Ghana's cocoa future at risk without producer-centred climate policies — Study

A new study has called for a major rethinking of climate adaptation and sustainability policies in Ghana's cocoa sector, arguing that future investments must focus not only on protecting cocoa trees and boosting production but also on strengthening the resilience of cocoa producers.

 

The call was made at a gathering in Accra to discuss findings from the study titled "Towards a Cocoa Producer-Focused Climate Policy in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana."

 

The research, conducted by scholars from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and partner institutions such as Harvard University, the Institute for Cacao and Chocolate Research and the Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny (INP-HB) in Côte d'Ivoire, argues that current climate adaptation strategies remain overly focused on cocoa production while paying insufficient attention to cocoa producers.

 

A Research and Policy Breakfast attracted researchers, policymakers, cocoa cooperatives, industry actors, development partners, civil society organisations, and representatives from Ghana's cocoa sector.

 

Presenting the findings, Dr. Albert Arhin of KNUST's Institute for Rural Development and Innovation Studies (IRDIS) noted that climate adaptation efforts in the cocoa sector have traditionally focused on increasing yields, controlling pests and diseases, and improving environmental sustainability.

 

He argued that while these interventions remain important, they are no longer sufficient on their own.

 

"Climate change is not only affecting cocoa trees. It is affecting the people who grow cocoa. Farmers are reporting rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, declining yields, increasing production costs, physical exhaustion, and growing uncertainty about the future of cocoa farming. These human dimensions of climate change require much greater policy attention," said Dr. Arhin.

 

The research was undertaken across cocoa-growing communities in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire and combined household surveys, focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and participatory research methods to capture farmers' experiences and perspectives.

 

According to the findings, many cocoa farmers are experiencing increasing difficulty managing climate-related shocks. Farmers reported working fewer hours during periods of extreme heat, facing rising labour demands, and struggling to implement adaptation measures due to financial constraints. Some also expressed concerns about whether younger generations would remain interested in cocoa farming under increasingly challenging conditions.

 

The study comes at a critical time for Ghana's cocoa sector. National production has declined in recent years, falling from historical averages of around 800,000 tonnes to approximately 600,000 tonnes. While several factors contribute to this trend, including pests, diseases, ageing farms, and rising production costs, farmers consistently identified climate change as a major source of growing vulnerability.

 

The researchers also found that many existing interventions, including price-based measures, have limited effectiveness when climate-related production losses continue to reduce the volume of cocoa available for sale.

 

Although initiatives such as the Living Income Differential (LID) have increased cocoa prices, many farmers continue to struggle with declining productivity and rising costs.

 

The policy brief launched at the event proposes an Eight-Point Agenda for a Producer-Centred Climate Policy. The recommendations include shifting from yield-centred policies towards producer-centred resilience, integrating climate adaptation with income support, investing in climate-smart water management, strengthening adaptation financing, improving farmer participation in decision-making, and incorporating farmer wellbeing into sustainability frameworks.

 

The researchers argue that the long-term competitiveness of Ghana's cocoa sector will increasingly depend on the resilience of its producers.

 

"Healthy and resilient farmers are the foundation of healthy and productive cocoa farms. If climate change continues to erode farmer health, labour productivity, and adaptive capacity, then cocoa production itself will become increasingly vulnerable," Dr Arhin explained.

 

Participants at the policy breakfast welcomed the findings and engaged in discussions on how government agencies, COCOBOD, the private sector, development partners, and research institutions can work together to strengthen resilience across cocoa-growing communities.

 

The study challenges conventional approaches that primarily view climate adaptation through the lens of productivity and environmental protection. Instead, it calls for a broader understanding of resilience that includes health, livelihoods, labour conditions, access to finance, water security, and social wellbeing.

 

The research was supported by the Harvard University Center for African Studies through the Motsepe Presidential Research Accelerator Fund for Africa. The broader research team includes Dr Carla Martin (Harvard University), Dr Albert Arhin (KNUST), Jose Lopez Ganem (Institute for Cocoa and Chocolate Research), Dr Amanda Berlan (University of Leicester), Richard Tetteh (KNUST), Dr Michael Ehis Odijie (University of Oxford), and Jean-Luc Kouassi (Côte d'Ivoire).

 

The researchers hope the findings will contribute to ongoing policy debates and encourage greater investment in producer resilience as a pathway to securing the future of Ghana's cocoa economy.

