African CSOs on Climate Change welcome election of Joe Biden

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) welcomes the election of Joe Biden as the next president of the United States (US) and urges him to keep his promise of returning America to the Paris Agreement on the very first day of his administration.

African civil society organisations are cautiously hopeful that the Biden administration and American leadership will rekindle dwindling global enthusiasm in addressing the climate crisis and will hold it accountable for inaction that keeps the world on a path to catastrophic climate change, Dr Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA, said following Biden’s election.  

“Millions of Africans are already dying from the adverse impacts of climate change, despite playing an insignificant role in creating the current crisis. America’s leadership in addressing climate change is not only sensible but fair to disproportionately affected communities in Africa and other developing countries,” Dr Mwenda said.

Alone, the US has cumulated more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country since the industrial revolution. In 2017. The US accounted for roughly 16 per cent of global emissions with the pumping of 5.1 billion metric tons of energy-related CO2 into the atmosphere.

Yet on November 4, the US formerly left the Paris Agreement. America’s departure from the landmark agreement intended to mobilise a strong global response to the climate crisis kicked in a year after the outgoing president Donald Trump notified the United Nations of his intention.

By leaving the Paris Agreement, the US abandons a promise to the world “to achieve an economy-wide target of reducing its emissions by 26-28 per cent below its 2005 level in 2025 and to make best efforts to reduce its emissions by 28 per cent” or 21 per cent of all current pledges by every other country under the Paris Agreement.

The US’ Paris Agreement withdrawal has raised fears of “a cascade of defections” or at best a slowdown in vital global action. For the developing world, reduced funding could mean that most countries are unable to fulfil their conditional emission reduction and adaptation pledges.

Joe Biden, who has won the 2020 presidential election in the United States says he will re-join the agreement on the very first day of his administration. It is expected that under Biden, the US will have “the most progressive” position on climate change in the nation’s history and Biden has already pledged a USD 2 trillion investment package in clean energy and infrastructure.

America’s participation in the Paris Agreement and in leading the global effort to address the climate crisis is vital for multiple reasons. At the top of the list is the US’s historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions, which are the main drivers of global warming. In its first Nationally Determined Contribution, the US pledged a “path to deep decarbonisation” that could lead to an 80 per cent emission reduction by 2050 or more.

The Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance welcomes the prospect of America’s recommitment to this goal under the Biden administration.

“America is a significant player in the push back against catastrophic climate change and must take leadership in emission reductions,” adds Dr Mwenda. “The absence of the US from the Paris Agreement not only raises the risk of missing significant emission cuts but could potentially weaken ambition from other countries and put the world on a path where capping mean temperature rise at 2⁰ Celsius becomes more unlikely.”  

UN campaign empowers kids to take climate action and protect the planet

Building on the growing momentum for climate action, the United Nations is broadening its engagement of global audiences. A new campaign will empower children to learn about sustainability and act to protect the planet. 

The Climate Action Superheroes campaign, launching on UN social media platforms tomorrow, targets kids under the age of twelve as agents of change. Eight quirky superheroes – the Energy Expert, Fashion Fixer, Fume Fighter Green Guide, Recycle Ranger, Truth Talker, Veggie Vindicator and Water Wizard – engage children, and parents, in fun missions on topics such as reducing single-use plastic, saving energy and water, fixing and reusing clothes, eating more vegetables, and sharing scientific facts.  
 
“We want children to be aware of the difference they can make through everyday actions,” said Nanette Braun, Director of Campaigns in the UN Department of Global Communications. “Lifelong behaviours are shaped at an early age and we hope that providing the knowledge and tools to help build a more sustainable future will have lasting impact.”
 
Parents and children can discover the superheroes and their missions through a colourful, aminated world built on the UN website. Campaign materials include downloadable activity sheets, certificates of completion, animated social media cards and stickers.
 
The campaign concept was developed by students in a global executive master’s programme at The New School’s Parsons School of Design. As part of the programme’s focus on leading creative change, the group worked with the UN to brainstorm new ways of engaging the public on the Sustainable Development Goals and landed on a kids campaign as the most impactful way of driving long-term, transformative change. 
 
“With climate change causing ever greater harm to people and the planet, the students were eager to take on this urgent topic,” said Melissa Rancourt, Academic Director for the Global Executive Master of Science in Strategic Design and Management at The New School. “By engaging children, we target the consumers and decision-makers of the future, who will drive the change the world needs.”
 
The Climate Action Superheroes are a component of the UN’s ongoing ActNow campaign that mobilizes individual action on sustainability. ActNow has so far seen close to one million climate actions logged through the campaign’s chat bot and mobile app, with a growing number of people making climate action an integral part of their daily life.

Climate change increasingly threatens health, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa

Increasing temperatures and sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather are threatening human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development in Africa, according to a new report devoted exclusively to the continent. 

The State of the Climate in Africa 2019 report, a multi-agency publication coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), provides a snapshot of current and future climate trends and associated impacts on the economy and sensitive sectors like agriculture. It highlights lessons for climate action in Africa and identifies pathways for addressing critical gaps and challenges. 

The report is being released on 26 October at a ministerial-level launch to highlight the urgency of climate action in Africa and the current state of capacity. The risks are becoming more severe. 

“Climate change is having a growing impact on the African continent, hitting the most vulnerable hardest, and contributing to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources. “In recent months we have seen devastating floods, an invasion of desert locusts and now face the looming spectre of drought because of a La Niña event. The human and economic toll has been aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. 

Rising temperatures and sea levels 

The year 2019 was among the three warmest years on record for the continent. That trend is expected to continue. African temperatures in recent decades have been warming at a rate 
comparable to that of most other continents, and thus somewhat faster than global mean surface temperature. 

The latest decadal predictions, covering the five-year period from 2020 to 2024, shows continued warming and decreasing rainfall especially over North and Southern Africa, and increased rainfall over the Sahel. 

Extensive areas of Africa will exceed 2 °C of warming above pre-industrial levels by the last two decades of this century under medium scenarios as reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. Much of Africa has already warmed by more than 1 °C since 1901, with an increase in heatwaves and hot days. A reduction in precipitation is likely over North Africa and the south-western parts of South Africa by the end of the century, according to the IPCC.

 

“Science-based climate information is the foundation of resilience building, a cornerstone of climate change adaptation, as well as an oasis for sustainable livelihoods and development. The State of Climate Report for Africa has, therefore, a critical role to play in this respect, including in informing our actions for achieving the goals of the Africa Agenda 2063,” said H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission. 
 
Rising sea levels and coastal erosion 

There is significant regional variability in sea-level trends around Africa. Sea-level increase reached 5 mm per year in several oceanic areas surrounding the continent and exceeded 5 mm per year in the south-western Indian Ocean from Madagascar eastward towards and beyond Mauritius. This is more than the average global sea-level rise of 3–4 mm per year. 

Coastal degradation and erosion is also a major challenge, especially in West Africa. About 56% of the coastlines in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Togo are eroding and this is expected to worsen in the future. Sea level rise is currently not the dominant contributor but is expected to combine with other factors in future to exacerbate the negative consequences of environmental changes. 

Extreme events 

The report documents high-impact events in 2019. Tropical Cyclone Idai was among the most destructive tropical cyclones ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, resulting in hundreds of casualties and hundreds of thousands of displaced. 

Southern Africa suffered extensive drought in 2019. In contrast, the Greater Horn of Africa shifted from very dry conditions in 2018 and most of 2019 to floods and landslides associated with heavy rainfall in late 2019. Flooding also affected the Sahel and surrounding areas from May to October 2019. 

Food security impacts 

In the drought-prone sub-Saharan African countries, the number of undernourished people has increased by 45.6% since 2012 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Agriculture is the backbone of Africa’s economy and accounts for the majority of livelihoods across the continent. Africa is therefore an exposure and vulnerability “hot spot” for climate variability and change impacts. 

IPCC projections suggest that warming scenarios risk having devastating effects on crop production and food security. 

Key risks to agriculture include reduced crop productivity associated with heat and drought stress and increased pest damage, disease damage and flood impacts on food system infrastructure, resulting in serious adverse effects on food security and on livelihoods at the regional, national and individual household levels. 

By the middle of this century, major cereal crops grown across Africa will be adversely impacted, albeit with regional variability and differences between crops. 

Under the worst case climate change scenario, a reduction in mean yield of 13% is projected in West and Central Africa, 11% in North Africa, and 8% in East and Southern Africa. Millet and sorghum have been found to be the most promising crops, with a yield loss by 2050 of just 5% and 8%, respectively, due to their greater resilience to heat-stress conditions, while rice and wheat are expected to be the most affected crops with a yield loss by 2050 of 12% and 21%, respectively. 

Health impacts 

Increases in temperature and changes in rainfall patterns also significantly affect population health across Africa. Warmer temperatures and higher rainfall increase habitat suitability for biting insects and the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever. 
In addition, new diseases are emerging in regions where they were previously not present. In 2017, an estimated 93% of global malaria deaths occurred in Africa. Malaria epidemics often occur after periods of unusually heavy rainfall. In addition, warming in the East African highlands is allowing malaria-carrying mosquitoes to survive at higher altitudes. 

Economic impacts 

According to the International Monetary Fund, adverse consequences of climate change are concentrated in regions with relatively hot climates, where a disproportionately large number of low-income countries are located. 

The African Climate Policy Centre projects that the Gross Domestic Product in the five African subregions would suffer significant decrease as a result of a global temperature increase. For scenarios ranging from a 1 °C to a 4 °C increase in global temperatures relative to pre-industrial levels, the continent’s overall GDP is expected to decrease by 2.25% to 12.12%. West, Central and East Africa exhibit a higher adverse impact than Southern and North Africa. 

“The limited uptake and use of climate information services in development planning and practice in Africa is due in part to the paucity of reliable and timely climate information. This report, focusing on Africa, will go a long way towards addressing this gap. The contribution of the Economic Commission for Africa to the production of this report, through the African Climate Policy Centre, seeks to highlight the nexus between climate change and development, and to emphasise that building forward better from the Covid-19 pandemic requires a development approach that is green, sustainable and climate resilient, informed by the best available science. The participation of multiple institutions and agencies in producing the report reinforces our principles and approaches of working as one,” said H.E. Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. 

Climate Action 

Africa’s Agenda 2063, which was concluded in 2013, recognizes climate change as a major challenge for the continent’s development. 

Since 2015, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement have become the main instrument for guiding policy responses to climate change. Fifty-two (52) African countries have submitted their first NDCs and are now in the process of sub- mitting revised NDCs in 2020. 

Africa and the small island developing States are the regions facing the largest capacity gaps with regard to climate services. Africa also has the least developed land-based observation network of all continents. 

Africa has made great efforts in driving the global climate agenda. This is demonstrated by the very high levels of ratification of the Paris Agreement – over 90%. Many African nations have committed to transitioning to green energy within a relatively short time frame. Clean energy and agriculture are, for example, prioritized in over 70% of African NDCs. This ambition needs to be an integral part of setting the economic development priorities of the continent. 

One promising approach throughout the continent to reducing climate related risks and extreme event impacts has been to reduce poverty by promoting socioeconomic growth, in particular in the agricultural sector. In this sector, which employs 60% of Africa’s population, value-addition techniques using efficient and clean energy sources are reported to be capable of reducing poverty two to four times faster than growth in any other sector. 

Solar-powered, efficient micro-irrigation, for example, is increasing farm-level incomes by five to 10 times, improving yields by up to 300% and reducing water usage by up to 90% while at the same time offsetting carbon emissions by generating up to 250 kW of clean energy. 

Women constitute a large percentage of the world’s poor, and about half of the women in the world are active in agriculture – in developing countries, this figure is 60%, and in low-income, food-deficit countries, 70%. Reducing poverty by means of growth in Africa’s agricultural sector is therefore of particular benefit to women. It also may be the case that in some instances, women do not have access to weather and climate services; it is important that all individuals be provided with access to these services in order to enhance their individual resilience and adaptive capacity. 
 

