One delegate from Namibia has been chosen to participate in the International Conference on Impacts of Climate Variation and Sustainable Development (ICID) that will take place in Brazil from 16 to 20 August.
Laudika Kandjinga, from the Integrated Environmental Consultants in Namibia (IECN), is one of ten delegates that were chosen from the eastern and southern African region.
Kandjinga is excited to be part of this conference regarding climate change and, “it is a real honor,” he said. He is the only Namibian and also the youngest candidate. “Most of the people attending are professors and doctors,” he said.
As a shortlisted candidate for a sponsorship from the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK, he attended a pre-conference that took place in Zambia in June. From the 20 candidates, only ten received sponsorships to attend the conference in Brazil. They were chosen based on their proposal’s abstract.
Climate change is a growing problem and Kandjinga said that it is important to, “create awareness and educate people.” These changes are already being experienced and, “people can only adapt to these changes if they know about it and know what the impact is,” he added. The key is to find sustainable developments.
Kandjinga’s project includes six planning tools to find measures that are necessary to adapt in different areas. He hopes that this can be implemented in other countries as well. He adds that it is important to reach out to local communities and to assist them in adapting. Climate change has a huge influence on agriculture and this makes up about 70 percent of Namibia.
About 30 delegates from Africa will attend this conference to present their papers on this pressing issue. - Yolanda Nel
