President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has appealed to the public to take the issue of climate change seriously since it threatens not only the country’s economic development but the survival of the entire human race.

He attributed the floods, depletion of rain forests, altered weather patterns to climate change caused by certain human activities and indicated that the phenomenon could affect agricultural production, food security, health, water, and energy security if not tackled.

“The action to combat climate change must be everyone’s business-from the government and the public sector, security services, religious organisations, private sector, labour organisations, professional associations, special interest groups, civil society organisations, to individual communities in the country,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo said this at the Climate Chance Summit Africa 2019 on the theme ‘Stepping up local climate action in Africa’.

The conference, chaired by former President John Agyekum Kufuor, was attended by mayors of some major cities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

President Akufo-Addo said the government was taking steps to reduce carbon emissions and had taken a decision to increase the country’s renewable energy component of the country’s energy mix to 10 per cent, from one per cent by the year 2020.

“The target is to install 200 megawatts of distributed solar power in both residential and non-residential facilities and in state agencies in order to reduce government’s dependence on power represented by fuel fossils.”

“Jubilee House, the seat of the President, will soon be powered by solar energy as an example to other institutions and public buildings. The possibility of using nuclear energy is also being considered,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo pointed out that major policy interventions such as the programme of Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One Factory, One Village One Dam had been implemented not only to boost agricultural production and industrialisation but to build the country’s resilience to the impacts of climate change

He urged participants of the summit to take action to reduce carbon emission in cities in Africa and endeavour to be part of the solution to providing a better future for the next generations.

Former President Kufuor, on his part, urged local government agencies to do more to reduce the devastating impact of climate change in Africa.

He expressed optimism that the conference would help tackle the global phenomenon.