Africa loses $15bn annually over climate change – Abia Commissioner

From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri

Abia State Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Prof. Joel Ogbonna, has said Africa has borne the brunt of global emission.

The continent, he disclosed, contributes only 3.8 per cent of global emissions and loses about $7 to $15billion annually over climate change and that the figure is expected to rise to $50billion by 2040.

Ogbonna, who is Africa’s National Representative of Registry of Environmental Professionals, United States of America, stated this in a keynote address he delivered at the second ICPES international conference, held at the Federal University of Technology Owerri, with the theme: ‘Procurement, Environmental and Social Standards: Achieving Sustainable and Resilient Livelihoods in the Face of Climate Change’.

He noted that the theme of the conference aptly captures the urgent need to rethink and reshape, how to manage resources, conduct business, and protect the environment amidst the mounting pressures of climate change crisis.

“This conference therefore provides a valuable platform to share cutting-edge researches, case studies, and best practices that address the challenges of

climate change crisis to enable us achieve the 17th sustainable goal. The inadequacy of climate finance, lack of innovative technology, and the neglected care for the environment now demand urgent attention in Nigeria and Africa as a whole,” he added.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, FUTO, Prof. Nnenna Oti, noted that universities are the beating heart of global knowledge, where scholars gather to exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and shape the future. He described the conference as a call to action towards rethinking “how we procure, protect, and uphold social standards in a rapidly changing world.”

In their separate addresses, the CE-sPESS Director, Prof. Gloria Chukwudebe and Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, Prof. C.O Nwoko noted that climate change was no longer a distant threat, but a present reality shaping economies, communities and ecosystems.