“Persons need to take climate change seriously” – Lt. Col Craig
─ now is not the time “to sit back and wait” on the impacts of climate change
─ measures need to be implemented to reduce impact
DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Acting Director-General of the Civil Defence Commission, Lieutenant-Colonel Kester Craig urged stakeholders to be more proactive in the fight to mitigate climate change.
In an invited comment, on day two of the Commonwealth Association for Public Administration and Management (CAPAM) 2018 Biennial conference, with focus being placed on climate change, the CDC Head said, “this is not the time to sit back and wait” on the impacts of climate change, measures need to be “in place to ensure that we reduce the impact.”
He added, “Having a conference focusing on climate governance is critical because the changes that are necessary need to come from the policy level and also be operationalised.”
The acting Director-General also remarked that while there are policies and plans tabled, the implementation of these is faced with challenges. He explained “For us to have satisfactory implementation, you must have the governance systems in place at all level,” adding that the key to this is at the individual level.
“Persons need to take climate change seriously; persons need to take disaster risk management seriously and start working on reducing their risk on an individual level, that’s the only way we would be able to withstand the impact of climate change.”
Lieutenant-Colonel Craig told the Department of Public Information that the sessions have been “enlightening” with “very useful information” being shared among representatives of Commonwealth nations.
He noted that the conference presents an opportunity for public servants to learn about different strategies and tools being used by the international community and utilise what is applicable to Guyana.
The Civil Defence Commission head disclosed that he hopes to see “positive social change” after the conclusion of the conference, adding that participants should “take away important messages, important tools and go back to their organisations and start implementing those systems.”
CAPAM 2018 continued with sessions on Integrating Risk Management Processes in Decision Making, Balancing Climate Action and Economic Growth, and Strategies for Developing Policies and Engaging Citizens on day two.
Anara Khan.
Images: Keno George.