COP31: Disability community gets audience with AGN Chair for inclusivity in climate negotiation process

When sudden floodwaters tore through the streets of Accra, last June, the devastation left behind was measured not only in damaged infrastructure, but in broken lives and lost independence.

 

For many residents with disabilities, the rising waters swept away their essential assistive devices, including wheelchairs and crutches, shattering their livelihoods in a matter of hours.

 

As climate-induced extreme weather events intensify across the globe, persons with disabilities find themselves at the acute epicenter of vulnerability. Yet, despite bearing the heaviest burden of global warming, their voices remain largely excluded from the formal halls of international climate diplomacy.

 

Now, a growing global movement led by African disability advocates and backed by the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) is fighting to change that narrative at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

 

"Climate change affects all of us, but affects some more than others, and those some are persons with disabilities," explains Peter Anoma-Kodie, Executive Director of the Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations.

 

Anoma-Kodie paints a harrowing picture of what climate vulnerability looks like on the ground. During severe environmental events, physical limitations leave persons with disabilities with fewer escape options.

 

"When it comes to running or swimming, we don't have those skills," Anoma-Kodie points out. "So when there's a change and there's a flood or drought, we are the ones who suffer most often."

 

The hazards extend far beyond sudden floods. Slow-onset climate impacts, such as prolonged heatwaves and soaring global temperatures, inflict severe health crises on specific disability communities. In tropical regions, extreme heat exposure poses a life-threatening risk to persons with albinism, triggering sharp spikes in skin cancer and devastating dermatological conditions.

 

The peril faced by persons with disabilities during environmental catastrophes is compounded by a systemic lack of accessible infrastructure and communication. Disaster management protocols routinely overlook the basic accessibility needs of disabled populations.

 

"The most challenging part is that we are not able to get early warnings in accessible formats," Anoma-Kodie emphasizes. "During disasters, we don't get information in accessible formats in terms of sign language or live captions. We don't get those things—and after the disaster, it's the exact same story."

 

Without accessible early warnings, deaf individuals cannot hear emergency sirens or broadcasts, visually impaired individuals cannot read print evacuation notices, and mobility-impaired individuals are left trapped without accessible transport. This structural exclusion turns natural hazards into fatal disasters.

 

"That is why we think that we need to be at the table," Anoma-Kodie stresses. "So that we make sure that climate processes are all fully accessible to persons with disabilities."

 

Recognizing that policy change requires seat-at-the-table representation, disability leaders engaged in high-level diplomacy at COP31 to secure formal recognition within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

 

Meeting with AGN Chair

 

A pivotal breakthrough occurred following a bilateral strategy session between the African disability community and Chair of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah.

 

The delegation urged the AGN, a key negotiating bloc representing African countries, to champion the disability caucus's bid for official observer status and formal constituency recognition.

 

Nana Amoah pledged his full support to mobilize the African negotiating bloc behind the disability movement, committing to organize dedicated meetings between AGN delegates and disability representatives to expedite their recognition process.

 

"The chair was very optimistic," Anoma-Kodie recalled after the meeting. "He mentioned that he will do his best to organize a meeting for us with the AGN so that persons with disabilities can articulate their issues and influence the negotiation process to get our observer status as quickly as possible. He was very friendly and clearly dedicated to disability inclusion."

Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people – 16 percent of the world’s population – live with disabilities. According to joint appeals from the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and regional forums including the African Disability Forum (ADF), ASEAN Disability Forum, European Disability Forum (EDF), and Latin American Network of NGOs (RIADIS), climate adaptation policies can only succeed if principles of universal design and accessibility are placed at their core.

 

Currently, the UNFCCC recognizes nine official constituencies, including Women and Gender, Youth, and Indigenous Peoples’ Organizations. These constituencies receive critical privileges: making plenary interventions, receiving advance drafting documents from the UNFCCC Secretariat, and collaborating directly in closed negotiating rounds.

 

Despite international human rights mandates, such as Article 4.3 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which obligates states to consult disabled populations, disability organizations still lack an official UNFCCC constituency status.

 

"If we are not sitting at the table, it means that we will not be able to articulate our issues," Anoma-Kodie warns. Official constituency status would grant disabled advocates equal standing to shape climate adaptation funds, disaster risk reduction frameworks, and Just Transition policies.

 

For advocates on the ground in Antalya and across Africa, disability inclusion in climate action is not a matter of charity; it is a fundamental human rights imperative.