 

As climate pressures intensify across West Africa, the study concludes that safeguarding Ghana's cocoa future will require more than protecting cocoa farms. It will also require protecting the farmers who sustain them.

Bonn Climate Talks: Ghana takes the floor on behalf of the African Group of Negotiators

The UN June Climate Meetings has opened in Bonn, Germany, with Ghana taking the floor on behalf of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) to deliver interventions on climate adaptation, finance, and governance.

 

As negotiations opened at the 64^th Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the AGN has called for a more responsive, equitable and implementation-focused climate process.

 

Delivering the Group’s statement during the Joint SBI–SBSTA Opening Plenary, AGN Chair, Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, reaffirmed Africa’s commitment to constructive engagement.

 

He expressed concern over growing climate risks facing Africa, citing recent forecast of likely El Niño conditions and warning that worsening climate impacts threaten livelihoods and development gains across the continent.

 

“About a week ago, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) issued a warning of an 80 per cent likelihood of El Nino conditions during June-August 2026, with probabilities for continuation to at least November near or above 90 per cent, and most models suggesting at least moderate and possibly strong conditions,” said Nana Dr. Amoah. “For Africa, already burdened by severe climate impacts, a warning of worsening conditions spells catastrophe. It is of grave concern to all of us, and yet – in a process claiming urgency – we do not even have agenda items on Loss and Damage, or on National Adaptation Plans. We find a process that is insensitive to Africa's situation deeply worrying.”

 

The AGN Chair questioned the absence of agenda items on Loss and Damage and National Adaptation Plans, stressing that climate negotiations must remain responsive to countries experiencing severe climate impacts.

 

Formally called the 64^th sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies under the UNFCCC (SB64), the UN June Climate Meetings are where the agenda takes shape for the UN Climate COP in November each year, this November in Antalya, Türkiye (COP31).   

 

They are held annually at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB) where UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) is headquartered. 

 

The meetings are held over 10 days, ending this year on Thursday 18 June, and are expected to have over 7,000 participants, including negotiators from Parties to the Paris Agreement (i.e. national governments), observers from civil society, real economy and sectoral leaders. 

 

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, says “leaving economies and communities exposed to climate disasters will take a wrecking ball to live”.

 

 

AGN focus at SB64

 

On adaptation, the AGN welcomed engagement under the Baku Adaptation Roadmap and the Belem–Addis Vision and emphasised that agreed indicators should support implementation and inform future Global Stocktake processes.

 

The AGN reiterated that implementation discussions must remain grounded in existing obligations under the Paris Agreement and called for progress on the Technical Task Force.

 

“We reiterate; the primary purpose of agreed indicators is to ensure we have clear and usable information feeding into the global stocktake in respect of adaptation action as well as on support needed and provided. We look forward equally to progress on composition and modalities of the Technical Task Force.”

 

On climate finance, the group reaffirmed that the Climate Finance Work Programme remains rooted in Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which places an obligation on developed parties to provide financial support to developing parties, and expressed concern that it is not adequately reflected in the agenda.

 

The AGN Chair called for a clear operational definition of climate finance that incorporates grant equivalence, additionality, predictability and accountability, pointing out the importance of strengthening the Adaptation Fund and advancing work on monetisation of the Share of Proceeds.

 

Regarding Just Transition, Nana Dr. Amoah called for balanced allocation of negotiation time to support operationalisation of the mechanism and implementation of agreed outcomes.

 

On climate and trade, Africa reiterated that climate-related measures must not undermine sustainable development and poverty eradication and raised concerns over unilateral trade restrictions and supply-chain measures that impose costs without corresponding support.

 

“We look forward to a constructive engagement on how trade measures impact the ability of African countries to pursue the goals of the Paris Agreement, while safeguarding the legitimate right of African nations to pursue sustainable development and poverty eradication. Africa is unapologetic about protecting her development space. We also cannot shy away from a decision in respect of unilateral measures and unjustifiable trade restrictions, including climate-related trade measures and supply-chain regulations that impose costs without commensurate support,” said the AGN Chair.

 

 

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh asks: A new world disorder of climate change?

Kwaku works with a tight calendar; making a routine business trip every week between Kumasi and Accra, the kind professionals make without a second thought.

