Will COP24 meet Africa’s climate realities and aspirations?

A Legal Adviser with the African Group of Negotiators to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has outlined Africa’s expectations of Katowice, Poland, looking at realities on the ground and how Africa can speak with one voice to make sure it is heard.

Seth Osafo, in a presentation at the 7^th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA–VII), in Nairobi, Kenya, said COP 24 is expected to finalize the rules for implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change under the Paris Agreement Work Programme (PAWP).

In December 2015, nations of the world took a giant step to combat climate change and to accelerate and intensify actions and investments needed for a sustainable low carbon future. 

The landmark agreement focuses on greenhouse-gas-emissions mitigation, adaptation, and finance, among other things needed to save the planet.

The African continent is bearing the brunt of the vagaries of climate change more than the others, in particular the developed world.

As Parties struggle to complete the implementing measures needed to get the Paris regime up and running, African experts meeting in Nairobi have been discussing related issues as they prepare to head for Katowice in December for the 24^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) to the UNFCCC.

A High-Level Ministerial Dialogue (HLMD) on Climate Finance is expected to be held in conjunction with COP 24.

Mr. Osafo said the operationalization of the Paris Agreement is expected by completing the Rule Book, that is modalities, procedures and guidelines for implementation.

These include facilitative dialogue – the Talanoa Dialogue initiated by the Fiji President of COP23; and stocktaking of the implementation of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol – Doha Amendment adopted on 8 December 2012 but still not in force. 

“As of 28 September 2018,117 Parties have ratified protocol. Three fourths of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol should ratify for it to enter into force, that is 144 Parties,” Mr. Osafo said.

Major issues will be under negotiation at the high level event on climate finance, he said.

Big issues under negotiation include adaptation, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), content and communication, finance, technology and capacity building, transparency – reporting of actions on Paris Agreement by Parties and compliance.

Major Challenges expected at COP24 include Transformation of current text into a negotiating text and subsequent adoption of Rule Book; Operationalization of Adaptation goal. Loss and damage; Elaboration of Compliance regime; Outcome of the Talanoa Dialogue; and Finance – Major differences between developing and develop countries. 

The leaders’ summit preceding COP24 on 3 December will result in a declaration.

Africa will be anxious about the implications of the declaration on its quest for sustainable and equitable economic growth that is climate resilient.

African needs to speak with one voice on climate issues

The Seventh Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA–VII) has opened in Nairobi, Kenya with a strong call for Africa to prepare and speak with one voice when it goes to the next UN climate change talks (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland.

Kenya’s Environment and Forestry Minister, Keriako Tobiko, speaking on behalf of President Uhuru Kenyatta, said climate change was a matter of life and death for Africa, hence the need for its leaders to speak with a strong unified voice and be heard when participating in multilateral climate negotiations and other global issues.

“We have all experienced the devastating and unprecedented impacts of climate change on our peoples' lives and livelihoods as well as our national economies. Africa is the most vulnerable continent despite contributing only about 4% to global greenhouse gas emissions but when we go to argue our case we speak in tongues and come back with no deal,” he said.

“We need to make sure that we have a unified voice as we proceed to COP24. We should showcase our own solutions to climate change; solutions that are developed and customized to fit our own situation.”

He said given Africa’s shared ecosystems and that natural resources know no boundaries, it was essential that “we continue to speak in one voice to safeguard the basis of our development and seek transformative solutions”.

Commenting on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) ‘Global Warming of 1.5^oC special report and its impacts in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty’, Mr. Tobiko said limiting global warming to 1.5^oC would require rapid, far reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.

“Operationalisation implies that adequate and predictable resources be mobilised and made available to support adaptation and mitigation action in Africa and other developing world,” he said, adding it was important that discussions and outcome of CCDA-VII contribute to build momentum towards the upcoming COP 24 and implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

All is not Doom and Gloom

As captured in the IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5 °C, James Murombedzi of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) emphasized that climate change poses undoubtedly the greatest risk to the realization of the ideals of the AU’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

But the report concluded that “anthropogenic emissions up to the present are unlikely to cause further warming of more than 0.5°C over the next two to three decades (high confidence) or on a century time scale (medium confidence)”.