 

"Climate change is a human rights issue," Anoma-Kodie declared in his takeaway from the climate summit. "If we don't act today, it means that we are denying other people the right to live tomorrow. This is a campaign that we all need to get involved in. We should have started yesterday, but today is not too late."

 

With the backing of the African Group of Negotiators, the disability bloc is pushing to turn UN pledges into binding, funded commitments. As negotiations continue, their message to world leaders is unambiguous: effective global climate solutions can only be built when the world's most vulnerable populations have a direct hand in shaping them.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

African banks, businesses, and households fuel threefold rise in private climate finance to USD 26.5 billion

African banks, businesses, and households are driving a surge in private climate finance, according to a new report which finds that private investment across the continent has more than tripled since 2019/20.

 

The third edition of the Landscape of Climate Finance in Africa, published by Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), FSD Africa, the government of Norway and the UK government, reveals that private climate investment reached USD 26.5 billion a year in 2023/24, with more than three-quarters (76%) coming from domestic sources.

 

African banks and businesses are leading the change. Commercial financial institutions accounted for almost half of the increase in private climate finance between 2021/22 and 2023/24, with corporate investment also rising substantially. The report links the rise to stronger climate engagement among African banks, growing regulatory attention to climate risk, and falling global costs for solar, wind and battery storage. 

 

Meanwhile, household climate investment more than doubled to USD 5.1 billion a year, 19% of private climate finance, and accounted for over a fifth of the increase. Small-scale solar drove more than 90% of that growth, with household spending on solar PV rising nearly fivefold to USD 3.3 billion a year, highlighting the growing role of African households, alongside businesses and financial institutions in funding the continent's clean energy transition.

 

The findings point to a significant shift in Africa's climate finance landscape, which has traditionally been dominated by international public finance. But despite the growth in private investment, Africa still has the lowest proportion of private climate finance of any region in the world, at just 36% of total flows. 

 

"Africa's climate finance has grown significantly, driven in large part by homegrown private investment. But the challenge is not only volume. African banks, insurers and pension funds manage around USD 3.2 trillion in assets, yet many projects are too small and fragmented for these investors to reach. Clear, predictable policy frameworks and investment vehicles can help bridge this gap, as parts of the renewable energy sector have shown,” said Barbara Buchner, CEO of Climate Policy Initiative.

 

International public finance remains the backbone, providing almost two-thirds of flows, and is increasingly catalytic: private finance mobilized by multilateral and bilateral development finance more than doubled since 2021/22, to USD 8.2 billion. Yet, the growth is uneven, international public climate finance to low-income African countries fell by 11%, even as funding to middle-income countries rose by 33%.

 

The report finds that closing the gap is not just a matter of increasing the volume of private finance but of building financial systems that can originate, prepare and finance climate investments at scale and tailored to each country.

 

That means building the capacity of African financial institutions to originate and finance climate investments and keeping consumer finance channels such as pay-as-you-go models and local bank lending available and affordable, particularly in local currency. It also points to clear policy frameworks and risk-sharing mechanisms, such as those that have supported renewable energy, as models for other sectors.

 

“The trends in the report are consistent with the global picture: climate finance in Africa is increasingly being driven by the private sector.  It shows that if we build well-functioning, sustainable financial markets we can unlock investment not just in clean energy but in other sectors of the green economy such as agriculture, housing and transport, creating vibrant markets that deliver jobs and basic services as well as climate benefits,” said Mark Napier, CEO of FSD Africa.

 

Other key findings include:

 

• Climate finance more than doubled to USD 74 billion annually in 2023/24 but remains far below the estimated USD 300–572 billion needed each year for mitigation alone.
• International public finance is still the bulk of Africa's climate funding, accounting for almost two-thirds of flows. However, international public climate finance to low-income African countries fell by 11%, even as funding to middle-income countries rose by 33%.
• Investment is concentrated in a handful of countries and sectors. Energy attracted USD 32.3 billion annually, while agriculture, forestry and other land use received just USD 6.5 billion. Middle-income countries received more than 80% of energy finance, while low-income countries saw slower.
• Climate adaptation remains underfunded, accounting for just 21% of climate finance, down from 28% in 2021/22, despite growing climate risks.

 

The report calls for greater efforts to unlock African institutional investment and direct finance towards underserved countries and sectors, while maintaining vital international public funding.