On this typical Tuesday, he takes an early morning flight from Kumasi for meetings in Accra, with an evening return flight to Kumasi for another early-morning engagement the next day that could unlock a significant business deal.

By mid-morning upon arriving in Accra, the sun blazed with unusual intensity, draining energy from anyone forced to move between appointments.

Kwaku dashed from one office to another as the sun burnt hot and harsh, but stayed focused on finishing his work to catch his evening flight back to Kumasi.

But without a warning, the clouds gathered. What had been scorching skies just hours earlier began to darken as clouds gathered fast and thick, rolling in with surprising speed. Within minutes, the atmosphere flipped from heatwave to storm warning.

Then came the rain; a torrential downpour. By the time Kwaku reached the airport, the announcement board read flight delayed. Then what he feared hit him; his flight cancelled.

The same skies that had scorched him hours earlier had now grounded him completely.

Despite his careful planning, he could not return to Kumasi that evening, missing a scheduled meeting for the following day.

In just one day, Kwaku experienced two extremes — intense heat and a disruptive storm — both powerful enough to alter personal and professional outcomes.

What once felt like isolated weather incidents now seem connected, part of a broader pattern of climate volatility that was becoming harder to ignore.

Climate change is no longer an abstract headline or distant environmental debate; it is operational risk, an economic loss and human disruption happening in real time.

UN Climate chief calls for new era of climate action

Last Thursday, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, addressed a press conference hosted by the COP31 President Designate, Minister Murat Kurum in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he stated that climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world of arms and trade wars.

“We find ourselves in a new world disorder. This is a period of instability and insecurity. Of strong arms and trade wars. The very concept of international cooperation is under attack. These challenges are real and serious. 

“Climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world of arms and trade wars. In the face of the current chaos, we can, and must, drive forward a new era of international climate cooperation,” he said.

The UN Climate Change’s plan for a new era of climate action was divided into three eras: first was to uncover the problem and respond; and the second was to get serious about solutions in building the Paris Agreement.

Simon Stiell acknowledged the Agreement did not solve the climate crisis, but showed that nations can deliver change on a major scale when they stand together.

“In the decade since Paris, clean energy investment is up tenfold – from two hundred billion dollars to over two trillion dollars a year. And, in 2025, amidst all the economic uncertainty and gale-force political headwinds, the global transition kept surging forward: clean energy investment kept growing strongly, and was more than double that of fossil fuels. 

“Renewables overtook coal as the world's top electricity source. The majority of countries produced new national climate plans that will help drive their economic growth up and – for the first time – global emissions down. And, at COP30, nations said with one voice: the global transition is now irreversible, the Paris Agreement is working, and together we will make it go further and faster,” he emphasized.

Trump challenges climate science 

While the UN Climate chief is strongly advocating climate adaptation for resilience building, US President Donald Trump has continued his attack on climate science by revoking a landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health.

The key Obama-era scientific ruling in 2009 underpins all US federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided that key planet-warming greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, were a danger to human health.

But the reversal, according to the White House, is necessitated by the drive to make cars cheaper with an expected ease in the cost of production.

"This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history," said President Trump, who has snubbed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change twice.

The exit of US from the Paris Agreement means that America will no longer be bound by the agreement's requirements, such as submitting plans to reduce carbon emissions.

As the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind only China, environmental groups say the latest move by the US is by far the most significant rollback on climate change, amidst skepticism of the potential cost savings being touted by the Trump administration.

The Third Era of Climate Action

The UN Climate Chief has observed an unprecedented threat to the decade of international climate cooperation that has delivered more real-world progress.

“From those determined to use their power to defy economic and scientific logic, and increase dependence on polluting coal, oil and gas – even though that means worsening climate disasters and spiralling costs for households and businesses. These forces are undeniably strong, but they need not prevail,” stated Stiell.

His solution to the chaos and regression is for countries to stand together, building on successes and working more closely with businesses, investors, and regional and civic leaders to deliver more real-world results in every country.

This is the third era of climate action; an era to speed-up and scale-up implementation of actions.

“It must start with a relentless focus on delivering – or even exceeding – the targets agreed in the first global stocktake, in 2023. Doubling energy efficiency and tripling clean energy by 2030. Transitioning away from all fossil fuels, in a just, fair and orderly manner. Strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability, and ensuring more climate finance reaches people everywhere, especially the most vulnerable,” said Simon Stiell.

