Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki at the weekend in Paris urged his counterparts from across the world to become champions of the cause for saving the environment in their various jurisdictions.
Saraki while presiding over a session of the Globe COP 21 legislators summit inside the French National Assembly Complex with the theme: Developments in National Legislation on Climate Change, Disaster, Risk Reduction, Energy and Sustainable Development – Towards Integrated National Planning on the 2015 Agenda’ said the success of the current move to make the environment safer for all living beings required effective and efficient leadership which legislators were better placed to provide.
He said legislators at the Globe summit had a challenge to go back to their home countries and domesticate the issues raised and share the experiences gathered so as to spread the success recorded in some places and avoid the mistakes encountered in some other countries.
“We must make changes through our parliaments. Parliamentarians are better placed to lead the campaign through legislations and advocacy programmes for the needed change of attitude, required investment and consistent attention necessary to reduce global warming and its dangerous consequence”, Saraki said.
Also speaking during the session, Representative Kenza El-Ghali, who is Vice President of the Chamber of Representatives in the Kingdom of Morroco narrated the consistent laws and policies which the North African nation had initiated since 1992 towards promoting sustainable environment in line with global best practices.
She said Morroco had initiated water and agriculture policies which have helped to promote a clean environment and that since 2010 the focus has shifted to having an energy policy focused on solar power through which 16,000 jobs have been created.
In his contribution at the session, Dr. Kennedy Graham, who is President of Globe in New Zealand said his country has the specific challenge of earthquake and that the development has tasked the initiative of policy makers on the need to avert disaster and mitigate losses suffered by citizens during disasters.
Graham said one of such policies already introduced in New Zealand is the Resource Management Act which he described as the first law to promote bio-diversity.
From Brazil, Senator Jorge Viana who is the Vice President of the Senate said the Parliamentarians present in Paris must take fundamental steps which are aimed at reducing the rate of global warming to not more than one and a half percentage.
“The subject of Global Warming is one that unites us. We must debate, deliberate and understand the issues involved. We need to change our mindset. We have to decide whether the whole world will increase or decline,” he said.
Congressman Leo Ricardo from Mexico said his country in 2012 was the first developing country to work out an agreement for bio-diversity, reduce DHT, protect citizens and boost the national economy. He further canvassed the need for nations to embrace renewable, efficient and safe energy .
Senator Ed Markey, chair of the United States Senate Committee on Climate Change Clear House and Hon. Jairam Ramesh from India emphasised the need for Parliamentarians to ensure mass mobilisation of their constituents in support of the idea and ideals of a save the environment campaign.
While Ramesh said India was set to ensure that 40 percent of her energy source is from non-fossil fuel like bio-mass, nuclear and solar power, Senator Markey said the US already has 300,000 windmills through which power is generated and that it was possible to have a 100 percent energy derived from windmills.
“You (parliamentarians) are the ones that can take on the establishment in your governments and lead the war for a cleaner and and greener environment. 70 percent of Americans want an agreement reached here tonight on this”, the US Senator said.
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