 

African CSOs rally behind AGN Chair as Africa pushes climate finance priorities at COP31

African civil society organisations (CSOs) have commended the leadership of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) for advancing the continent's priorities at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

 

The organisations say Africa is maintaining a united voice in demanding climate justice, adequate and accessible climate finance, and meaningful implementation of commitments to address the growing impacts of climate change.

 

The commendation followed a briefing by the AGN Chair, Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, on progress in the negotiations and the continent's priorities for the conference.

 

He said the African negotiating bloc entered COP31 with high expectations and had made significant progress in securing the inclusion of three key supplementary agenda items to ensure that Africa's financial and structural concerns received attention in the negotiations.

 

The priorities include access to climate finance, particularly grants and highly concessional funding, increased adaptation finance, and greater ambition in the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

 

“We wanted to achieve success in this meeting by making sure that climate finance is high on the agenda and in that case finance that speaks to grants and then highly concessional.

 

“Second, we also wanted to prioritize adaptation financing and in this context, wanted to have space for conversation on the tripling adaptation finance.

 

“We also wanted to see ambition in the replenishment that would be happening next year on the GCF and the loss and damage fund,” said Nana Amoah.

 

The AGN Chair said the continent was also seeking clarity on the emerging climate and trade discussions, warning that related measures should not undermine Africa's development and industrialisation ambitions.

 

He noted that the outcomes of COP31 would be important in laying the groundwork for COP32, which is expected to place greater emphasis on implementation and investment.

 

Nana Amoah urged African civil society organisations to intensify their advocacy around the key issues before negotiators, particularly climate finance, adaptation, trade-related barriers to development and a just transition that reflects Africa's unique circumstances.

 

He stressed the importance of sustained collaboration between negotiators and civil society groups in ensuring that the continent's priorities translated into meaningful outcomes.

 

Augustine Njamnshi of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) commended the AGN leadership for its progress and sense of purpose in ensuring that Africa's priorities remained on the negotiation table.

 

He pledged the continued support of African civil society organisations towards securing a positive outcome at COP31, emphasising the importance of collective action in advancing the continent's climate justice agenda.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP31: Africa CSOs demand a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels anchored in development priorities

African civil society organisations under the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) have called for a just, orderly and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels, as conversations about the roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels take shape at COP31.

The call was echoed during the High-level Dialogue on the COP30 Presidency Roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye.

Speaking during the dialogue, the Executive Director of PACJA, Dr Mithika Mwenda, reiterated that the success of the global transition should not be measured uniquely by the reduction or the retirement of fossil fuel infrastructure, but also by its contribution to energy access, economic transformation and sustainable development.

The roadmap on transitioning away from fossil fuels was established at COP30 held in Belém, Brazil last year with the central principle that a just, orderly and equitable transition must stimulate development, expand access to affordable modern energy, protect workers and communities, and reflect different national development circumstances.

Countries do not need to follow identical pathways to move toward the same climate objective.

President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the leaders' summit at COP30 said that “the world needs a clear roadmap to end its dependence on fossil fuels.”

Dr Mithika Mwenda emphasised that developed countries should take the lead in reducing fossil-fuel dependency, given their historical responsibilities for greenhouse gas emissions and greater financial and technological capabilities.

"The roadmap should recognise that Africa's energy transition must support broader structural economic transformation and must address the structural constraints that prevent African countries from pushing an ambitious and development-compatible energy transition," said Dr Mithika Mwenda.

Connecting to the main theme of the meeting, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Gutteres, reiterated the need for a global transition away from fossil fuels, driven by economic, security and climate imperatives. 

He stressed that the world must accelerate its transition from fossil fuels to clean energy to achieve climate goals limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius, build more secure economies and reduce vulnerability to price shocks. He insisted that the fossil fuels transition is no longer optional but a critical necessity.

The Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, Simon Stiell, shared hope that the COP30 presidency for transitioning away from fossil fuel will help to identify barriers and areas requiring enhanced international cooperation which would position it as “a vital tool to accelerate the delivery of clean energy goals and building on past climate initiatives.”

He added that “a country that lacks grids needs different support than one whose economy depends heavily on oil and gas revenues. Developed countries, development banks and other partners must coordinate finance, technology and capacity building around those priorities".

In his remarks, André Corrêa do Lago, the COP30 president shared the intent to develop and launch two critical roadmaps to support the implementation of decisions from the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake (GST), describing them as critical tools for fighting climate change. 

