Kofi Adu Domfeh writes: There is anger in the land and it's heat-induced

The night rains come as soothing relief to many homes and families in Ghana.

But soon, the land is heated up, consuming the little moisture in the atmosphere to expose the real element of an unexpected changing weather.

The discomfort of the night's heat is telling in many homes: children, couples, and everyone's comforting sleep is tormented.

And when there is no electricity to offer some succor in fanning the hot air, anger is provoked in the land.

This is the reality of today's hassling weather.

Ama runs a beauty salon in the densely-populated Ayigya suburb of Kumasi. When there is an erratic power supply in what has become known as 'dumsor', the operation of her small salon comes to a halt. Earning enough to pay her four other hands becomes a challenge.

Ama is already thinking of investing in small solar systems as an alternative source of electricity to power her hairdryers. She is hoping to access support for the alternative renewable energy source.

For many small and large-scale businesses, the recent unannounced power outages have been frustrating to their income generation and limiting productivity at the workplace.

But when they return from a day's unproductive work to a dark hot home at night, their anger peaks.

"I will sleep tired and wake up tired because of this heat. It's suffocating when there is no light to turn on the fan," said Ama. 

"Can you believe I've not been in the mood for sex for almost three weeks? My husband does not even come close to me," the mother of two sounded seriously jovial.

She explained how she had to soak towels in water to cool her sweaty children after hand fanning them for several minutes.

The common scenes

Heavy rains and heat waves are among hazards faced by the ever-growing global population.

Parts of Ghana, for instance, have experienced the rains in March, yet heat waves – that cut deep into the skin – abound.

With urbanization and the spread of megacities, communities are exposed and vulnerable. And people get worried about the unbearable heat during the daytime and at night.

In the past couple of months, especially in February, the heat intensity has pushed an increase in the use of umbrellas in the afternoon.

The marketing and purchasing of air-conditioners are rising for homes and offices, as more motorists are getting their ACs on.

The voluntary use of nose masks in densely-populated environments is on the ascendancy, as dust particles increase in the atmosphere.

And there is also an increase in the consumption of water to overcome dehydration and exhaustion.

The heat-induced anger

Electricity supply in most parts of Ghana has been erratic in recent days. This has got consumers angry, especially when the power outages come without notification of a planned schedule for load shedding.

Interestingly, street talk on the impact of the current erratic power supply is more profound at the household level than the commercial impact.

Obviously, the recent public anger towards ‘dumsor’ is induced by the unfairness of the heat to the skin and inner being, especially at night.

In the midst of the power outages, a couple of mothers have attributed the death of their children on admission at the hospital to heat exhaustion.

Indeed, the extremes of the weather are here.

At the recently-held inter-schools athletics competition in the Ashanti region, fire officers had to intervene in rescuing students from heat exhaustion at Baba Yara Stadium as they deployed fire tenders to spray water into the crowd. Temperatures rose 36°C, high above bearable limits, and the students suffered discomfort under the unbearable heat of the scorching sun.

The intimacy between some couples have been strained by the heat waves as their romantic intimacy of cuddling suffers in the hands of a discomforting night sweat under the hot still breeze.

The rising temperatures in parts of the world have been a threat to religious activities, especially in the period of fasting. Some fasting Muslims, for instance, have been advised to increase their intake of water at pre-dawn meals for energy to prevent dehydration.

Already, authorities at the Kintampo Health Research Center are embarking on a study to measure the impact of climate change, particularly heat waves on the health of the local populace.

The move is to assess the risk of illnesses caused as a result of increasing temperatures fueled by climate change.

Humid heatwaves driven by climate change

February this year was the hottest February on record globally and the ninth consecutive month in a row that a hottest month record was broken.

Climate change has an influence on extreme weather events such as heatwaves and excessive rains.

Climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, and deforestation, has made heatwaves more frequent, longer and hotter around the world.

According to a study by leading climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution group, human-caused climate change made the humid heatwave in southern West Africa during February ten times more likely.

Ghana is among countries in West Africa hit by an unusually intense humid heatwave, and has broken temperature records above 40°C in February 2024. 

The researchers say developing heat action plans will help protect vulnerable people from dangerous heatwaves in West Africa.

The study also found that if humans do not rapidly move away from fossil fuels, causing global warming to rise to 2°C above pre industrial levels, West Africa will experience similar heatwaves about once every two years.

This “global boiling” as termed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres became profound during the recent African Cup of Nations (AFCON) football tournament as a ‘cooling break’ was introduced to allow players to dehydrate from the humid conditions. 

