Strengthen efforts to fight climate change: Female poet charges nations at COP27

16th Nov 2022 | Source: Graphic Online

Nakeeyat Dramani Sam addressing the delegates

A young Ghanaian female poet, Nakeeyat Dramani Sam, has charged countries across the world to strengthen their commitments and efforts to fight the canker of climate change.

According to the youngster, vulnerable countries would be able to change their narrative to prosperity if countries worked together to deal with the problem.

Miss Sam said this at the Climate Prosperity Plans Flagship Event on the theme: “Paving the way from Vulnerability to Prosperity” at the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

In attendance at the event was the US Special Envoy on Climate, John Kerry.

Scourge

Ms Sam, who won the 10th season of Talented Kidz on TV3, said “there is no denying the fact that the theme spurs us on to take the bull by the horn, and as nations who reel under the scourge of climate change”.

“We shall certainly change the narrative from our vulnerable state to prosperity. But I must say, this can only materialise if we all as nations put all our commitments and efforts together to fight this canker called climate change. Undoubtedly, it is very apt for our respective Climate Prosperity Plans Programme to respond to this challenge by designing actionable investment and implementation pathways towards climate prosperity as evidenced in the guidelines.

“It presents an opportunity to unlock new avenues for economic cooperation and innovative financing centred on ambitious and climate-smart targets,” she said.

As the Youth Ambassador on Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), Ms Sam said she would also be rallying the youth by engaging them in a sustained and vigorous climate change sensitisation for behavioural change towards the environment.

Organize

Ms Sam said her plan was to form youth clubs in schools and communities, organise yearly conferences on climate change and also continue to engage the youth to plant trees, a project “I have named as one tree one child project, for I believe that is the future for the youth”.

“This is because young people are not only victims of climate change, they are also valuable contributors to climate action. They are agents of change, entrepreneurs and innovators.

“Just as the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, succinctly stated, his generation has largely failed until now to preserve the planet. It, therefore, behoves the current generation of youth to take up the mantle and be accountable to make sure that we don't betray the future of humankind,” she emphasised.

Opportunity

The youngster said she was very much excited and happy to have been given the opportunity to be on the COP platform to add her voice and to also spearhead her climate advocacy activities geared towards making the world a better place to live and to fight head-on the climate change challenge threatening human existence.