He said the main objective of the two Roadmaps was to support the implementation of consensus decisions from the Paris Agreement's GST.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh  

Why COP31 climate negotiations should matter to Ghana's budget

Climate finance is no longer just an environmental funding issue. It is increasingly a fiscal, economic development and national security concern, with direct implications for government expenditure, public debt and Ghana's long-term development prospects.

 

The growing threat of extreme weather events, including the risks associated with El Niño, poses significant challenges to vulnerable economies such as Ghana.

 

Flooding destroys public infrastructure, often requiring unplanned government expenditure on reconstruction and rehabilitation. Droughts and irregular rainfall patterns undermine agricultural productivity, threaten food supplies and increase pressure on household incomes.

 

Ghana's Financial Stability Review warns that flood-related losses could reach approximately US$200 million annually by 2050, while the IMF's 2026 assessment also highlights risks to cocoa production and rain-fed cereal yields.

 

These climate-related disruptions have far-reaching consequences for household incomes, export earnings, food security and government finances.

 

As Ghana prepares its 2027 national budget, the availability of international climate finance could significantly influence how much the country can invest in flood protection, agricultural resilience, the energy transition, coastal protection and disaster preparedness without placing additional pressure on public debt.

 

The central question, therefore, is whether Ghana's national budget will adequately account for the growing cost of climate change and identify credible financing sources to meet that cost.

 

At the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), chaired by Ghana's Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, is pushing for greater access to climate finance to enable vulnerable economies to implement their climate action plans.

 

For Ghana, the stakes are particularly high. If developed countries reduce bilateral climate assistance or redirect development funding, countries such as Ghana could face increased competition for concessional financing. The government may consequently have to rely more heavily on domestic borrowing or commercial financing to fund critical climate-related infrastructure.

 

One of Africa's major interests at COP31 is whether the international community can translate its climate finance commitments into accessible, predictable and affordable funding for countries on the frontlines of climate change.

 

Climate finance commitments under scrutiny

 

Addressing a press conference on Africa's position at COP31, AGN Chair Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah said developed countries had no excuse to renege on their climate finance commitments.

 

He stressed the importance of advanced economies honouring their obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to provide climate finance, as agreed in previous negotiations.

 

“We need to be very clear about this process; it’s about they asking what are you doing in your country to address climate change. The [developing] countries have their national plans and policies. The countries have done nothing wrong in those historical emissions.

 

“It’s not that we don’t know that our countries must do something, but we are reminding them that they have an obligation that they have to honour… The excuses are that there is no money, but our understanding is that there is money, but there is no money for climate, because they can get money for military interventions overnight, they can get money for energy security overnight, why can’t they get money for climate? It’s because climate is not their priority,” he emphasized.

 

The African Group has indicated that it will push for a tripling of adaptation finance and the replenishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), arguing that vulnerable countries need substantially greater resources to strengthen resilience and implement their climate commitments.

 

Ghana's President, John Dramani Mahama, has also been named the Green Climate Fund Replenishment Champion for the Fund's third replenishment cycle. In this role, he is expected to help mobilise resources and build political support for replenishing the Fund to finance climate action in developing countries.

For Ghana, this presents an opportunity to leverage its leadership role in the international climate finance conversation to advance its national development priorities.

 

“As Ghanaians, it presents a very clear, clean opportunity for us to take advantage of climate financing to scale up development in Ghana,” said Seidu Issifu, the Minister of State in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability.

 

He believes COP31 presents a different opportunity for Ghana, particularly in moving beyond commitments towards tangible implementation.

 

“We're saying that in this conference, we want to stop talking. We want to translate pledges into action, deliverable action that can drive sustainability, that can drive climate action for us, that can build resilience for our communities. So what are we looking for? We're looking for scale up climate funding to support our economic development,” he stated.

 

Ghana's $53.3 billion climate ambition

 

Ghana has an estimated US$53.3 billion climate financing ambition over the next decade to implement its climate action plans. Mobilising these resources will require a credible financing framework that brings together international climate finance, domestic revenue, private sector investment and innovative financing mechanisms.

 

The challenge is not simply identifying the resources required but establishing how these funds can be mobilised, accessed and deployed to deliver measurable development outcomes.

 

For the government, the 2027 budget offers an opportunity to demonstrate how climate considerations are being integrated into national economic planning and public expenditure.