Long-term climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of the humid environment. Urban areas experience higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to reduced vegetation and increased heat-absorbing surfaces.

The sixth report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the urgency of climate action.

The energy in the heat

The high temperatures come with heat-related illness, especially respiratory and other chronic diseases.

Because they may be extremely fatal for the elderly and other persons with underlying health concerns, heatwaves are often referred to as "silent killers."

Preterm contractions, general discomfort, and spontaneous abortion in the early stages of pregnancy might possibly result from the heat wave.

If left ignored, dehydration can result in more severe issues including heat exhaustion, heat stroke, skin infections, mental health issues, and even death.

Experts advise the intake of adequate intake of water to remain hydrated and stay safe from headaches, fatigue, muscle cramps, and dizziness.

And when people are unable to sleep well at night, workplace productivity and academic performances are adversely impacted.

But there could be opportunities.

The most reliable source of clean energy in most African nations is solar power. According to Global Energy Monitor statistics, by the end of 2023, solar is estimated to account for 67 per cent of the growth in renewable energy capacity globally, with Africa accounting for a 1.7 percent.

Clean energy advocates believe it is time to turn to solar power by taking advantage of the abundant sunshine.

Perhaps, the anger in the voice of Ghanaians will be better managed if the country takes the lead in adopting or increasing new energy sources that are clean and sustainable.

Small business managers like Ama, the beautician, will be glad to adopt such energy sources.

But this will require major investments in Africa to build resilience to dangerous heat. The UN has estimated that the cost of adaptation for developing countries is between US$215-387 billion per year this decade.

However, rich countries haven’t yet met the financial promises they have made to help developing countries become more resilient to the growing risks of climate change.

In addition, these commitments fall drastically short of the finance required – in 2021, the global community delivered just US$21 billion to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, in acknowledging the latest temperature increases that have been off the charts, spoke about a world where clean energy is abundant and affordable.

He emphasized the need to make climate finance bigger and better to undo the deadlock between developed and developing countries for “a world where every nation is safe, opportunities are shared, and 10 billion people are protected from climate impacts”. 

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a Journalist, Climate Reality Leader and Green Advocate. Email: adomfeh@gmail.com  

Climate change made the dangerous humid heatwave in West Africa 10 times more likely

Human-caused climate change made the humid heatwave in southern West Africa during February ten times more likely, according to rapid analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists from the World Weather Attribution group.

 

The study also found that if humans do not rapidly move away from fossil fuels, causing global warming to rise to 2°C above preindustrial levels, West Africa will experience similar heatwaves about once every two years.

 

Developing heat action plans will help protect vulnerable people from dangerous heatwaves in West Africa, the researchers say.

 

February this year was the hottest February on record globally and the ninth consecutive month in a row that a hottest month record was broken.

 

West Africa was hit by an unusually intense humid heatwave with temperatures not normally seen until March or April. The most severe heat occurred from February 11-15 with temperatures above 40°C.

 

In Nigeria, doctors reported an increase in patients presenting for heat-related illness, people complained of poor sleep due to hot nights and the national meteorological agency issued several warnings about the heat.

 

“It is clear climate change is bringing more and more dangerously hot days to West Africa. With every fraction of a degree of global warming, heatwaves like the one we experienced in February in West Africa will become even hotter,” said Wasiu Adeniyi Ibrahim, Head, Central Forecast Office, NiMet, Abuja, Nigeria.

 

In Ghana, the national meteorological agency also warned people to prepare for dangerous temperatures.

 

The heat occurred during the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament in Côte d'Ivoire. Due to the hot and humid conditions, additional ‘cooling breaks’ were taken during the matches so players could rehydrate.

 

Climate change, caused by burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, and deforestation, has made heatwaves more frequent, longer and hotter around the world. To quantify the effect of climate change on the hot and humid temperatures in West Africa, scientists analysed observed weather data and climate models to compare how the event has changed between today’s climate, with approximately 1.2°C of global warming, and the cooler pre-industrial climate, using peer-reviewed methods.

 

Maja Vahlberg, Risk Consultant at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, expects countries across Africa, and the world, to prepare for heat.

 

“Many people do not appreciate the dangers of heat – unlike storms, fires or droughts, heatwaves don’t leave an evident trail of destruction. However, heatwaves are ‘silent killers.’ They can be incredibly deadly for the elderly, people with existing health conditions and outdoor workers.

 

“Humidity makes a massive difference to the human experience of heat. While the average air temperature across West Africa during mid-February was about 36°C, the humidity meant it would have felt like 50°C.

 

The Heat Index

 

The analysis looked at the maximum five-day heat index in a region of southern West Africa where the heat was most extreme, including Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and small parts of Guinea and Cameroon.

 

The heat index, also known as apparent temperature, is a measure that combines temperature and humidity to reflect how heat feels to the human body because higher levels of humidity make it harder for the humans to cool down. While the average air temperature in West Africa was above 36°C the heat index for the same period was about 50°C, reflecting how a combination of humidity and high temperatures caused dangerous conditions.

 

The researchers found that climate change made the heatwave as measured by the heat index about 4°C hotter and ten times more likely. Before humans started burning fossil fuels, similar heatwaves used to be rare events, occurring less than once every 100 years. However, in today’s climate, with 1.2°C of warming, similar humid heatwaves occur about once every 10 years.

 

If the world does not move away from fossil fuels and rapidly reduce emissions to net zero, West Africa will experience even hotter and more frequent humid heatwaves. If global warming reaches 2°C, as is expected to occur in the 2040s or 2050s unless emissions are rapidly halted, similar events will occur about once every two years and will become a further

1.2-3.4°C hotter.

 

Although the heatwave potentially affected millions across the nine countries, there were few heat-related impacts reported by the media and government organisations which reflects the need to improve awareness of dangerous heat and the detection of heat impacts.

 

While meteorological organisations in Nigeria and Ghana did provide warnings about the heat, many of the other countries included in the analysis have not carried out planning for dangerous heat, including introducing early warning for dangerous heat. In addition, none of the countries have developed a heat action plan that are extremely effective at saving lives during periods of dangerous heat.

 

“Africa has contributed a tiny fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions, but is the most vulnerable continent to the impacts of climate change,” noted Sjoukje Philip, Researcher at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute.

 

“The impacts of some extreme weather events are very clear in Africa. But for heatwaves, we don’t have a good sense of how people are being affected. A low level of climate science and reporting on heat impacts can make it difficult for African governments to highlight ongoing climate impacts,” he said.

 

Major investment is needed in Africa to build resilience to dangerous heat. The UN has estimated that the cost of adaptation for developing countries is between US$215-387 billion per year this decade.

 

However, rich countries haven’t yet met the financial promises they have made to help developing countries become more resilient to the growing risks of climate change. In addition, these commitments fall drastically short of the finance required – in 2021, the global community delivered just US$21 billion to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

 

The study was conducted by 17 researchers as part of the World Weather Attribution group, including scientists from universities, organisations and meteorological agencies in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

International Day of Forests: Urgent call for Ghana to repeal law hindering innovative forest management

The government of Ghana has been asked to urgently repeal the country’s Environmental Protection Regulation, LI 2462, which has been described as counter-productive to innovative solutions to managing forest reserves.

The legislative instrument, in its current form and intent, means no forest reserve in Ghana is exempted from mining if deemed to be in the interest of the state as determined by the President.

“This implies that, even Ghana’s most sensitive forest areas protected by Acts of Parliament and international conventions that Ghana has signed onto, can no longer be deemed secured,” said a statement by Tropenbos Ghana in commemoration of International Day of Forests.

In the spirit of this year’s theme “Forests and innovation: New Solutions for a Better World”, there is a call on governments, forest resource managers, and other state and non-state actors to initiate, and ensure effective implementation of innovative actions in order to optimally realize forests’ potentials and associated benefits in a sustainable manner.  

The environmental research organization is also demanding the immediate reversal of the directive from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources to the Forestry Commission to grant permits to timber harvesting companies to log in Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas (GSBAs).

“These forest reserves host endangered species and as such, must be protected,” the statement emphasized.

For most developing countries in the tropics, forests and associated resources are deemed the single most important resource base that propels sustainable development, and general wellbeing of the masses.

According to Project Manager of Tropenbos Ghana, Boakye Twumasi Ankra, this can be realized when the right policies, regulations and practices are initiated, instituted, and effectively enforced. 

He expects the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to be transparent, and accountable to Ghanaians on degazetted portions of Achimota forest reserve.

“Since the degazetting, there has been limited public engagement on actions that are being taken to ensure the sustainable management of the forest. Amidst reported instance of illegal entry, it is our strong conviction that, the MLNR should make public the procedure for degazetting portions of the forest, allocations that are being or will be made, beneficiaries, management, and investment practices particularly in relation to surrounding ecosystem,” said the statement. 