James therefore believes not all is doom and gloom as “there is a chance for a stable climate system which will allow for sustainable development but only if we do manage to halt emissions in the projected time frame”.

He said there are opportunities to be harnessed by halting emissions and to have an organized transition to a carbon neutral future in the shortest time possible; and also restructuring local economies to ensure sustainable development without further emissions.

Minister Keriako Tobiko also believes climate change threats present opportunities for innovative and green investments for Africa.

“This is why implementation of the Paris Agreement remains a priority for the continent in order to adapt to the inevitability of climate variability and change. It is however important to emphasize that achieving the goals of the Agreement require committed leadership from state and non-state actors,” he said.

Local communities, women and the youth, he said, should be engaged in Africa’s efforts to combat the vagaries of climate change.

CCDA-VII Call for Climate Action

The theme for this year’s CCDA forum is “Policies and actions for effective implementation of the Paris Agreement for resilient economies in Africa”, chosen to reflect Africa’s collective engagement and commitment to strengthen climate change actions in the context of its development priorities. 

The CCDA is an initiative of the ClimDev-Africa Initiative, a tripartite programme of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

It was conceived as a physical dialogue place to promote interaction between science and policy on issue related to the climate change-development nexus.

This year’s meeting has attracted over 700 participants from member States, climate researchers, academia, civil society organizations, private sector, youth, women and local government leaders, among others.

“There are numerous practical and innovative solutions at community, sub-national, national and international level that we should never ignore in Africa. Climate change affects all of us but it affects doubly the most vulnerable members of our communities so we should always engage them because they also have the knowledge and solutions,” said Minister Tobiko.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Building resilient African economies requires institutional reforms

Institutional reform is a key intervention towards ensuring the resilience of African economies and the livelihoods of communities, says the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

According to James Murombedzi, Officer-in-Charge of ACPC, communities have long practiced many adaptation strategies and devised many viable responses to changing conditions.

“However, there are limits to how well communities can continue to practice adaptive livelihoods in the context of a changing climate. They need the support of an enabling environment created by government-planned adaptation,” he observed.

He was addressing a forum on climate governance preceding the Seventh Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-VII) in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Conference comes on the heels of the IPCC report on Global Warming of 1.5^oC which says the world is heading towards catastrophe if immediate action is not taken to halt greenhouse gas emissions.

“We have adequate knowledge of the causes of global warming, and the science is conclusive. There is no room for climate deniers in this discourse,” said James Murombedzi. “However, the inaction that we have seen is not because there is insufficient knowledge or technology or finance. We have enough of these to be able to change the way in which we produce, distribute and consume goods and services”

The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirms what the impacts of climate change that African is already experiencing.

Mithika Mwenda of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said the implementation of climate policies remains crucial.

“The successful implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a set of actions each country has committed under Paris Agreement to combat climate change, will be determined by the policy and legal frameworks which will be laid down by individual countries,” he noted.

African economies and communities are generally dependent on natural resources. The use and management of these natural resources also tends to be characterized by institutional structures which are poor, making them vulnerable to climate extremes.

CCDA-VII will focus on mobilizing action towards the achievement of the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

The ACPC, through the ClimDev Africa initiative, is already exploring the climate governance prospects for Africa structural transformation towards achieving the aspirations of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Climate change is cross cutting. It affects every aspect of life, and our ability to achieve the SDGs or indeed any of the aspirations of agenda 2063 is constrained by climate change. Because of its cross cutting nature, climate governance is complex. It requires the participation of multiple stakeholders, with sometimes conflicting interests” said James.

With the support of DfID, the ACPC is also implementing the Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) which seeks to promote the production and use of climate information, and contributes to building the capacities of hydrological and meteorological authorities across the continent.

The ACPC has also developed a five year programme which seeks to support African countries in building resilient infrastructure and economies.

Climate finance is however a major constraint to climate action.

The ACPC posits that “if local governments access decentralized climate finance, they should be empowered to disburse these climate funds for investment in priorities chosen with communities for adapting to climate change”.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh