COP30: Africa looks up to tripling adaptation finance by 2030

UN chief António Guterres has called on governments to have the courage to agree a balanced political package that is concrete on funding adaptation, credible on emissions cuts, and bankable on finance. 

 

For the first time, he rallied behind a demand from the world’s poorest countries to triple finance to help them adapt to more extreme weather and rising seas to $120 billion a year by 2030. 

 

Addressing the COP30 Climate Change talks in Belem, Brazil, he noted that communities on the frontlines are watching the UN summit for action.

 

“Counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods and asking ‘how much more must we suffer?’… they have heard enough excuses, they demand results,” he stated.

 

For Mr. Guterres, “tripling adaptation finance by 2030 is essential.” He believes it is also possible and desirable and he hoped developed countries would accept to engage in this objective at COP30 if their concerns on emissions reductions are addressed. 

 

The Africa Day at COP30 was marked under the theme: “Africa at the Forefront of Climate Action: Sustainable Financing for Resilient and Inclusive Green Growth”, reaffirming the continent’s united call for a new era of climate finance that delivers for people, planet, and prosperity.

 

Discussions focused on mobilizing sustainable, equitable, and innovative finance to accelerate Africa’s green industrialization. Leaders highlighted that Africa’s future lies in leveraging its abundant natural resources for value addition and local manufacturing from processing critical minerals to scaling renewable energy solutions.

 

“Africa already stands at the forefront of global climate action, shaping solutions that are both locally grounded and globally relevant”, said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth of the African Development Bank Group.

 

For decades, Africa’s climate narrative has been defined by contradiction. The continent hosts 20% of the world’s carbon sinks and contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet receives under 10% of adaptation finance and only 3% of total climate funding, this shortfall carries existential consequences.

 

Developed countries have repeatedly failed to honour their financing commitments, and Africa’s adaptation needs continue to outpace the resources available.

 

The commitment of developed countries to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion by 2025 already slipping away.

 

The latest estimate of developing countries’ annual climate adaptation needs for 2035 outstrips current funding by at least 12 times, with rich nations providing just $26 billion in 2023, according to the annual UN Adaptation Gap Report. 

 

If current trends continue, developed countries are set to miss the 2025 target that they committed to at COP26 four years ago, UNEP’s report said. 

 

As COP30 entered its final stretch, African Non-State Actors on climate justice, under the umbrella of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance, called for “an outcome that protects our societies and economies, strengthens resilience, and advances a fair and development-centred global transition”.

 

The group demanded for more than triple adaptation finance by 2030, with a clear public-finance pathway, and “a fully capitalised fund for responding to Loss and Damage with new, additional, predictable finance, and as a guarantee mobilized from public sources”.

 

Africa CSOs are seeking a fast-track support for resilient agriculture, water and health systems, coastal protection, and community adaptation complimented with early warning systems.

 

“For millions, adaptation is not an abstract goal. It is the difference between rebuilding and being swept away, between replanting and starving, between staying on ancestral lands or losing it forever,” said António Guterres.

 

The UN chief has urged wealthy governments, climate funds and development banks to step up and prevent further tragedies.

 

“It’s about survival, it’s about justice – and for Indigenous peoples, it is also about protecting cultures and homelands that sustain our planet’s vital ecosystems,” he noted.

 

He says it is the responsibility on big emitters to do more while ramping up emissions-cutting efforts.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP 30: Climate finance remains Africa’s top priority

African climate negotiators have outlined a unified set of priorities for the major UN climate change conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, highlighting climate finance as top priority.

 

Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Dr. Richard Muyungi, says COP30 must deliver “ambitious, balanced, fair and just outcomes across adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, and climate finance,” emphasizing that negotiations must be anchored in the latest science and the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR–RC).

 

He warned that despite contributing less than 4% of global emissions, Africa faces rapidly intensifying climate impacts and requires outcomes that reflect its “special needs, developmental context, and heightened vulnerability.”

 

The negotiators called for a clear alignment between financing flows and the ambition reflected in countries’ next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs 3.0).

 

Key demands include concrete steps to operationalise US$1.3 trillion annually by 2030 and the US$300 billion climate finance goal.

 

This year’s global climate summit kicked off in the Amazonian city of Belém in Brazil, amid a warning from United Nations Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, that the world is not doing enough to combat the crisis, and strategic compromises over the elements of the official agenda of the summit.

 

At the opening plenary, the UN climate chief said the world is not moving fast enough to confront the climate crisis but was quick to note that global cooperation had at least prevented “an impossible future” of runaway heating.

 

“We have so much more work to do. We must move much, much faster; both in reducing emissions and in strengthening resilience,” he told delegates.

 

Stiell credited the Paris Agreement, adopted 10 years ago, with bending the curve of projected global heating from as high as 5°C to below 3°C, saying “it is still perilous, but it proves that climate cooperation works”.

 

He said success now depends on two interlinked pillars: stronger, more credible national climate plans, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs); and the financing to make them possible.

 

“Plans without finance cannot reach their full potential,” he said.

 

Finance is the great accelerator

 

Stiell pointed to the Baku to Belém Roadmap, a new initiative that seeks to increase global climate finance from about US$300 billion a year to US$1.3 trillion by 2035, describing it as a shared investment in “stability and prosperity” and noting that countries acting fastest on clean energy would reap the greatest economic benefits.

 

“Every dollar invested in climate solutions brings multiple dividends; jobs, cleaner air, better health, resilient supply chains, and stronger energy and food security,” he said.

 

Supporters hailed the roadmap as an ambitious but necessary step to close the gap between climate pledges and real-world funding.

 

Brazil, hosting COP30 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, described the roadmap as “a blueprint for collective resolve.” The Brazilian delegation urged negotiators to focus on fairness and delivery rather than rhetoric.

 

 “The science is clear, the moral imperative undeniable. What remains is the resolve,” they said.

 

Mohamed Adow, founder and director, Power Shift Africa, said: “COP30 must deliver the priorities for Africa and the wider developing world which are clear: we need a fair deal that delivers finance for adaptation in vulnerable countries and supports a just transition to renewable energy.

 

“These are not acts of charity, but investments in a stable, liveable planet. We need to see the sharing of clean energy technology by the global north with the global south, and we need to see more national climate plans published by all countries, laying out how we’re going to accelerate the momentum towards a safe and prosperous planet for us all.”

 

Over the next two weeks, the COP30 Presidency is understood to be positioning the summit as a political reckoning that will test whether the Paris Agreement, the crown jewel of international climate diplomacy, can still deliver results at scale.

 

Growing fatigue in climate process

 

Since 2015, global emissions have plateaued but not fallen fast enough. The 1.5°C target, the threshold scientists warn the world must stay below to avoid catastrophic consequences, is slipping out of reach.

 

The Belém conference comes amid growing fatigue and distrust in the global climate process, particularly over financing and equity. The Baku to Belém Roadmap aims to restore faith by setting a long-term financing goal, but key questions remain unanswered: who pays, how much, and under what terms.

 

Omar Elmawi, Convenor of the Africa Movement of Movements, noted: “We cannot keep sailing blindly into a climate apocalypse while pretending everything is merry. COP30 must be the turning point, where words become action, and promises become justice. Over eight billion people globally are looking at Belém to be the moment we will all look back to and celebrate and not one we curse.”

 

For Africa, COP30 is a moment of reckoning. The continent contributes less than 4 per cent of global emissions but bears the heaviest costs of climate change, from droughts and cyclones to collapsing agricultural yields and energy insecurity.

 

African negotiators have consistently argued that without predictable, affordable finance, developing nations cannot deliver on their commitments. The Baku to Belém Roadmap could be transformative if implemented fairly, ensuring that new funds reach life-saving adaptation projects in vulnerable communities, not just emissions reductions in middle-income economies.

 

African countries are also demanding a rebalancing of the climate finance equation to include more grants, fewer debt-driven instruments, and direct access for local governments and institutions.

 

The hope is that the roadmap will address long-standing inequalities that have left Africa sidelined when it comes to green investment.

 

 

An honour beyond measure: Dining with the Asantehene at the 29th GJA Awards

Sitting beside His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, at the royal banquet to celebrate journalists during the 29th GJA Media Excellence Awards in Kumasi was, for me, a moment of profound honour and humility.