The expectation is for countries to be on track to meet the commitments by the second global stocktake in 2028, in boosting resilience, growing economies, and slashing emissions.

“The fact is climate adaptation is the only path to securing billions of human lives, as climate impacts get rapidly worse,” said Mr. Stiell. “As climate disasters hit food supplies and drive inflation, resilient supply chains are crucial for the price stability populations are demanding.  And they are increasingly unforgiving of governments who don’t deliver it.

“So more than ever, climate action and cooperation are the answer: not despite global instability, but because of it. There is a huge amount of work before us, this year and in the years to come”.

As vulnerable people and communities in Africa are already suffering the extremes of weather conditions, the UN conference of parties (COP31) in Antalya is expected to deliver for people, prosperity and planet.

For professionals like Kwaku, what used to be a routine of moving between two cities for work has suddenly felt uncertain; the weather is no longer background noise, it is deciding outcomes.

Amidst the reality of climate science and the challenge to the impact of the science, what would a new world disorder of climate change mean for people like Kwaku?

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a journalist and Climate Reality Leader| adomfeh@gmail.com

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

Kofi Adu Domfeh writes: Is Ghana serious in facing climate change realities?

Close to one million Ghanaian farmers are at risk of losing their investments to a prolonged dry spell.

 

Already, half of these farmers have their livelihoods hanging in the balance. They planted their crops in vain because the rains failed them and they had no alternative means to moist their soils to reap good yields on their farms.

 

The Ghanaian government is already mobilising GH₵8 billion (US$500million) relief package to assist farmers in 8 of the country’s 16 regions grappling with the devastating effects of the ongoing dry spell.

 

But this is only the latest impact of the weather variation on farmers. In recent times, the country’s cocoa sector has been threatened by unfavourable weather conditions – high temperature and excessive rainfall.

 

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) partly attributed the decline in the production of cocoa beans for the 2023/2024 crop season to the adverse effects of El Niño.

 

COCOBOD CEO, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, explained the climate phenomenon has significantly impacted cocoa supply globally, resulting in substantial losses to producers.

 

“We all know that we are not in normal times, the presence of El Niño has affected our production not just in Africa but Europe also,” he said.

 

Acknowledging the climate phenomenon is a good step. But scientists forewarned Ghana, long before getting here.

 

In 2011, climate scientists at the Colombia-based International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, CIAT, predicted that the expected increasing temperatures will lead to massive declines in cocoa production in Ghana and other cocoa-growing areas in West Africa by 2030.

 

Their report also revealed that an expected annual temperature rise of more than two degrees Celsius by 2050 will leave the cocoa-producing areas too hot for chocolate.

 

Warmer conditions mean the heat-sensitive cocoa trees will struggle to get enough water during the growing season, curtailing the development of cocoa pods, containing the prized cocoa bean.

The climate change realities are here

 

The World Bank Group’s 2022 Country Climate and Development Report posited that Ghana’s economic and human development is vulnerable to climate change and climate-related shocks.

 

Since 1960, Ghana’s average annual mean temperature has increased by around 1 degree Celsius. Rainfall has also become more erratic.

 

“Without prompt global and local climate actions, higher temperatures and heat stress will affect crop and labor productivity,” said the Bank.

 

Dr. Shalom Addo-Danso, a Senior Research Scientist with Ghana’s Forestry Research Institute, has observed the current changes in the weather pattern and other extreme events clearly show the realities of climate change and variability and its impact on the country.

 

“The available data and observations point to temperature increase in the last few years across all the agroecological zones and irregular but more intense rainfall,” he noted. “The irregular but intense rainfall is oftentimes accompanied by long dry spell durations. Even the average number of ‘hot’ days and nights have increased in recent times. These changes are posing serious risk to many sectors of the economy, especially the cocoa sector. The projections show that the duration of dry spells will likely increase, which may increase drought conditions.”

 

Ghana has ambitious climate change commitments under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

 

International climate financing remains critical for Ghana to effectively implement its NDCs, but the government of Ghana must demonstrate commitment to mobilizing internal resources and making budgetary allocations to deal with the pressing climate events that threaten lives and livelihoods.

 

Time to get serious with adaptation mechanisms

 

The government of Ghana is worried about the food security implication of the current dry spell hitting farming. This has informed a ban of export of grains like maize, rice and sorghum to avert local shortages.