Science must back initiatives to restore Africa’s forests, say experts

Leveraging strong scientific and technical knowledge is essential to regreening the planet, said delegates during a conference on tree planting hosted by CIFOR-ICRAF and Resilient Landscapes. The same caveat applies to Africa, where countries have committed to restoring 100 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes by 2030 in the frame of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100).

 

Experts made it clear that good intentions alone will not result in enhanced livelihoods, more productive landscapes or an answer to the climate crisis.

 

“When tree planting and forest restoration is done badly, all efforts go to waste and may even result in negative consequences,” said co-leader of ICRAF Tree Productivity and Diversity program RamniJamnadass. “Scientific and technological advancements increase the probability of success by helping us choose the right tree species for the right place and for the right purpose.”

 

The forum ‘Can tree planting save our planet?’ brought together researchers, forestry experts, community leaders and youth around the need to turn planting pledgesinto long-lasting trees and forests – a critical step to support Africa achieve its restoration goals.

 

FREETOWN, TREE TOWN

 

In words of keynote speaker Ivonne Aki Sawyerr: “We must keep the enthusiasm, but also the science”. As mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, Sawyerr has launched a three-year plan to address the city’s environmental issues in the spirit of the Global Green New Deal. One of her initiatives is ‘Freetown, a tree town’, “an ambitious, but feasible and science-led initiative to plant one million trees in collaboration with the citizens,” she explained.

 

The initiative will plant trees from 15 indigenous species in surrounding plains, mountains and mangroves to recover vital ecosystem services, and it will also regreen the city. With 1,2 million inhabitants –twice as many as 25 years ago– Freetown is pressed for space, so getting people to plant trees in their own backyards, schools and public spaces is another way of increasing the tree cover.

 

Citizenswho volunteered as tree stewards will check in on the growth of ‘their’ GPS-tracked trees on a monthly basis and log the data into an app. The initiative, which is supported by the World Bank, hopes to reinstate ecosystem services thattrees and forests used to provide before succumbing to the population explosion of the past decades.

 

A successful program will reduce the risk of erosion and flooding, improve access to water and bring back bird and fish populations, says Saywerr.

 

ALL HANDS ON DECK

 

Sierra Leone is not alone in its fight. Every year, Africa loses nearly 3 million hectares of forests and 3% of its annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to soil and nutrient depletion on cropland. This means Africa has 700 million hectares of land that could be restored, the largest area of any continent.The AFR100 initiative is a contribution to the Bonn Challenge, which aims to bring 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes into restoration by 2030.

 

Goals may be global, but participants agreed on the fact that all activities are ultimately local and must be tailored to each site and community. “It is not about planting monocultures, but about empowering local people to make the right decisions about their landscapes,”said Professor at ETH Zurich Thomas Crowther. “Also, communities must benefit from restoration projects for them to be sustainable.”

 

Speakers also noted the importance of having a holistic approach to tree planting and forest restoration: one that brings on board all relevant actors, seeks to stack as many environmental, social and economic benefits as possible, and takes into consideration all the technical tools at hand–from manual and drone-assisted tree planting to natural regeneration and to use of spatial data and modeling.

 

“We need traditional environmental knowledge and science coming together, especially, in the face of climate change,” said Jad Daley,President and CEO of the conservation NGO American Forests. What he called “a radically inclusive, all-hands-on-deck approach”.

 

Then there is the issue of political economy –the intersection of politics, economics and other considerations. Or as the Chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation Wanjira Mathai said: “We already know all that we need to know to take action, so why is it not happening?”

 

ICRAF Project Manager Susan Chombaagreed, pointing out that trees are important for carbon sequestration, but also for biodiversity and sustainable development.“All of these objectives are linked.”

 

How to get tree planting—and growing—right

Africa has the potential to restore 700 million hectares of degraded and deforested land, but experts caution that to transform lands and livelihoods over the long term, tree planting initiatives must be bolstered by strong strategies grounded in science.

During the digital forum Can tree planting save our planet? hosted by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) on 29 September, researchers, forestry experts, community leaders, investors and policymakers discussed the keys to successful reforestation and forest landscape restoration.