 

Investments in climate-resilient infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, coastal protection and disaster preparedness should not be treated as isolated environmental interventions. They are essential investments in economic stability, livelihoods, food security and the country's long-term fiscal sustainability.

 

The climate negotiations in Antalya, therefore, have direct implications for decisions being made in Accra.

 

As Ghana prepares its 2027 budget, the outcome of COP31 and subsequent climate finance negotiations should inform the country's fiscal priorities, financing strategy and development planning.

 

Ultimately, the test of climate diplomacy will not be the number of pledges announced at international conferences, but whether those commitments translate into accessible resources that help countries such as Ghana protect their economies, strengthen resilience and secure sustainable development.

  

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

AGN Chair backs stronger inclusion of children in global climate negotiations

The Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, has pledged the Group's support for efforts to strengthen the participation of children and young people in global climate change negotiations.

 

He says Africa must be intentional about creating opportunities for children to contribute to climate policy discussions, given their vulnerability to the growing impacts of climate change.

 

Nana Dr. Amoah made the commitment during an engagement with youth and children's representatives at the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

 

He explained that the initiative to involve children more meaningfully in climate negotiations began at COP28 in Dubai, where discussions were initiated on how to integrate their perspectives into the global climate process.

 

He said the engagement was necessary because children were increasingly exposed to climate hazards, including changing rainfall patterns, rising temperatures and flooding.

 

Studies, he noted, had highlighted the widespread exposure of African children to climate-related hazards, underscoring the urgency of giving them a voice in decisions that would shape their future.

 

“So it tells you that we shouldn't be taking these things for granted,” he stressed.

 

The AGN Chair said the Group considered the initiative important and was committed to supporting ongoing consultations involving the climate conference leadership in Türkiye and Australia to strengthen children's engagement in the negotiations.

 

He recalled the AGN's previous support for efforts to secure language recognising children's participation in the climate process, including dialogues held in Bonn.

 

Nana Dr. Amoah believes Africa's demographic profile makes the issue particularly important, noting that the continent’s median age is approximately 19 years.

 

He identified the Just Transition work programme, the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) agenda and discussions on the COP cover decision as potential avenues for incorporating children's and youth-related concerns into the negotiations.

 

“We need to be very careful and then intentional. Where can we have a conversation of children in this space?” he said, highlighting the need to identify specific negotiation tracks through which their concerns could be advanced.

 

He added that the AGN had assured the young representatives of its commitment to supporting the initiative and working to advance their interests through the negotiations.

 

The engagement was warmly received by the youth representatives, who described the presence and support of the African negotiating bloc as an important source of encouragement.

 

One of the youth leaders expressed appreciation for the AGN Chair's continued commitment to the issue.

 

“I can't tell you how much your support and commitment means - as you said, you have been accompanying this issue from the very start with the expert dialogue, and we hugely appreciate you being here and your words,” the youth leader said.

 

The engagement reinforces growing calls for more inclusive climate governance, with children and young people seeking greater recognition not merely as victims of climate change but as stakeholders whose voices must influence the policies and decisions shaping their future.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh 

UN and global health leaders declare climate change a health pandemic as 2026 temperatures hit record highs

Global climate leaders and meteorological authorities declared on November 9, 2026, that relentless greenhouse gas emissions and an "off-the-charts" El Niño event have officially transformed the climate emergency into a global health crisis of pandemic proportions.

 

Speaking at a joint World Meteorological Organization (WMO) press conference convened during COP31 in Antalya, representatives from the United Nations and global health philanthropies warned that rising temperatures, ocean heating, and unprecedented drought are severely straining health systems, threatening food security, and driving millions of premature deaths worldwide.

 

Scientific evidence delivered by WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo in the State of the Climate Update 2026 confirms that global temperatures have breached critical thresholds.

 

From January to September 2026, the global average temperature stood approximately 1.47 °C above pre-industrial baselines. The update confirms that the past 12 years represent the warmest 12-year period ever recorded, with the past four years—including 2026—ranking as the four hottest years in human history.

 

WMO forecasts indicate that sea-surface temperatures in the Tropical Pacific—the epicenter of El Niño—are expected to reach nearly four times the standard 0.5 °C El Niño threshold between November 2026 and January 2027.

 

Secretary-General Saulo emphasized that because El Niño traditionally exerts its maximum influence on atmospheric temperatures during the year following its initial development, 2027 is projected to break global temperature records once again, following the record set during the 2024 El Niño cycle.