It was more than just a seat at a royal table – it was a symbol of recognition for the tireless work journalists continue to do in advancing truth, accountability, and national development. 

As Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association, I saw this as not merely a personal privilege but an affirmation of the collective efforts of journalists in the region. It underscored the respect our noble profession commands when we uphold integrity and professionalism.

Sharing that space with the Asantehene reminded me of the deep relationship between traditional authority and the media—two institutions that shape society through influence, wisdom, and service. His Majesty’s gracious presence and inspiring words reinforced my conviction that the media must remain a force for unity, development, and positive change.

The 29th GJA Awards in Kumasi marked a milestone, not only for the Association but for the entire region. Hosting this national event in the Ashanti capital reflects the growing recognition of our media’s strength, vibrancy, and leadership.

 

I consider the experience a stamp of honour on our collective journey to elevate journalism in Ashanti and beyond. It fuels my resolve to continue leading with purpose, empowering colleagues, and championing ethical and impactful storytelling that drives Ghana forward.

Climate Crisis: Cities unite to tackle deadly extreme heat and transform urban spaces

A new global coalition of cities has pledged urgent, coordinated action to tackle one of the most dangerous impacts of the climate crisis: extreme heat.

 

Announced on the first day of the C40 World Mayors Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the Cool Cities Accelerator will help urban leaders protect residents, safeguard economies, and redesign cities for a hotter future.

 

The initiative brings together 33 founding cities representing over 145 million people from every region of the world. This includes 5 cities in Africa: Accra (Ghana), Durban (Ethekwini – South Africa), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Nairobi (Kenya), and Tshwane (South Africa).

 

C40 established the Accelerator with support from The Rockefeller Foundation, and with implementation support from ClimateWorks Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Z Zurich Foundation, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and IBM.

 

Extreme heat is already the deadliest weather-related hazard worldwide, responsible for nearly half a million deaths each year. Without decisive action, the number of people exposed to life-threatening urban heat is projected to increase fivefold by 2050. These 33 cities are committed to taking that decisive action.

 

​​The vast majority of deaths caused by extreme heat are preventable through timely access to cooling, hydration, medical care, public health interventions, and improved infrastructure. These preventable deaths typically occur when individuals—especially vulnerable populations such as the elderly, outdoor workers, or those without access to air conditioning—are not adequately protected during periods of dangerously high temperatures.

 

The Cool Cities Accelerator provides a science-based, practical framework for cities to take both immediate and long-term action.

 

Participating cities will collaborate, share best practices, and issue progress reports protecting residents now by establishing clear heat leadership, strengthening early warning systems, and ensuring access to cooling during emergencies within two years.

 

They will also look at transforming cities for the future by improving building standards, expanding urban tree cover and shade, and future-proofing critical infrastructure within five years.

 

"Extreme heat is no longer a distant threat—it's a daily reality affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions around the world," said Elizabeth Yee, Executive Vice President of The Rockefeller Foundation. "Through the Cool Cities Accelerator, we're proud to support mayors who are investing in bold, science-based solutions to future-proof health systems, ensuring they can withstand 21st century challenges. Local leaders are not just responding to the climate crisis today—they're redesigning urban life to protect people, strengthen economies, and build a cooler, safer future for all."

 

"Extreme heat is a silent killer and an increasingly urgent global threat," said Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities. "The number of days that major capitals experience temperatures above 35°C has increased 54% over the past twenty years. Cities are showing real leadership by taking practical steps to protect communities, safeguard economies, and create more liveable urban environments.

 

In support of the Cool Cities Accelerator, The Rockefeller Foundation is providing a grant of approximately USD 1 million to develop the targets for heat adaptation and provide technical assistance for cities to implement solutions that mitigate the dangerous effects of extreme heat.

 

The Cool Cities Accelerator is part of C40 Cities' broader mission to support bold, science-based climate action in the world's largest and most influential urban areas. By sharing strategies and scaling proven solutions, cities can act faster and more effectively than they could alone.

 

Together, participating cities represent a global movement to save lives, strengthen resilience, and create thriving, heat-resilient cities for generations to come.