Here are some top tips on how to get tree planting right:

1.   Don’t think tree planting, think tree growing

The real challenge is not planting seedlings, but nurturing them so they grow to realize their potential contribution environmental, social and economic benefits over the long-term. “It is essential to choose the right tree for the right place and the right purpose – this is our mantra,” said Ramni Jamnadass, the co-leader of ICRAF's Tree Productivity and Diversity program. The purpose can be linked to products --fruit, fodder, timber -- or services such as shade, erosion control and carbon sequestration. Taking local knowledge, evidence-based approaches and community engagement into consideration are keys to successful forest landscape restoration, according to the experts.

2.   Watch out for the most common mistakes

“Planting monocultures, introducing invasive species, and ignoring water use and soil water balance are three of the most common pitfalls in tree planting,” cautioned HarrieLovenstein, head of research and development at the Land Life Company, a reforestation firm headquartered in Amsterdam. Other mistakes include failing to prepare the soil or tailor the approach to the biophysical and cultural realities  in a specific location. One more piece of advice from forum participants: Be climate smart, experimenting and selecting variants of Indigenous species that are more tolerant to drought.

3.   Put local communities at the center of your strategy

Engaging communities and ensuring they benefit from restored forest landscapes is crucial to ensuring long-term success.  "Restoration ultimately takes place at the local level, and must take into account the social and economic dynamics in each community,” said Susan Chomba, ICRAF Project Manager. Considerations should include gender, power and age-group dynamics, she added.

4.   Make the most of mobile applications

New tools that are adapted to local contexts can reduce costs, improve survival rates and support community engagement by helping farmers and restoration practitioners make better decisions. The CIFOR-ICRAF vegetationmap4africa app, for example, allows users to determine which trees and shrubs are native to a location. This information, combined with local knowledge about species that would be most suitable for a particular area and purpose, makes it easier to select the right tree.

 

Another addition to the toolkit is the Regreening Africa app, presented by CIFOR-ICRAF experts Tor-Gunnar Vagen, Roeland Kindt and Muhammad Ahmad. The application is based on assisted crowdsourcing for monitoring of land restoration at scale. “This tool makes it possible to record, track and improve the performance of restoration efforts,” said Vagen, citing examples from such countries as Rwanda, Senegal, Kenya, Mali, Ghana, Ethiopia and Niger.

 

5.   Keep an eye on emerging technologies and ventures

 

Spatial data, artificial intelligence and drones could transform the future of tree planting. “Manual tree planters will continue being part of the solution, but technology is a way to help us reach the scale we need, faster,” said Lauren Fletcher, founder of BetaEarth.global. “Drones can plant 400,000 seeds per day, versus a few hundred through a manual approach; also, they can access places where we can’t get people.”

Land Life Company is tracking thousands of planted trees through GPS locations, drones and satellites. “This data will allow us to create tree planting maps that can be used by our tree planting machines, and it also feeds into a portal that allows our customers to check in on the trees,” Lovenstein said.

Technology has a role to play, but there will always be a need for the human component, Fletcher said, adding: “I love technology, but you must see it as a tool to be used at the right place and time and for the right purpose.”

6.   Let nature do the work

In some cases, instead of tree planting, natural forest regeneration can be a solution: “It is a low-cost strategy with no need for nurseries or a large working force, but it is important to assess when and where it is possible,” said Joice Ferreira, a researcher at Brazil's Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp., Eastern Amazon).

Discussing her research in the Brazilian Amazon, Ferreira explained that secondary forests have recovered 80 percent of their primary forest levels of carbon and biodiversity in only four years. This has been possible due to optimal temperatures and rainfall, and the fact that land use change in the area is relatively recent, occurring within the past 30 years, and not always intensive – agricultural activities often consist in extensive pastures.

“Among policy-makers, there is much more enthusiasm about tree planting, even when it is not necessary at all,” she said. “Globally, there are many opportunities for natural regeneration; we should take advantage of them.”

This article was originally published by Forests News

 

Private climate finance at a ‘tipping point’; leaders call for more ambitious commitments

The UN Secretary-General today called for every government, business, civil and international organization in the world to develop a transition plan to net-zero emissions, and boost ambition in finance and adaption as an equal priority to cutting emissions, and the only way to reach the 1.5C temperature goal.