 

Beyond rising air temperatures, ocean heat reached its highest level on record for the tenth consecutive year, while global sea levels hit new highs, compounding storm surge and flooding risks for roughly 900 million residents living along low-lying coastal zones worldwide.

 

Extreme weather events intensified across every region in 2026, including high-mountain disasters in China and Nepal that threatened downstream communities, devastating floods in parts of South America and Africa, and severe droughts across Central America, Asia, and the Pacific.

 

Heat mortality, drought, and maternal vulnerability

 

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, framed the environmental indicators in stark medical terms, warning that climate destruction is directly destabilizing human physiology and national health infrastructures.

 

He highlighted severe health impacts documented during the northern summer of 2026, where extreme heat waves led to an estimated 50,000 excess deaths across Europe alongside dangerous heat spikes across India, Pakistan, and North America.

 

"The climate crisis is now a global health crisis of pandemic proportions. From toxic pollution to extreme heat, and climate disasters slamming through health systems and infrastructure, the root cause is humanity still burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, and destroying forests," said Stiell.

 

Data presented by Wellcome Director of Climate and Health, Alan Dangour, underscored the systemic scale of mortality and environmental health disruption:

 

Air Pollution and Thermal Mortality: Combined fossil-fuel air pollution and extreme heat currently claim over 3 million lives each year globally.

 

Agricultural and Sanitation Strain: Extreme drought affected nearly 52% of the world's land surface for at least one month in 2025—the second-highest level ever recorded—depleting groundwater reserves and disrupting sanitation and food security.

 

Maternal and Newborn Risks: Citing results from a new global survey of 1,000 maternal health professionals, Stiell and Dangour flagged severe physiological threats to pregnant women and newborns caused by extreme thermal exposure. In response, partners at Pre-COP31 in Fiji launched a global call to action to establish medical guidelines, heat response plans, and surveillance data targeting maternal health.

 

The "electric or shock" economic choice

 

Addressing the structural reforms required to curb the crisis, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary presented national delegations with a clear economic framing: "electric or shock." Stiell argued that accelerating clean electrification represents both an economic imperative and a primary public health intervention, offering relief to health budgets and households burdened by volatile fossil-fuel prices.

 

To address chronic underfunding in public health adaptation, philanthropic organizations reported significant progress under the Climate & Health Funders Coalition, originally established at COP30 in Belém with an initial joint commitment of $300 million across more than 35 funding organizations.

 

First-Year Grant Deployments: Over $225 million has been officially awarded during the coalition's first year of operation, supporting targeted interventions in extreme heat management, air pollution reduction, climate-sensitive infectious disease surveillance, and health data systems.

 

Expanded Capital Commitments: An additional $150 million in new financial pledges was secured from existing and incoming donors over the past year.

 

Preventative Health Dividends: Global health data indicates that clean air initiatives have already prevented over 300,000 deaths annually across at least 77 countries that achieved reductions in fossil-fuel air pollution over the past decade.

 

Despite grim temperature projections, WMO Secretary-General Saulo emphasized that targeted adaptation measures are delivering measurable protections against extreme weather events. A primary success has been the rapid expansion of multi-hazard early warning systems worldwide.

 

Secretary-General Saulo stressed that maintaining and extending these life-saving networks requires continuous investment in global meteorological observation networks, warning that decision-makers "cannot afford to fly blind" as climate impacts accelerate.

 

Closing the joint press conference in Antalya, Wellcome Director Alan Dangour called for a fundamental shift in international climate negotiations, urging governments to evaluate policy progress through human health outcomes rather than abstract environmental targets alone.

 

"We must change course and put the health and wellbeing of people at the heart of our response to climate change – measuring success not through emissions targets or degrees Celsius but by lives saved and health outcomes improved. The state of the climate is now in reality the biggest indicator of the state of human health," said Alan Dangour.

 

As COP31 negotiations proceed under the co-guidance of Türkiye and Australia, delegates face growing pressure from international scientific and health bodies to integrate public health protections, clean energy electrification, and dedicated adaptation funding directly into final international agreements.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh 

COP31: Africa makes progress on adoption of key supplementary priorities on agenda

COP31 must mark the definitive transition from negotiated promises to tangible financial delivery, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) has urged world leaders in a decisive call as the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31) opened in Antalya on Monday.

