged world leaders to help in saving the world by investing more in climate change activities.

Mr Macron while speaking on Wednesday in New York at the Goalkeepers event organised by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation said the only way to forestall impeding disaster as a result of climate change activities around the world is to change tactics, stop neglecting the environment and begin to invest in it.

The French President stressed that the climate change has become a world issue and can no longer be ignored.

He lamented that despite mounting evidence of the problem, world leaders are lagging behind in showing the required commitment, stating that they are not delivering in line and are late.

“And the first consequences of us to stand the chances is in a big time of acceleration,” Mr Macron stated.

He said last year at the climate summit, world leaders made various commitments and also gathered a few months ago to gather funds and determine how much more to invest on climate.

“We have to shift one side of the global finance from the day to day business to the climate business. We are not speaking about additional new big figures which we will never deliver.”

Mr Macron had told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday in New York that he would no longer make deals with countries that are not in the Paris Agreement.

So far, the only country yet to key in is the United States of America.

“But it is just to say about the climate, look at the situation, look at the hurricanes, look at the new desert, look at the new poverty created by climate change. You have to invest, it is good for climate but it is good for you as well,” he said.

Taking action to combat climate change and its impact is the 13th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations.

Climate change is a now a global problem affecting all countries. It is disrupting national economies and also lives as well as cost of living. The world is also experiencing changing weather patterns, drying up lakes and rising sea level, among others.

Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa affected by the change with desert encroaching from the north, drying up of Lake Chad, deforestation from the south and rising water level of the sea in the west.

Mr Macron also called on the youth across the world to share the philosophy of pragmatism, accountability and people.

He said they know that they have the agenda 2030, the SDG goals, but it’s impossible to say “next year we will deliver everything.”

Mr Macron said it is time for the youth to start asking questions concerning the environment because oftentimes, the leaders just give speeches without delivering.

” The new way to promote is precisely about accountability and concrete results. We just have speeches every year without assessing what we do and not do. Without focusing on successes, weaknesses and failures we will never progress.”

The French President said speaking about figures, having report is fine but the youth need to inspire, to push people to move and to “trigger big changes in our way to work and decide

“It means we need leaders and that is why the Goalkeeper’s nations is creating a sort of broad and open club of talents, inspiring people, dedicated to change.

“To push politicians, to criticise what we do in our governments, in our countries, which is very important. And that is why this message for me is extremely fertile and promising,” he said.

Mr Macron said one of the ways in which France will show commitment to the 2030 agenda will be by increasing its grants from $10 billion to $15 billion by 2022.

He said there is a need to create a big shift and one third of this over business is reachable.

Mr Macron said they will put a strong commitment on climate, education, health.

He said this will strengthen the fights against poverty, fight to build the new world and to address one of the main roots of the unbalancies of our current adverse and equalities.

“We need a strong commitment of a lot of countries in order to be much more committed because it is how to shake our current world but it’s how not just to preserve but to build the future opportunities of our world and the upcoming generation,” Mr Macron said.

Still speaking of climate change activities, the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, while addressing the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday said there is a need for global attention in addressing climate change and the Lake Chad crisis.

Mr Buhari said climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time as it is another reason for irregular migration, noting that it has drastically shrunk Lake Chad and was patching otherwise fertile arable land.

The president said the lake was a major source of livelihood to more than 45 million inhabitants of the region.

He explained that its shrinking has taken jobs, rendered people poor and vulnerable, and exposed to extremists and terrorist elements.

This, he emphasised, has also intensified internal displacements, leading to intense economic competition, especially between farmers and herdsmen.

Mr. Buhari called for rededicated international engagement to address the root causes of conflicts in the region.

“What is required is continuous and robust UN cooperation with national Governments and sub-regional and regional organizations, such as the Lake Chad Basin Commission, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union, to enhance capacity in conflict prevention, conflict management and peace building,” Mr Buhari concluded.