One Planet Summit To Focus On Reversing Climate Change

The One Planet Summit is scheduled to take place tomorrow, March 14, in Nairobi, Kenya. The focus of the summit is on reversing climate change. It is the first time the summit is taking place in Africa, having previously been held in Paris and New York. 

While Africa is responsible for only 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, an estimated 65% of its population is affected by climate change. The continent is also projected to see temperatures increase 1.5 times quicker than the global average.

Among the attendees will be French President Emmanuel Macron, who launched the event in December 2017. President Macron has been quoted as saying, “We have all the means to act to fight against climate change. But one country or one business alone can’t save everyone. That’s why we need the international meetings and coalitions to coordinate our efforts and strike hard. We need to act now to achieve our main goal: reduce our production of carbon which destabilizes the climate balance and causes impacts on our security and health. The next months will be full of opportunities to strengthen our joint effort and to create new partnerships.” 

Meanwhile, the United Nations is urging those meeting at the summit to take action curbing food and plastic waste following the publication of a report that estimates that a quarter of all deaths globally are as a result of environmental damage.