Wildlife Resources Management Bill

There is also a call for the President to as a matter of urgency give assent to the Wildlife Resources Management Bill, upon receipt, which among other things consolidates laws related to wildlife and protected areas.

Passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023, the bill is yet to have Presidential assent; delaying its enforcement. 

“This holds the potential to cause no action on key regulatory propositions and interventions that are outlined in the bill. It is therefore important for parliament to expedite action on all processes that are needed to be undertaken prior to submission to the office of the president for his assent,” said Tropenbos.

There are also recommendations for the MLNR and the Forestry Commission to improve adoption of technology and internet-based solutions into forest management.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh 

 

Ghana hosts Climate Change Summit to call for urgent action to safeguard Africa’s future

Climate change is threatening the long-term survival of rural African communities, leaving them unable to grow essential crops and unable to access healthcare due to extreme heat or rainfall.

Researchers from the University of Southampton in the UK and the University for Development Studies in Ghana have found that communities report how this situation has significantly worsened in the last five years. They are calling for urgent intervention to secure their health and future.

The University of Southampton, Ghana Ministry of Health and PACKS Africa are co-hosting a summit in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday 12 March to discuss next steps.

The research team surveyed hundreds of people in the rural Mion district, in northern Ghana – with every person reporting some level of food insecurity, a lack of access to, or availability of, food. This is often caused by loss of crops or livestock, soil infertility, unpredictable seasonal changes, and pest or disease outbreaks.

The researchers defined food insecurity for over a quarter of respondents as ‘severe’.
Most people had also, on at least one occasion in the last year, been unable to reach their local health facility due to extreme weather conditions.

Jess Boxall, Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, led the study. She said: “The results of our research are concerning, with entire communities reporting fears for their future food security. Our research was conducted in rural northern Ghana, but it’s extremely likely the findings are applicable to other Ghanaian communities – and across the African continent. Urgent short-term and long-term interventions are needed to give these communities a fighting chance.”

The research group has produced recommendations to policymakers, including:

• food aid programmes providing varied food (not just cereal products, as are currently provided) and storage solutions to protect food aid from flooding

• improving the transport infrastructure

• government intervention to diversify crops

• ensure ongoing health system revisions in Ghana consider access to health facilities

• education on climate change and climate smart agriculture practices.
The threat to the availability of varied food leads to malnutrition, leading to additional problems.

Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton, explained: “Malnutrition increases the risk of infection, and with mosquito-related diseases such as malaria and yellow fever both present in Ghana and likely to get worse with climate change, an adequate diet is vital to support the immune system and improve immune response to vaccination.”

Dr Victor Mogre, Associate Professor at the University for Development Studies in Ghana and Visiting Academic at the University of Southampton, said: “In northern Ghana, where food insecurity is already severe, climate change worsens the situation by increasing the likelihood that vulnerable populations, including children, pregnant women, and lactating mothers, will become malnourished.

"This can result in a cycle of malnutrition that spans generations, diminishes productivity, and yields unfavourable economic consequences. Integral to this strategy should be the promotion of climate-smart agriculture awareness among subsistence farmers and the dissemination of nutrition education to the general public regarding the importance of consuming adequate, diversified diets, particularly among vulnerable groups.”

Climate change summit

The researchers are holding a live-streamed summit – Addressing Climate Change and Health – in Accra, Ghana, on Tuesday 12 March 2024.

The event will bring together ministers, charities, academics, industry, health service providers and NGOs to raise awareness of the urgency of the climate change impact on West Africa.

Keynote speakers will include Dr Wisdom Atiwoto, from the Ghana Ministry of Health, and the summit will be chaired by Professor Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor of Ghana’s University for Health and Allied Sciences. 

African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change reaffirms commitment, celebrates key outcomes from COP28

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has re-affirmed its commitment to Africa’s climate and development aspirations.

 

Addressing a high-level stakeholder post-COP28 meeting taking place on the margins of the African Union (AU) summit, AGN Interim Chair, Alick Muvundika said the group will continue to represent and defend Africa’s priorities and aspirations in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) multilateral processes.

 

Dr. Muvundika said the AGN stands ready and eager to continue receiving guidance from the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and the Committee of African Union Heads of State on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) to ensure that the continent’s climate interests are safeguarded.

 

He cited the historic establishment and operationalisation of the loss and damage fund at COP27 and COP28 respectively, as an outstanding outcome where the AGN was a key player in reaching the decision and ensured that Africa’s interests were well articulated.