 
Global leaders today presented bold climate ambition and urgent demands at the Climate Ambition Roundtable convened by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, capping a week of major announcements – including from China, the EU and many global businesses - that signal the tide is turning for climate action.
 
“All actors - governments, cities and companies, NGOs and international organizations need to have their own transition plans to net-zero before 2050,” said the Secretary-General.
 
To harness the growing momentum, the Roundtable also included the announcement of a virtual Climate Ambition Summit on the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Agreement on 12 December.
 
“The fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement on 12 December 2020, which will gather leaders from governments, business and civil society, will be an important moment to continue raising climate ambition.  I look forward to working closely on this event with the leaders of Chile, the United Kingdom, France and others to deliver increased ambition,” the Secretary-General said.
 
Global investors at ‘tipping point’
 
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Finance Mark Carney said of private finance: "It's not just moving, it's moving fast”.
 
“The private financial sector is moving. We are at a tipping point. It is not just momentum. The decisiveness of your climate policies and the NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), and the decisiveness of the action you take over the course of next year will allow the private sector to amplify and pull forward that adjustment in a virtuous cycle. That can help us achieve our goals.”
 
Special Envoy Carney also said there were calls from every major bank, the world’s largest insurers, biggest pension funds and top asset managers for the disclosure of climate-related financial information. He said this support is truly global, stemming from almost 60 countries and with a market cap of almost US$13 trillion and financial institutions responsible for assets of £150 trillion.
 
Major Economies
 
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EC’s proposal – announced just this week - to raise it ambition by cutting greenhouse gases by 55 per cent compared to 1990 levels by 2030, up from 40 per cent.  “It’s achievable,” she said and would require additional investments.  “We will raise the money,” she said of the EC’s proposal to issue 200 billion Euros of green bonds, and flagged greater EU cooperation with other nations and non-state actors.
 
Several leaders in the Roundtable said they were encouraged by China’s announcement this week it would become carbon neutral before 2060, and China’s signal that it would pursue concrete plans and policies to achieve this goal.
 
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said that Chile would phase out all coal-powered generation and electrify all its public transport by 2040.  President Pinera also stressed the importance of the Coalitions of Finance Ministers that Chile co-chairs in the work ahead. 
 
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy – incoming G20 chair - called on investors to divest from fossil fuels.  He, along with other leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stressed the need to put climate action and green jobs at the center of COVID recovery plans.
 
Through 2019 the Secretary-General has urged all governments to take six climate-positive actions to recover better from the pandemic that includes investing in jobs and green business, no bailouts to polluting industries, ending subsidies for fossil fuels, considering climate risks in all decisions and policy-making, working together and ensuring that no one is left behind.
 
Building resilience and a just transition
 
Leaders of small island countries – including Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Bainimarama, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne – along with leaders from least developed countries urged developed countries to step up efforts to strengthen resilience and adaptation.
 
Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou called on partners to step up their support efforts through the $440 billion Climate Investment Plan for the Sahel region that would benefit 67 million people. 
 
“To protect the planet and ourselves”, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her country was building thousands of cyclone shelters and called for political leadership and international collaboration to limit the global temperature increase and deliver promised finance to vulnerable countries. She emphasized that the rehabilitation of climate refugees is a global responsibility.
 
Despite challenging economic and credit conditions due to COVID-19, the Roundtable reinforced the urgency of developed nations supporting developing nations, including through full delivery of the US$100 billion commitment for climate finance in the Paris Agreement.  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that more climate finance will be needed, which will require a massive reorientation of capital flows.’
 
Key civil society leaders – including Tasneem Essop of the Climate Action Network
and Laurence Tubiana of the European Climate Foundation - said the climate crisis and pandemic were combining to add to the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people, who must be central in government’s recovery plans.  They noted the importance of eradicating poverty, improving access to healthcare, education, water and good jobs, consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals.  Ms. Tubiana stressed the importance of long-term climate strategies, and noted they can also underpin long-term business investment plans to drive sustainable recoveries
 
Dr. Vladimir Kattsov of the World Meteorological Organization’s Scientific Advisory Panel cited the importance of climate science as a powerful tool for adaptation efforts and decision-making, and urged governments to step up efforts to improve their data capabilities.
 
