Former US Vice President Al Gore, who is the founder of the Climate Reality Project has highlighted the role of young people in making a difference in Climate Change advocacy. He made this known to Ameyaw Debrah, during a round table discussion as part of 54th Climate Reality Leadership Training in Accra.
Debrah asked what young Africans who were participating in the leadership training could bring to bear in the call for attention to climate change, locally and globally.
Mr Gore said: “Well, I have seen very many positive results and I will mention just four of them. In my country last year, finally, we passed a new law called ‘The Inflation Reduction Act’, really it was a climate law, that is the biggest and best climate law ever passed in any nation. It is putting a trillion dollars into more solar, more winds, more EVs, more regenerative agriculture etc. Young people led the charge and were very influential and convincing members of the Senate House Representatives that passed this legislation.
”Second example, a month after that, the voters in Australia again with young people leading the way, voted their government out. It was a climate denial government and they voted in a government that is now committed to climate solutions and they are making a big difference. Third example, one month later, in Brazil, the former head of Brazil, Bolsonaro. He was destroying the Amazon rainforest and he was voted out. And the president who was voted in, former President Lula, is now protecting the amazon. The fourth example, in Europe and in the European Union, we have seen a determination after Russia invaded Ukraine driving food prices out, really a sadistic invasion….. There were pressures in Europe to keep using Russia’s oil and gas to bow to their demands to support their invasion and young people said no, ”We opposed this’.’ Renewable energy is freedom energy and they succeeded in accelerating the push for change.
”There are other examples I could cite but one positive example in West Africa, last summer in Nigeria, the subsidies for diesel were removed and for petrol. And now in Lagos you are seeing so many businesses get rid of their diesel generators and put solar panels on their roofs and the electricity is cheaper and the air is now clean to breathe in. We are seeing some change but the changes are not taking place quickly enough. The crisis is getting worse faster than we are implementing the solutions. So we need to speed up these changes.”
This installment of The Climate Reality Project’s global training programs centered on harnessing the potential of West Africa to establish a new model of sustainable development. The goal was to open doors to a better life for millions in the region. Attendees immersed themselves in knowledge and insights from former US Vice President Al Gore, alongside a distinguished lineup of scientists and experts from West Africa and across the continent.
The training covered a spectrum of topics, including the latest climate science, existing policies, and future solutions tailored to the West African context. Advocates were presented with opportunities to make a tangible difference in the region’s climate trajectory.