 

“As we start the year, looking back at COP28 and planning for 2024, I wish to re-affirm our commitment to the continent’s cause. The group, guided by AMCEN and CAHOSCC, has in the presented Africa, and remain a strong and united group of technical negotiators ready to safeguard and defend Africa’s interests in the UNFCCC processes,” said Dr. Muvundika. “As always, we remain committed to the guidance of our policy makers at the level of the AMCEN and CAHOSCC to ensure that we keep in tune with relevant policies guiding the continent’s development agenda.”

 

The AGN Interim Chair highlighted key decisions from COP28 which include; operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund where; operationalisation of the Global goal on adaptation; the first Global Stocktake (GST); and the Just Transition Pathways work programme.

 

In highlighting the multifaceted nature of climate change and its impacts on various sectors most African countries, Dr. Muvundika said the group is looking at innovative ways of how to constantly engage and enhance synergies between climate negotiators and policy makers from the environment sector and other climate sensitive sectors such as agriculture, water and health among others.

 

“Climate change is a development issue beyond the environment sector. For example, climate impacts on health and agriculture have widely been articulated. For the first time, we had a health day at COP28 where climate and health issues were discussed. As negotiators, we therefore need innovative approaches to engage with these climate sensitive sectors in order to expand not only our own understanding but also be of support to the entire development spectrum which is impacted by climate change,” said Dr. Muvundika as he addressed the AGN LC post-COP28 meeting in Sham el Sheikh, Egypt, supported by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Egypt.

 

Speaking during the same meeting, UNDP Egypt Resident Representative, Alessandro Fracassetti, highlighted the importance of partnerships and lauded the existing partnership between UNDP and the Egyptian government, and by extension, the AGN.

 

“I would like to take a moment to highlight the fruitful partnership between UNDP and the COP27 Presidency over the past couple of years. The designation of COP27 as both the "Implementation COP" and the "African COP" has been instrumental in shaping the outcomes of this conference, and acknowledge the substantial efforts and resources dedicated by the Government before and during COP27,” said Fracassetti.

 

And representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ambassador Mohammed Nasr commended UNDP for consistently supporting Egypt and AGN and emphasised the importance of the AGN to Africa’s unified approach to climate change negotiations in the interest of the continent’s development needs.

 

“This meeting comes after a crucial conference, COP28 in Dubai, where critical decisions were reached. This meeting will discuss several critical issues that will feed into key decisions at various levels and meetings such as CAHOSCC and UNEA. We are therefore happy to support continued efforts around a united approach to Africa’s development challenges,” said Ambassador Nasr.

COP28: What went down in the race to end the climate crisis

The outcome of COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after two weeks of rigorous climate change deliberations, was mixed, with some positive developments for Africa but a lack of progress on other important concerns.

 

The first agreement reached at this COP concerned the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund; the text came out on the second day of the meeting, with commitments to the fund totaling more than USD 700 million.

 

The Emirates Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture Systems and Food Security came second in line, the first such declaration at a COP. The declaration recognizes the importance of Indigenous Peoples in food systems and empower farmers and fishermen.

On the Global Goal on Adaptation, experts decried a lack of clear targets and the use of vague language. The goal is also said to be not explicitly time-bound. 

With the declaration on the phaseout of fossil fuels, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, acknowledged COP28 needed to signal a hard stop to humanity’s core climate problem - fossil fuels and their planet-burning pollution.

 

“Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end,” he said.

COP28 also made strides in tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency, making an initial down payment.

 

“Now all governments and businesses need to turn these pledges into real-economy outcomes, without delay,” said Stiell. “We must get on with the job of putting the Paris Agreement to full work. In early 2025, countries must deliver new Nationally Determined Contributions. Every single commitment – on finance, adaptation, and mitigation – must bring us in line with a 1.5-degree world”.

 

Least Developed Countries Group reacts

 

Reacting to the outcomes of COP28, Madeleine Diouf Sarr, Chair of the Least Developed Countries Group, said the Dubai decision is historic in including the first reference to fossil fuels, but the group is concerned about the loopholes that it leaves open, which could limit true emissions reductions and ambition. 

 

“This outcome is not perfect, we expected more. It reflects the very lowest possible ambition that we could accept rather than what we know, according to the best available science, is necessary to urgently address the climate crisis,” he stated.

 

According to Madeleine, limiting warming to 1.5C is a matter of survival, and international cooperation remains key to ensuring it. 

 

“Alignment with 1.5C not only requires countries to urgently reduce domestic emissions but also the delivery of significant climate finance so that we can continue our leadership in going well beyond our fair share of the global effort when it comes to reducing emissions,” he noted.