 

But farmer-based organisations have raised objections; the government’s decision to ban grain export will have dire income and livelihood consequences. Some of these farmers have contracts with foreign entities to plant grains, which will be impacted by the ban.

 

They rather would want to be in production than their productivity strangle.

These farmers, mainly smallholder and subsistent, are most vulnerable when they cannot access irrigation facilities.

 

The Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, for instance, has questioned the government’s priorities, citing the abandoned Pwulugu Dam Project, which has already consumed $12million in investment.

 

“We need modern irrigation systems, not reliance on rain-fed agriculture which is outdated,” said the group.

 

Due to the new realities of the impacts of climate change, adaptation should become integral to the development agenda at all levels of society. But adaptation will depend on different sectors and their vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities.

 

Dr. Addo-Danso suggests three options for communities to build resilience:

 

First, there is the need to implement the country’s National Adaptation Plan Framework, which was developed in 2018. The Plan seeks to address climate change adaptation in a more holistic, integrated and coordinated manner. This is important because policies and strategies provide the framework within which actions could be implemented sustainably.

 

Secondly, given that local communities are more vulnerable to climate change, attention should focus on community-based adaptation strategies – measures that place local communities at the center by empowering them to reduce their vulnerabilities and build their resilience to climate shocks. These include building on local knowledge of weather conditions to raise awareness on climate change, building their capacities on poverty and disaster risks reduction strategies, and addressing gender disparities, which will help communities to plan and cope with the risks and impacts of climate change.

 

Thirdly, poor communities often depend on land-based activities and natural resources for their livelihoods and survival, so adopting ecosystem-based approaches is critical for climate change adaptation. These approaches harness the benefits of conservation, management and restoration of ecosystems such as forests, grasslands, wetlands and rivers; and using biodiversity and the services provided by ecosystems to reduce the vulnerabilities of communities and build their resilience to climate risks.

 

Reducing exposure of farmers to climate risks

 

The current impact of the dry spell on food security has been described as a symptom of a long neglect of erecting irrigation systems across the country.

 

While climate change cannot be solved by any single country, local actions can help manage physical and transition risks as well as bring large opportunities, says the World Bank.

 

To many farmers in Ghana, poor irrigation continues to be the bane of productivity, with no sustainable efforts by successive governments to deal with the situation.

 

Jacob Naja, one of the farmers worst affected by the dry spell at Akapuka in the Pru East District of the Bono Region, pleads for urgent measures to be adopted in ensuring all-year water supply for agriculture.

 

The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has noted that the establishment of 574 dams under the government’s ‘One Village, One Dam’ policy has been effective in holding rainwater for use by farmers.

 

However, the sector minister, Bryan Acheampong, has acknowledged the need for farmers to access irrigation facilities, which require pumping water from a big water source into a big canal or dam to hold the water.

 

What farmers expect is the demonstration of commitment to deliver this essential need, especially small irrigation systems, for all-year-round production.

 

As the most vulnerable to weather changes and climate variability, farmers would also need to diversify their livelihood investments and reduced their exposure to climate risk.

 

“One of the best options is for them to adopt climate-smart agriculture practices such as planting different crop varieties, and incorporating trees into their cropping systems including nitrogen-fixing species,” said Dr. Shalom.

 

“Farmers also need access to climate information; they should be able to plant drought-tolerant varieties, adopt rain harvesting techniques and mulching, as well as use treated manure and organic fertilizers. These practices ensure increases in farming system productivity and incomes, and at the same time help them to build resilience to climate change,” he noted.

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a journalist and a Climate Reality Leader. Email: adomfeh@gmail.com

Religious leaders make six demands for Africa Climate Summit

Faith leaders have condemned the inaction among those responsible for the climate crisis and blamed the Global North for hijacking the Africa Climate Summit.

In a statement read at the historical Ufungamano House in Nairobi, on the sidelines of the Africa Climate Summit, representatives from the Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities from diverse denominations said the event ignored the most crucial voices in the effort to address the climate crisis.

They made six demands. On Climate Finance, they said: “We are cognizant of the fact that there has not been adequate financial support directed to the African continent despite efforts and commitments from the developed countries to avail the same. The African Climate Summit presents an opportunity for developed countries, who have contributed the most to the climate crisis, to move beyond rhetoric and deliver on the long due finance.