 

Speaking on behalf of the continent at the opening plenary in Antalya, AGN Chair, Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, emphasized that Africa’s ability to fulfill its climate commitments rests entirely on the immediate mobilization of scaled-up, predictable climate finance.

 

Aligning the African block with the Group of 77 and China, Dr. Amoah declared that an implementation-focused summit must be a summit that delivers on finance, setting a firm tone for the two-week negotiations hosted by Türkiye with Australia presiding over negotiations.

 

Opening the intervention with congratulations to the incoming Turkish Presidency and gratitude to Australia and the outgoing Brazilian Presidency from Belém, the AGN Chair articulated the stark paradox facing the African continent. Africa contributes the least to global greenhouse gas emissions yet suffers disproportionately from climate-induced disruptions.

 

While African nations have submitted highly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), Dr. Amoah highlighted that the vast majority of this ambition remains locked behind unfulfilled financial pledges. He stressed that African countries cannot carry out climate mitigation and adaptation strategies without the promised means of implementation, transforming climate finance from a secondary discussion item into the essential prerequisite for all global progress in Antalya.

 

"Africa comes to Antalya with one clear message: implementation depends on means of implementation. Our continent contributes the least to this crisis and is among the most exposed to its impacts. African countries have put forward ambitious NDCs and adaptation plans, but most of that ambition depends on finance that has not yet arrived," said Nana Amoah.

 

Adoption of Africa’s priorities in official agenda

 

To ensure that core financial and structural priorities were formally integrated into the COP31 proceedings, the African Group pushed for the inclusion of three key supplementary agenda items. Following intense Head of Delegation negotiations that concluded in the early hours of the opening morning, Dr. Amoah announced that consensus had been reached to adopt these priorities into the official agenda.

 

These are to: operationalize and track progress toward tripling adaptation finance flows to address growing vulnerability across developing states; evaluate the impact of unilateral trade-related climate measures on developing economies, protecting African industrialization under Article 3.5 of the Convention; and conduct a formal assessment of funding necessary and available for the Green Climate Fund ahead of its upcoming third replenishment.

 

The demand for a dedicated dialogue on trade and climate change represents a pivotal issue for African economies. As unilateral trade regulations and carbon border adjustments proliferate globally, Dr. Amoah warned that such measures threaten to shift the financial burden of the green transition onto developing nations, undermining local industrial development in direct contradiction to Article 3.5 of the UNFCCC Convention.

 

Additionally, the AGN Chair underscored the necessity of evaluating the financial requirements of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). As the GCF prepares for its third replenishment cycle, the African Group called on the COP to fulfill existing commitments by assessing the exact scale of resources needed to meet developing countries' actual climate requirements.

 

The position outlined by the AGN Chair reflects a unified stance across the Global South, backed by key negotiating coalitions including the Arab Group, the Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC), the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC), and the broader G77 and China alliance chaired by Uruguay.

 

This collective push comes against the backdrop of alarming contractions in global climate finance. Contextual statements delivered on behalf of the G77 and China highlighted that the Global Environment Facility’s ninth replenishment (GEF-9) suffered a 27 percent decline compared to GEF-8, marking its lowest funding level in 16 years.

 

Concurrently, major developed nations have announced reductions that cut their signed GCF contributions for 2024–2027 by half. These declines coincide with massive shortfalls in loss and damage funding, where funding requests exceed available resources by over eightfold.

 

Operationalizing equity and industrial growth

 

For the African Group, the ultimate measure of success at COP31 will be an outcome that balances mitigation ambition with robust financial delivery, equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC).

 

Dr. Amoah reiterated that low-carbon and climate-resilient transitions must foster equitable, shared prosperity, providing African nations with the necessary policy space to industrialize, expand energy access, and eradicate poverty. By securing adoption of its agenda items through collaborative Head of Delegation negotiations, the African Group has positioned financial accountability and trade equity at the core of the Antalya summit.

 

As committee sessions and ministerial roundtables begin across the Antalya Expo Centre, the AGN Chair’s call serves as a focal point for developing nations demanding that international climate governance shift permanently from pledge-making to guaranteed delivery.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh  

COP31 opens under Super El Niño threat as developing nations demand urgent action on climate finance

As the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) officially opened in Antalya, Turkey, delegates gathered against the backdrop of escalating extreme weather driven by a climate change-fueled Super El Niño.

