All have a role to play in reducing climate change

Tackling climate change demands sacrifices and actions being taken by every citizen.

Such a view was given by Former Chair, Least Developed Countries Group who negotiated the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Giza Gaspar Martins. He added, “We will not be able to transform our societies if each of us does not play a part. Government alone, policies alone would not transform a society.”

Martins, who is the Director of Cabinet on Climate Change in the Ministry of the Environment in the Republic of Angola, was at the time responding to a question asked by an audience member during the 44th Sir Winston Scott Memorial Lecture at the Frank Collymore Hall on Monday.

The night’s feature speaker encouraged each individual present to consider things they can do daily to combat climate change. He suggested a simple action like engaging in energy conservation as an example.

“I deal with climate change in a way that is more policy-oriented, but there are a million things that each one of us can do that adds a little drop of water in the ocean of the needs that fighting climate change has.”

He continued, “For instance, not running your tap has a very small impact on the demand for energy that is needed to keep that water flowing in your tap. The small little things that we can do in our everyday lives, whether it is by using more efficient lighting for instance, changing to LEDs or compact fluorescents…, [or] not running your air conditioning if you don’t need it. There is an infinite amount of measures that we can engage in on a personal level that will contribute a tiny little bit, but when bought in by all of us will make a difference.” (MG)