Chief Minister of Bihar State (India) Nitish Kumar stressed the key role of sub-national governments in achieving carbon neutrality, including by stepping up sustainable development efforts.
 
Private Sector leaders stepping up--urge government to do more
 
Several private sector leaders stepped up calls for governments to set more ambitious policy frameworks to speed the shift from the grey to the green economy, and showed how they are leading by example.
 
For example, Kahori Miyake Co-Chair of the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership said 150 Japanese businesses representing 48 terrawatts of energy use are moving towards net-zero emissions by 2050.She also said the Partnership was elevating its calls for Japan to boost renewables to 50 per cent of the energy mix by 2030.
 
Microsoft President Brad Smith said stepping up climate action and ambition made commercial sense, and that businesses with strong environmental and social frameworks had outperformed other businesses during the global pandemic. He discussed steps the US$1 trillion company is taking to deliver on its recent announcement to be carbon-negative by 2030.
 
Itaú Unibanco CEO, Candido Bracher, said three leading Brazilian private banks will launch a program to start reducing finance flowing to illegal deforestation and said the Brazilian finance sector can and must go further in its efforts.
 
Dinah McLeod, CEO of the Global Cement and Concrete Association - representing a sector producing 7 per cent of global emissions – said 40 cement companies have committed to carbon neutral concrete by 2050, and noted that concrete is the most used substance in the world after water. She called for greater collaboration between the industry and policymakers to promote concrete recycling and the use of alternative fuels in its production, among other actions to drive the transition.
 

Africa’s climate change fight gets a boost with Global Center on Adaptation regional sets up

African leaders have welcomed the opening of a regional office of the Global Center on Adaptation, voicing hopes it will spur the continent’s efforts to combat climate change.

In speeches marking the virtual launch of GCA Africa, the leaders said the Center could also provide an impetus for a more resilient recovery after COVID-19, which they said had compounded climate-induced vulnerabilities.

“In the post-COVID period, our objective should not only be to recover and build better but to do so in a climate-conscious way,” said Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.

“There is no (more) stark reminder of the need for us to take urgent action than the devastating impact of climate change that we are witnessing now. We have no other option but to mobilize ourselves more than ever before to safeguard the planet. Time is not on our side,” Zewde noted.

Hosted by the African Development Bank at its headquarters in the Ivorian commercial capital, Abidjan, GCA Africa will work with partners across the continent to accelerate adaptation action that protects African communities from climate change.

Several regional and global leaders attended the high-level launch. Key speakers included the 8^th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, co-chair of the Global Center on Adaptation, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo; Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group and Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of GCA.

There were also speeches by representatives from the African Union Commission, Dutch businessman and co-chair of the GCA Feike Sijbesma, United Nations Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed, Gabonese President Ali Bongo, who is also chairperson of the African Adaptation Initiative, Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister of International Development for Norway, and Peter Eriksson, Minister for International Development Cooperation for Sweden.

Welcoming the opening of GCA Africa, President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that it will work to scale up the “bright spots” of adaptation on the continent, including Ghana, where development partners have kicked off a project to enhance the resilience of national infrastructure systems against threats of climate change.

“We look forward to working with GCA and its partners to meet the challenges of climate change and ensuring resilience is built into Africa’s economic recovery plans.”

President Kenyatta noted that the climate change challenge is no longer a projected crisis. “It’s indeed a reality that we need to control urgently,” he said, citing the incidence of El-Nino-triggered floods and droughts in parts of East Africa, which has also been hit by a locust invasion.

He commended the partnership between the Bank and the African Adaptation Initiative under the GCA. “I am optimistic that through this partnership Kenya and other African counties will attract more financing and other resources that we need to implement our various national adaptation plans.”

Opening the regional office, Adesina said the occasion marked a major milestone in the Bank’s drive to build climate resilience for Africa. Adesina, who began his second five-year term as Bank President this month, said one of his key priorities over the next five years is for the Bank to drive investments in green growth and climate finance for Africa.

