Mr. Mithika Mwenda:

I am the co-ordinator of the PanAfrican Climate Justice Alliance, a coalition of more than 300 African organisations, including farmers', pastoralists' and women's organisations as well as organisations from diverse backgrounds, which have been brought together to add our voice to advocacy and policy-making on climate change at international level and to try to influence and contribute to the integration of climate change into national poverty reduction and sustainable development in African countries.

As my colleague said, climate change is really a big issue in Africa. When I was invited to speak to this committee, I reflected on a number of personalities who have changed this world. One of them really struck my imagination, namely, Robert Baden-Powell, a Briton and the founding father of the scouting movement. He died and was buried in Kenya, from where I come. When he realised he was dying, he told his followers that if they tried to leave this world a little better than it was when they found it, when their time came, they would die with a feeling that they had achieved their best. As I reflected on that today, I watched the television. Today is a big day in Ireland and the UK as the former British Prime Minister is being buried. Opinion is divided on the legacy she has left. Some people, who are demonstrating, have said her legacy is not positive while others have said she has left a positive one. It depends on where one stands. I asked myself what legacy we will leave in the context of climate change, which has both divided the world and brought it together.

We have come from Africa, where climate change is a real issue. We do not need scientists to tell us things are changing in Africa. I refer to a recent report by the UN. In sub-Saharan Africa, where 70% of people are farmers, crop yields are expected to fall by 20% due to climate change. Some 60% to 65% of arable land is already affected by degradation and drought and it is expected to decline further, resulting in serious food shortages, intensifying hunger and malnutrition. That was highlighted in the meeting hosted by the Mary Robinson Foundation.

We are seeing climate change in Africa, as my colleague mentioned. The habitats of 40% of species may be destroyed altogether. That means animals such as elephants and porcupines face extinction. Rainfall is predicted to decline by 10% by 2050 and by 2025, 480 million people in Africa could be living in water-stressed areas. An estimated 30% of Africa's coastal infrastructure will be lost to rising seas by 2080. These are realities which we are seeing as we speak.

All of us, north and south, are seeing the intensity of climate change. What is different, as we are hit by climate change calamities, is that people in Ireland, the United States and other industrialised countries have the capacity to absorb the impacts, but what about Africa? A couple of months ago, we saw the swift response to Hurricane Sandy, although many people suffered and we really sympathise with them. One can imagine what would happen if such a big event happened in Africa. There would be no capacity to respond to it and only the international community would respond. It would be really different from what happened in the United States.

Climate change is affecting us, but in different ways. It is like the Titanic in 1912. Those who were weak and were on the lower decks drowned almost immediately. We know of only one woman in this group who survived. However, most of those who were strong and were on the upper decks eventually drowned. This is the same problem. When addressing climate change, we must remember it will affect all of us eventually, so we need to look at in that way. Africa is the lower deck, but none of us will be spared. That is what brings us to the action we are taking.

There is much inertia at global level. The global community, particularly industrialised countries, have taken comfort from what science says. We would like to see more ambitious action being taken. We have led civil campaigns in the United States. The sense we are getting from our colleagues in Christian Aid and elsewhere is that the political and business classes have more influence on the laws to address climate change, and they do not want their businesses to be destabilised. However, we will eventually sink like the Titanic. We must look at things from that perspective and at the laws which will protect the health of the planet while at the same time addressing the challenge we face, namely, the survival of humanity.