Senegalese women took to the streets of Dakar on Saturday to march against climate change.
Their objective was to promote women’s participation in the climate debate and encourage people to consider the specific climate concerns of Senegalese and other African women at next month’s climate summit in Glasgow.
Khady Camara, co-organizer of the march, shed more light on the motive behind the march. “It is to make the voice of African women heard, particularly that of Senegalese women, because today the world is faced with what is called climate change and the effects are felt everywhere in Senegal.”
The 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties, is happening at a time when the world is said to have experienced one of the warmest years on record.
The projected changes in climate are likely to cause devastating impacts across the continent. Food insecurity in East Africa is evident. A co-organizer of the march, Nadia Dia encouraged women to come on board to fight this battle of climate injustice.
“We are aware of the Glasgow summit and we want to hear the claims of women who are committed to the fight against climate injustice. We know that we are all committed, we all have the same planet. Why don’t the others stop polluting our continent? We do not want this pollution anymore. We have no more water. Animals are dying for lack of water or the soil is poisoned. We can’t do agriculture anymore. How are we going to develop?”
During 2020, the global average temperature increased 1.76 degrees F, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Weather extremes, driven by climate change, are being felt intensely across Africa.