Ensuring that African Voices on Climate Change are Heard

Global warming looms large as one of the factors set to negate the progress many African countries have made over the years towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Crop failures and declining agricultural production due to drought, floods, or unpredictable and untimely rainfall have exacerbated the continent's food security crisis. In many countries on the continent dwindling essential resources such as water reserves have heightened fears of an unprecedented outbreak of disease and death. Climate change is no longer only about the rise in the earth's temperature, in Africa it has also become a paramount development issue where the sustainable livelihood of millions of Africans is at risk, particularly among those that are the most vulnerable and least able to respond to the negative effects of climate change in communities that are being vastly undermined. Under these critical circumstances, it should now be the mandate of the world's leaders from Africa, Europe, Asia, and North and South America to protect their communities and the wellbeing of the world's citizens across the globe.