The British Naval sea Captain with HMS Endurance, Bob Tarrant over the weekend disclosed that climate change was an important issue globally for all and its effect was going to be felt in Sierra Leone more.
The Captain was explaining to Journalists Friday on the Ship about the purpose of their visit to the country which he said was to host an Environmental Management Seminar with Government officials.
Cpt Tarrant gave reasons why Sierra Leone was going to be affected by climate change saying that “climate change clearly is caused by many reasons but the climate always change whether we have been here in the last century or not but what we are seeing now from my experience, I believe is that climate change is taking place and global warming is taking place more rapidly as a result of human activity.”
He went on state that “we are seeing that accelerate and the scientific basis for that is predominantly on the increase in carbon dioxide in the air which doesn’t allow the heat to escape in the normal way from the earth”
Certainly he went on “I know for example that in this region of West Africa I visited Ghana on my way here we had a good climate change conference to increase awareness…but in Ghana the temperature has increased by 5 to7 degrees which is less than that in the Antarctic but the rainfall has reduced by 20% in the last 50yrs or so and as a result that is having an effect on deforestation in Northern Ghana”
Climate change he maintained is “going to possibly in Sierra Leone affect you more than in other countries because of the geographical positions”.
“I’m a sea captain” he said, who “has worked in the Antarctic and has seen the effect of climate change so I bring my personal interest. What I see is that the issue of the warming taking place is done so globally and that will bring changes I think you have already seen the reduction in rainfall in Sierra Leone”.
He continued that the change in the structure of the sea currents off the coast which has changed the way the fish stocks are populated and also shocking was when the temperature increased in the wet season coupled with the deforestation in the country.
“These are issues which I do believe will happen no matter what action is now taken over the next 10 to 15 years”.
In tackling it, he said the UK was a good friend to Sierra Leone and the best thing to do was to bring the best advice possible to the country whereby a seminar of interaction between ministers in the country and members of the British Scientific community including the British Antarctic Survey, the Met Office, the Marine and Fisheries Agency, DFID and the EcoSecurities was necessary.
HMS ENDURANCE is undertaking an important deployment to West Africa to highlight the effects of Climate Change, Environmental Protection and the importance of Maritime Security.
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