 

From crippling water shortages in Southern Africa to glacial collapses in Nepal and deadly heatwaves in Europe, the stark reality of climate disruption hangs heavily over the negotiations.

 

Opening statements from COP leaders and negotiators underscored a shared imperative: COP31 cannot be another conference of unfulfilled pledges. It must serve as a decisive "Implementation COP" that delivers tangible financial mechanisms for developing nations facing the dual pressures of climate vulnerability and crushing sovereign debt.

 

The opening day of negotiations highlighted how intense weather events are already destabilizing economies across the Global South. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, is experiencing severe weather warps driven by Super El Niño conditions, compounding existing financial strains across the continent.

 

In Ghana, the government statistician has warned the country faces fresh inflationary pressures from an anticipated severe El Niño event, which could push up food prices, increase business operating costs and worsen the financial pressures households face.

 

Reiterating the urgency of the moment, COP31 President of Negotiations, Chris Bowen pointed out that climate impacts are no longer distant projections.

 

"Whether it be glacial collapse in Nepal, heat deaths in Europe, or an intensifying El Niño. Climate change is here," Bowen declared. "It is not a forecast. It is not a prediction. It is the lived reality for billions of people."

 

Chair of the Africa Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change, Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, has emphasized that African nations find themselves on the front lines of a catastrophe they did not create. Per capita climate emissions in Africa remain less than half those of the Global North, yet African countries bear the brunt of severe climate shocks alongside shrinking foreign aid.

 

With global climate projections currently pointing toward a 2.6°C warming trajectory—far off the 1.5°C goal established in Paris—negotiators in Antalya are focusing heavily on turning multilateral agreements into operational reality.

 

Implementation COP

 

COP31 President-Designate Murat Kurum framed the central mission of the summit around bridging the gap between diplomatic halls and everyday life. In his opening address, Kurum insisted that COP31 must mark a shift from high-level dialogue to concrete delivery.

 

"We want COP31 to deliver on that call as an Implementation COP," Kurum stated, outlining three core principles: Dialogue, Consensus, and Action. "Our decisions must take shape in a city’s infrastructure, on a farmer’s land and along a factory’s production line. Families must feel their impact in lower energy bills."

 

Kurum drew upon the Turkish cultural concept of İmece—the tradition of collective action where communities share both burden and hope when facing overwhelming tasks. To translate this concept into policy, the Presidency introduced the Climate Implementation Bridge, an initiative designed to connect capital-rich investors and technology providers directly with localized mitigation and adaptation projects.

 

Just energy transition

 

A key structural proposal highlighted during the opening sessions is the 35-by-35 Global Electrification Pledge, which aims to increase electricity's share of global final energy consumption from its current level of roughly one-fifth up to 35% by 2035 through expanded renewables, modernized grids, and energy storage.

 

But a central tension at COP31 revolves around how the global energy transition will be financed in low- and middle-income countries. Statements from negotiator groups made clear that climate action cannot succeed if funding models exacerbate national insolvency.

 

Research cited by the Africa Group of Negotiators reveals a stark systemic imbalance.

 

The AGN Chair warned that requiring developing nations to take on high-interest loans to build clean energy infrastructure creates an inherently unjust framework.

 

"The transition cannot be called 'just' if low-and middle-income countries must mortgage their futures in the process," said Nana Amoah. "For Africa, a just transition isn’t solely a matter of energy. It’s about whether we industrialize, create decent jobs, and expand energy access for the hundreds of millions of Africans still without electricity—all while improving our financial independence."

 

Unlocking accessible finance for vulnerable nations

 

To prevent climate finance promises from faltering, negotiators are calling for structural overhauls to simplify how funds are distributed. Following agreements at COP29 in Baku—which established a goal of at least $300 billion annually by 2035 for developing countries within a broader goal of $1.3 trillion in public and private flows—the focus has shifted to speed and equity.

 

President of Negotiations Chris Bowen highlighted that current finance distribution systems fail those in greatest need, referencing Australia's joint launch of the Access to Finance Statement and Action Plan for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

 

"The countries that need climate finance the most are getting it the least," Bowen observed. "Finance must be disbursed faster. More simply. And more fairly."

 

As negotiations proceed in Antalya across more than 160 agenda items, leaders from across the globe face mounting pressure to operationalize the Just Transition Mechanism, finalize the Adaptation Fund transition, and ensure that climate finance flows reach the communities hit hardest by El Niño and climate instability.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh