UN Climate Summit must hear the voice of Africa

The World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region, Makhtar Diop wants the African voice to be heard, as more than 120 world leaders converge on New York this week for an unprecedented UN Climate Summit.

In all the global discussions around rising sea levels, shrinking rain forests, imperiled species and biodiversity, green bonds and carbon prices, Africa’s unique stake and contribution to a global climate strategy needs to be more front and center, he stated.

“This is only right for a continent that has contributed the least to the profound changes underway in the Earth’s climate but whose people will suffer its withering impact the most," said Mr. Diop.

Africa is responsible for only 3.8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet African countries experience first-hand the devastating effects of increasingly severe droughts and floods and more extreme weather patterns that scorch or drown their crops.

According to Mr. Diop, Africa’s political and business leaders are already committed to a climate-resilient growth path, yet the path promises to be bumpy. 

Ahead of the UN Climate Summit, ClimDev-Africa partners – Africa Union Commission, Economic Commission for Africa and African Development Bank – will organize an event to elicit new knowledge and innovative ideas on how best Africa could rise to the challenges posed by the impacts of climate change.

The event is under the theme, “Moving against the tide: Africa rising to seize climate change opportunities; Water, Food and Energy Security”.

The aim is to bring to the fore Africa’s particular climate challenges and opportunities and its efforts to turn these challenges into development opportunities.

Recent World Bank research outlines a disturbing scenario for Sub-Saharan Africa in a 2^oC warmer world, forecasting dramatic effects on agriculture and food production in a region where 80 percent of Africans rely on agriculture to make ends meet for their families.

“Consequently, we cannot separate agriculture and food security from climate change,” observed the World Bank Vice President for the Africa Region.

Agriculture in Africa accounts for 30-40 percent of GDP. A 1.5^oC to 2^oC increase in temperature by the 2030s and 2040s will lead to a 40- to 80-percent reduction in the area of land suitable for growing maize, millet and sorghum.

At the African Union Summit in Malabo, last June, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete reminded his audience that the effects of climate change are likely to strike to the detriment of the whole continent.  

He added that Africa now requires in excess of US$15 billion per year to combat climate change, a figure that continues to rise.

The good news is that Africa is uniquely well positioned to build resilience, especially in energy and agriculture, and has already embraced sustainability.

Being green is good for business, said Mr. Diop, noting that the World Bank is stepping up to the challenge. “We are financing transformational projects that attack poverty from multiple angles. We are supporting governments to promote climate-smart agriculture so that African farmers can achieve higher yields and make their farming more resilient to the changing climate.”

According to him, the green energy revolution in African cannot be achieved without financial support of the international community, to bring down the costs of adopting these clean technologies.    

“The warning signs are clear: climate change under even the 2^oC scenario is a menacing threat to sustainable development in Africa. These impacts could potentially overwhelm existing development efforts. We ignore the early warning signs at our collective peril. But, through collective action, we can ensure a climate-resilient future that benefits all Africans and the entire planet,” said Mr. Diop.