 

On the Global Goal on Adaptation, Ms Sarr said “the adoption of the GGA Framework at COP28 is a historic achievement, however, our work is far from over. We must now focus on the critical next steps, which include the development of indicators, to ensure the framework's progress is accurately tracked and measured."

 

Transition away from fossils marred by lack of finance

 

Climate Action Network together with civil society across the world, used their collective power in centering the end of fossil fuels through a fair, fast and funded just transition at COP28.

 

But they expect the polluting countries and companies to deliver the funding to achieve a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

 

“The COP outcome opened the road for a fossil fuel free world, but this road is full of potholes, dangerous distractions and if allowed, could lead to a dead end,” Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, CAN International. “We are determined to fight for securing international support from the rich nations for the developing world as a key enabler for more ambitious commitments and a just and equitable transition to a fossil free future.”

Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa also noted that “for the first time in three decades of climate negotiations, the words fossil fuels have ever made it into a COP outcome.  We are finally naming the elephant in the room. The genie is never going back into the bottle and future COPs will only turn the screws even more on dirty energy”.

 

“Some people may have had their expectations for this meeting raised too high, but this result would have been unheard off two years ago, especially at a COP meeting in a petrostate. It shows that even oil and gas producers can see we’re heading for a fossil free world,” he added.

 

Position of African Group of Negotiators

 

Africa’s cumulative historical emissions are a paltry 3 percent of the global total; current emissions from the energy and industrialized sector are also an inconsequential 3 percent for a continent of over 50 countries and 1.5 billion people.

 

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) wanted the recognition of the full right for Africa to exploit its natural resources sustainably and in line with sustainable development and poverty eradication needs, consistent with Agenda 2063.

 

“It must be understood that Africa will need to exploit its natural resources and renewable energy endowments to achieve universal access to energy as per SDG 9,” said a statement from AGN Chair, Eng. Collins Nzovu.

 

He noted that Africa is in support of limiting warming to 1.5°C, however this should be based on differentiated pathways where African countries close the supply gap, rather than developed countries continuing to issue exploration licenses to avoid stranded assets as the African supply will be towards the global demand.

 

“The economic impact of stranded assets could amount to trillions of dollars. Fossil fuel assets are most vulnerable over the coming decade; oil and gas assets are more vulnerable toward mid-century,” said the statement.

 

However, Landry Ninteretse, Regional Director of 350Africa.org, frowned on the statement by the AGN.

 

He posited that “reliance on fossil fuels not only sets us on a perilous path to further destruction but also won’t bring a tangible benefit in people’s lives and livelihoods. Fairness and differentiation are key to this energy transition.

 

“Our continent is abundant in renewable energy resources that, if developed, can address the continent’s dual energy and climate crises. Neo-colonialist and extractivist approaches that have long characterized the fossil fuel exploitation must stop. Rather than fight to explore polluting fossils, focus should be on calling for developed nations to deliver adequate and favorable financing towards a fast and fair transition away from fossils”.

 

Stance of African CSOs and Non-State Actors

 

The African civil society and the Non-State Actors Committee (NSA) observed the negotiations had been frustrating, particularly in securing progressive decisions on the Global Goal on Adaptation and its means of implementation.

 

“Implementing strong adaptation measures remains at the heart of addressing historical and current climate injustice and this must be complemented with sufficient means of implementation, to be precise climate finance. Africa demands immediate and substantial action to address the lack of sufficient adaptation measures for the continent, recognizing historical injustices,” said the groups in the statement.

 

Al Gore, former US Vice President and Founder of Climate Reality Project, emphasized that the world desperately needs to phase out fossil fuels as quickly as possible.

 

“But this obsequious draft reads as if OPEC dictated it word for word. It is even worse than many had feared,” he stated. “In order to prevent COP28 from being the most embarrassing and dismal failure in 28 years of international climate negotiations, the final text must include clear language on phasing out fossil fuels. Anything else is a massive step backwards from where the world needs to be to truly address the climate crisis and make sure the 1.5°C goal doesn’t die in Dubai”.

 

The UN Climate Change says the negotiations on the ‘enhanced transparency framework’ at COP28 laid the ground for a new era of implementing the Paris Agreement.

 

Azerbaijan will host COP29, where governments must establish a new climate finance goal, reflecting the scale and urgency of the climate challenge.

 

At COP30 in Brazil, they must come prepared with new nationally determined contributions that are economy-wide, cover all greenhouse gases and are fully aligned with the 1.5°C temperature limit.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh