Obasanjo calls for action on climate change

January 14 2007 at 02:06PM

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for international assistance to help Africa deal with the devastation caused by climate change.

Speaking at a conference on German-African partnership in the Ghanaian capital Accra, Obasanjo called late Saturday on all nations to adhere to international protocols the environment.

He said deforestation was having a detrimental effect on the continent's ecology and called for urgent action to prevent Lake Chad, a shallow lake providing water to millions of people in several African countries, from drying up.

"We have to do something about the lake so that about 10 million people will not be out of water," Obasanjo warned.

'It is inconsistent that we in Europe demand justice while closing our eyes to injustice in Africa'
Lake Chad borders Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Water levels have been falling in recent years due to climate change and increased human usage.

The conference, hosted by Ghana's President John Kufuor, was being attended by German President and former International Monetary Fund head Horst Koehler during a four-day visit to Ghana.

Also attending were presidents and 50 youth leaders from 18 African countries, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and African Union Commission Chairman Alpha Oumar Konare.

Koehler used the event to call earlier on Saturday for the European Union to change its attitude toward Africa and address double standards in areas such as trade and human rights.

"It is inconsistent that we in Europe demand justice while closing our eyes to injustice in Africa. This also means that we in the north must change our behaviour," he said. - Sapa-AFP