The leaders pushed for funds to compensate victims of Loss and Damage, adding that the continent anticipated “severest adverse effects of human-induced climate change, compared to most other regions of the world due to a relatively low adaptive capacity”.

They called for operationalization, “including capitalization by rich countries, of the loss and damage fund to offer relief to Global South countries through provision of grant financing.”

Others were “Youth and Green Jobs”, in recognition of the demographics’ growth in numbers. “We call upon African leaders to adopt a plan of action with robust policy and regulatory measures necessary for African countries to implement and support the growth of inclusive green economies that can provide jobs for the youth”. Others were support for research and innovation to advance greener economic diversification and growth, strategies that facilitate development of financial solutions among others.

The fourth demand was on Climate Adaptation, with a call for the African Climate Week to “have clear implementation plans on the strengthening of adaptation actions and resilience against the consequences of the climate crisis as one of its core outcomes”.

The faith leaders addressed Fossil Fuel Phase-out and Supporting of Renewable energy access, as well as Agriculture, Food Security and Sovereignty.

“As guardians of spiritual wisdom and moral guidance, we are disheartened by how actions to tackle climate change fall short of the required urgent ambition. The values of stewardship, empathy, justice, equity and solidarity as enshrined in our faith traditions must guide every decision and action that is taken at the Africa Climate Summit and Week,” the statement read in part.

Speaking after reading the statement yesterday, Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome of the Islamic Religious Council said the youth were crucial in achieving action through agriculture and several sectors. He emphasized the need for the voices of faith leaders in climate change discussions, as a moral guide to the rest of the world to restore Mother Earth’s well-being.

“I have never seen someone buy a car but use it in ways that are not stated in the user manual. I have never seen anyone add porridge, black tea or soda to a fuel tank. Religion is an asset in reclaiming our environment. God created what’s good for us, and we need to follow the user’s manual. Our hope lies in going back to the user’s manual. We need to guide politicians. It is never about the cart leading the horse,” he said.

The cleric asked African leaders to have the interest of the continent at the summit that was condemned for locking out many and looking like lecture halls.

Bishop Chediel Elinaza Sendoro from Tanzanian called for reclamation of the faiths place in ensuring societal wellbeing, and encouraged youth to stay on course in the fight to stop the climate crisis.

Bishop Hassan Kukah from Nigeria, asked youth to “decide what type of seat they want at the decision making table”, and called for personal responsibility to achieve climate action.

“As we apportion God and governments blame and responsibility for the climate crisis, we must also remember to look inwards and decisively deal with corruption, locally, even as we deal with it internationally,” he said.

The cleric added that the climate conversation had to start locally, and go beyond issuing of statements. “The young people are far more equipped. They can borrow our voices as we seek to use their energy,” he said.

Sujarta Kotamraju of the Hindu Religious Council said all holy books commanded protection of the environment. “Before plastic, we survived. Now it messes animals in parks, water falls, oceans and all creations therein,” she said, adding her joy at the meeting’s participant’s decision to ask the hotel to serve them water in glasses rather than plastic bottles.

Ms Kotamraju urged youth to employ their energy and agility to demand climate justice from their leaders, while at the same time championing the wellbeing of the same in their surroundings. “If you take care of the environment it will take care of you,” she said.

Charles Chilufya, a cleric from Zambia, urged Africans to ensure locally-led climate action. “Growing climate finance is important, but must not be the only focus. Lives are at risk. We need to have more respect for human and other creations’ dignity, as well as compassion to boost action,” he said.

Jessica Mwali, a youth from Zambia, asked the religious leaders to push for the recognition of Africa as a special case, to stop the idea of the continent being loaned money to address the challenges of climate change. “The money should come to Africa in the form of grants, not loans,” she said.

A Ugandan cleric named Matobu asked the participants to be good stewards of God’s creations. “Just like humans, trees are crying and the environment is equally tired. We need to incorporate teachings that encourage treating of God’s creation’s as per His command,” he said.

He called upon youth to loudly speak out on the climate issues, and grab their rightful space to offer solutions. “We don’t need the support of the West to teach our people to treat the environment right,” he said.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Sheikh Lethome gave participants food for thought: “We cannot go to heaven without preparing a better place on earth. You must treat the environment right to earn your rightful place in heaven.”