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
1.5oC 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
1.5oC 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
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