For the Queen of England, a green birthday in Yaounde

Written by Eugene N. Nforngwa

Tuesday, 15 June 2010 13:54

YAOUNDE—The Queen of England and Northern Ireland’s 84th birthday party here last week was easily a climate change action advocacy campaign.

The theme was “Green the Present, Guarantee the Future” and High Commissioner Bharat Joshi’s speech was, yes, a climate change exposé.

And if you think that was not green enough, the party at the British Residence on Thursday, June 10, was powered exclusively by solar energy.

Nothing was by chance, said Mr Joshi, climate change has become a question of the future survival of the human race, he added.

“As many of you know, tackling climate change is a key area of focus for this high commission and for my government,” he told guests.

“Indeed, I have sometimes been accused of being obsessed by it. I don’t think that’s true – we work across the full range of policy issues with the government, international partners and civil society.

“But there is no question in my mind that climate change poses the most significant, medium to long-term threat to the well-being of the human race and means that we must take urgent action to mitigate the damage that we are doing to our planet.”

Truth is, the British high commission takes climate change so seriously it might well be accused of some kind of compulsion, even though in a positive sense.

In addition to providing funds for climate change “high impact” projects around the country, the high commission works directly with the government and other stakeholders in the sector to deal with the challenges a warming world poses.

Last year, it sponsored a press contest for journalists to encourage climate change reporting and sent three winners for a two-week study trip in the United Kingdom (UK).

In the coming weeks, it plans to run a number of climate change “road shows” in selected locations around the country to arouse the interest of municipalities and stimulate local action.

Run with the ministry of forestry and wildlife, the road shows will feature a roving theatrical troupe with performances planned in the Garoua (North), Santa (North West), Kribi (South) and Limbe (South West) municipalities.

Mr Joshi said the UK was also taking its international commitments seriously.

“We have, and will continue to, work towards a fair deal in Cancun in December that seeks to mitigate the worst effects climate change,” he said, “while providing sufficient support to developing countries.”

The UK has already pledged some “£50 million [about CFA39.4 billion] contribution to the Congo Basin Forest Fund – and the transfer of technological know-how, fast-tracking Africa’s progress to a high-growth, low-carbon economy,” he said.

Climate change is increasingly a recurrent concept in Cameroon, where millions of people could suffer from its adverse effects.

Scientists warn that temperatures are rising in formerly cold parts of the country while rain patterns are getting more and more difficult to predict. In some coastal towns like Idenau, inhabitants have witnessed tides rising high enough to submerge parts of the highway and farmlands.

Across the country, ordinary people are already being forced to adapt to prolonged dry seasons, erratic rains, and the disappearance of farming and grazing fields.

Malaria is now being reported in new places like the western plateaus, and the risk of hunger has grown in other places as a result of poor harvest.

Mr Joshi urged Cameroon to do more in tackling these new challenges. Guests included governmnet ministers.

“We have worked closely with Cameroon, which has played a leading role in African efforts, through for example COMIFAC, he said, “and in the United Nations where H.E. President Paul Biya has consistently set out the challenges facing this continent through no fault of its own, and the important role that the Central Africa region can play in mitigating the effects through high-quality management of its forest resources.

“We call on Cameroon to continue to show leadership. We look forward to progress on a Climate Change Observatory and to what we hope will be the early signature of the important EPV-FLEGT Agreement with the EU, which was initialed by Minister of Forestry and Wildlife HE Elvis Ngolle Ngolle and EU Ambassador Raul Mateus Paula last month.”

In the end, it was a birthday party after all. Hundreds of guests included people from all walks of life: journalists, civil society leaders, diplomats and government officials.

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was born on April 21, 1926, but her official birthday is often celebrated on a given date every June. She was crowned on June 2, 1953, following the death of her father King George VI.

The British high commission said in a statement: “As a constitutional monarch, the Queen does not ‘rule’ the country, but fulfils important ceremonial and formal roles with respect to the parliament of the United Kingdom, and the devolved assemblies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.”