By Oforiwa Darko
SHARON RINGO MOWO, TANZANIA
“We are terrified and anxious about climate change, yet we did not cause it. Why should children suffer from the effects of Climate change?” says twelve-year-old climate activist and tourism ambassador in Tanzania, Sharon Ringo Mowo.
Within the maze at COP 27 which was held in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, I caught up with Sharon Ringo Mowo, who had an expression of joy on her face after attending one of the sessions on Loss and Damage. Probing further about her excitement, sharon noted that the voices of thousands of Tanzanian children who are bearing the brunt of Climate Change have been heard.
I represented all of them! she said..
“I narrated and shared the trauma children in Tanzania and other parts of East Africa go through because of climate change. It is time for young climate activists to rise up and tell the stories of how children are sharing water from ponds with wild animals and livestock, how they are walking for miles to access water which is sometimes not even safe for drinking. These children sometimes miss school”.
According to the young climate Activist, rising sea levels, drought and extreme temperatures are taking a toll on children who live in communities mostly affected by climate change.
“My father always tells me that the impact of climate change is affecting children’s health, education and their daily activities. I am certain that I was heard and the global leaders would act now to address Climate Change issues”.
Sharon Ringo Mowo is a young Brand Ambassador for Tourism in Tanzania and the East African Community. At COP 27, she represented unheard voices of children and the Youth in Tanzania and across the African Continent. Her Foundation, Sharon Ringo Foundation, for the past years has been embarking on a tree planting project.
“I have a two-million tree planting project and I want every African Child to be involved. I have already planted over 38,500 trees with the support of my ambassadors in different countries. This year, my team is expecting to plant a lot more trees so that we can accomplish the 2 million planting goal and move on to achieve our future goal of 1 billion trees”. Global leaders should focus on planting more trees because they are really important to mankind. Sharon added.
Tanzanian Authorities say that four failing rainy seasons since late 2020 have caused the worst drought in at least 40 years, killing millions of livestock, destroying crops and plunging parts of the country into near-starvation conditions. The effects of climate change already endanger many children’s access to water, food, and health care.
RAND AL KHUSMAN, JORDAN
For the first time at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP 27, held in Egypt, young people were given the opportunity to express their concerns about climate change negotiations and also speak up about its impact on children and the youth. The first-of-its-kind pavilion for children and youth created an avenue for a youth-led climate forum.
Rand Al khusman, 25 years old, joined discussions at the youth-led climate forum and represented all the young voices in Jordan. Rand is a member of the Youth For Climate Campaign in Jordan, a country in Western Asia, where young people are among those at risk of the impacts of climate change, threatening their health, education, and protection. In a report launched in 2021, UNICEF ranked countries based on children’s exposure and vulnerability to climate and environmental shocks, with Jordanian children the world’s 94 most vulnerable. The report found that Jordanian children are exposed to water scarcity risk followed by air, soil and water pollution.
The 25-year-old said that in most of the sessions at the youth and children pavilion, she learnt that many children in other vulnerable communities are on the front lines of Climate Change.
“Why should children absent themselves from school because of climate change? When there is flooding after heavy rains, children are unable to go school in hard-hit villages. Should this be the case? Most of us at the youth and children pavilion have so many questions to ask.”
“As a young person, my voice should be included in decision-making when climate change issues are raised on different platforms. Every young voice is crucial when it comes to addressing Climate Change because it is a cross-cutting issue and the youth cannot be left out. The newly introduced pavilion for children and the Youth has therefore been of great benefit to driving the agenda of Loss and Damage”.
FREDERICK BINAMUNGU, TANZANIA
“I believe global leaders have a task to scale up impactful initiatives with the goal of attracting more private sector funding and also the media should do more to communicate success stories about climate change especially in the areas of adaptation, says 23-year-old Frederick Binamungu Simon.
Frederick Binamungu, a young climate activist who also had a platform at the youth-led climate forum called on global leaders to give priority to climate justice and financing to help bridge Africa’s climate finance gap. Frederick from Tanzania was among young climate activists at COP 27 advancing climate action in Africa. Most of these young climate activists have put their best foot forward to lead the youth in their communities to inspire hope for a green and sustainable future.
“I was saddened by the change in my community as a result of climate change so I decided not to sit down and point fingers but rather take action to help change that. I am now raising awareness about climate change and I believe if more youth show interest in climate action, the quest for a sustainable future would be promising”. Frederick further added.
NAKEEYAT DRAMANI SAM, GHANA
Holding a placard that said “Payment Overdue” young Ghanaian climate activist, 10-year-old Nakeeyat Dramani Sam, could be spotted in most of the plenary sessions that were held at COP 27.
The Climate Vulnerable Forum, CVF Ambassador, Nakeyaat Dramani, had a simple message for global leaders. She reminded negotiators, observers and personalities interested in dealing with climate change, that decisions made after every session certainly have an impact on millions of people especially those in climate-vulnerable countries.
“Africa is among the vulnerable areas affected by flooding, droughts, extreme weather, among others and mostly women and children are affected. I have been told that these vulnerable countries do not contribute much to Climate Change yet they are suffering from its effects. For instance, the recurring floods in Ghana continue to affect properties. Sometimes human lives are also lost so I think it is time for rich countries to pay for all the damages they have caused as a result of climate change. Payment is overdue”.
Nakeeyat said that young people should be empowered to become climate ambassadors.
“Children are the best people to deliver such messages because over a period of time they would be around to suffer the consequences of warming planet”. We are the future leaders, so when we talk people listen,” the young climate activist further added.
Now, the climate activist who is also a young poet says her plan is to form youth clubs in schools and communities and also continue to engage the youth to plant trees, a project she has tagged “One tree, one child project.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CHILDREN; AN ISSUE OF INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE
Certainly, the actions taken or failed to take about climate change will affect children throughout their lives. According to UNICEF, almost every child, 99 percent, is currently exposed to at least one climate or environmental shock. Also, recent research published in the journal Science suggests that children born in 2020 will live through seven times as many heatwaves, more than twice as many droughts, and three times as many crop failures as their grandparents. The analysis, also shared in the “Born into the Climate Crisis Report” shows these impacts are not felt equally, with lower income countries most impacted, with significant impacts felt even if warming can be limited to 1.5 degrees.
From my engagements with some of the young climate activists from the African Continent, it is worth noting that the youth and children also have unique needs in climate mitigation, adaption and recovery processes, especially the issue of loss and damage, taking into account the impact of climate change on their lives. They also want to be actively and meaningfully engaged in responses to climate change. It is their hope that the youth and children pavilion will have a lasting future impact to create a legacy of meaningful representation at future Convention Of Parties, COPs.