“As a Bank, we are committed to helping Africa build back from the COVID-19 crisis, better, stronger and with greater health and climate resilience,” he said, adding that the Bank’s financing for climate had quadrupled, from 9% of its total portfolio in 2016 to 36% by 2019. “By the end of 2021, we will reach our target of 40% of the total portfolio.”

Also, the Bank has committed to providing $25 billion in climate financing by 2025, Adesina stated.

The GCA Africa programs include improving the food security of one billion people in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030 through a program on rural well-being and food security, as well as projects to support communities through water for urban growth and resilience; using nature for more resilient infrastructure; adaptation finance and building youth leadership.

Smarter collaboration critical to meet ambitious targets for a climate-resilient Africa

Experts at the 2020 Global Philanthropy Forum on Tuesday called for greater collaboration among funders to address the severe threat that climate change poses to Africa’s development.

Participants highlighted the critical role of innovative approaches to mobilizing climate adaptation finance in Africa, in a session titled Inclusive Green Economies - Harnessing Opportunities and Innovative Solutions for Investments in Climate-Resilient Development in Africa.

The virtual session, oranised by the African Development Bank, began with a call for sustainable ways for the continent to emerge stronger from the pandemic. The event was moderated by Emily Ojoo-Massawa. Senior Associate at the Global Climate Adaptation Partnership.

“The path to a sustainable COVID-19 recovery will therefore require investments that simultaneously tackle the pandemic and prevailing climate risks while offering attractive co-benefits,” said Al Hamndou Dorsouma, Manager of Climate and Green Growth at the Bank.

“The moment for adaptation has come. Interestingly, we have the attention of philanthropy, private sector and non-traditional investors, who want to invest in harnessing new opportunities in climate change adaptation,” said Arame Tall, Senior Adaptation and Resilience Specialist, Climate Change Group at the World Bank. “We need the ministries of finance to be involved in outlining adaptation investment opportunities in countries to better harness these opportunities, including clear investment and sectoral plans.” 

With less than 2% of philanthropic funding going to combat climate change, funders face a challenge. The solution is to collaborate more and in smarter ways in order to meet ambitious targets and rally support from all sectors, participants noted, drawing attention to the unprecedented challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Collaboration is important to lay a solid foundation to achieve a greener post-COVID future,” said Atsuko Toda, the African Development Bank’s Director for Agricultural Finance and Rural Infrastructure Development.

She called for a paradigm shift in adaptation financing, stressing the Bank’s willingness to work with partners to accelerate Africa’s adaptation.

In October 2018, the Bank’s Board of Directors approved a framework for the implementation of the Africa Disaster Risk Financing (ADRiFi) Programme, which offers regional member countries an opportunity to pool and transfer their climate-related risks by paying a sovereign insurance premium. “The payout is made immediately after a disaster happens,” Toda said. The Bank partners with the African Risk Capacity Insurance Company (ARC) to implement ADRiFi.

The COVID-19 crisis has underscored the urgency of building healthier, more inclusive and more resilient economies, the meeting heard.

Lesley Ndlovu, CEO of ARC, noted the need for countries to plan for exposures and build resilience. “At the African Risk Capacity, we work with countries to prepare them for the risk exposure they have and help them prepare for how to respond, including helping them to establish a rainy-day fund. We have also partnered with the African Development Bank for the Africa Disaster Risk Financing initiative and other financing instruments,” Ndlovu said.

“We need broader collaborations to solve the problem that our continent faces. The problem is so big that all of us have a role to play.”

Africa is among the world’s most climate-vulnerable regions, and the economic cost is high: as much as $15 billion in 2020, rising to potentially $50 billion by 2040, which is equivalent to 7% of the continent’s GDP.

Al Hamdou Doursouma noted that the Bank is on track to mobilize $25 billion between 2020 and 2025 to support investments in climate change.

In 2019, the African Development Bank prioritized adaptation finance, with 55% of its climate-focused financing invested in adaptation actions. The Bank’s adaptation finance rose from $500 million in 2012 to $2 billion in 2019, cumulatively representing $18.6 billion over this period.