Leone’s Chief Justice Komba Kamanda has called on the Human Rights Commission to intensify public advocacy on climate change, warning that the country faces mounting threats from flooding, coastal erosion and rising temperatures.
“Climate change is a growing national concern,” Kamanda told officials of the Commission’s Directorate of Climate Change and Information Services during a meeting in Freetown on Tuesday. “If climate change issues are not addressed, the environment will not be habitable for us.”
He pledged the judiciary’s support for awareness campaigns and for the upcoming National Conference on Climate Change and Human Rights scheduled for Oct. 28–29.
Abu Bakar Kamara, director of the commission’s climate change office, said the conference will gather policymakers, civil society groups, ministries and community representatives to examine how climate change is affecting human rights. The event will also seek to strengthen government and civil society cooperation on mitigation and adaptation.
Sierra Leone, ranked among the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, has faced recurring floods, deadly landslides and coastal damage in recent years, exacerbating food insecurity and displacing communities.
