Empower women to help save Africa from climate change

As the world prepares to implement the Paris Agreement on climate change in Katowice, Poland, African delegates want the continent to unlock the power of its women and girls if it is to adapt to climate change, cope with disasters and build its green energy sector.

Research shows that when women are involved in decision making, agreements on the environment are more likely to be ratified and projects around natural resources, such as water, are more likely to succeed.

If given access to education and finance, African women can contribute to finding technological solutions and driving the continent’s renewable energy industry too.

“When you empower women in the context of climate change you empower a family, a community and a country,” says Dana Elhassan, senior gender expert at the African Development Bank, which allocates international funds to development projects.

“You cannot solve a problem with half the team. A lot of the unpaid work that women do, such as collecting firewood and water, and caring for the family, are massively affected by climate change - so we have to make sure adaptation initiatives address their needs, vulnerabilities and potential.”

Women as agents of change

Studies show that when women are part of decision making, ratification of multilateral agreements on the environment are more likely, adds Mafalda Duarte, head of the $8.3 billion Climate Investment Fund, one of the largest climate financing instruments in the world.

There is also strong evidence that women play a vital role in dealing with disasters by mobilising communities - something that will become increasingly important as climate change advances, she says.

“Discourse is quite tilted to considering women as victims of climate change - but we are agents of change and if we are perceived as such this will make a big difference,” says Ms Duarte.

“Our empowerment represents greatly under-utilised opportunities to build our economies and tackle climate change.”

When women are empowered - given access to finance, assets and decision making - there are big impacts across sectors, she adds.

“Renewable energy is traditionally seen as a male sector but if you are deliberate in giving access to women, they become entrepreneurs and help us push forward that agenda,” says Ms Duarte.

Women can drive business and technology solutions

When women are empowered equally to men there is a massive leap forward in economic gains: a recent McKinsey study found that if women were participating economically as much as men, they would be adding 28 trillion dollars to global GDP by 2025.

In Africa, lack of access to finance has resulted in an estimated $42 billion financing gap

for women entrepreneurs across business value chains.

Yet unlocking African women’s ingenuity and giving them access to finance could generate technological advancements that help deal with climate change, believes the African Development Bank.

As mobile phone technology has proven, Africa is capable of leapfrogging into an era of digitisation, which minimises risks and cuts costs of doing business.

African women have shown potential to compete in this digital work-space – Mfarm, AppsTech, JuaKali, Nandimobile, Hehe Ltd, Obami, DotNxt, are only a few of the women-led tech startups in Africa listed by Forbes.

“If we women are given the right platforms, we will achieve the change we wish to see in the world,” says Ms Duarte.

Unlocking investment in African women holds incredible return and transformational impact potential. Women form the backbone of African economies, accounting for a majority of small- and medium-sized businesses and dominating the agriculture sector as primary producers and food processors,

COP24 is the 24th conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This year countries are preparing to implement the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit the world’s global warming to no more than 2C.

Leading International Organizations commit to Climate Neutrality at COP24

Today, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 24) in Poland, 15 international organizations jointly announced a commitment to make their operations climate neutral. 

The organizations will measure their greenhouse gas emissions, reduce them as much as possible and compensate the currently unavoidable ones with credible carbon credits. 

Representing over 2 million tons of CO2 per year in emissions, and more than 50,000 staff, the aggregate action by these organizations sets an important example that can inspire all levels of society.

While some participating organizations are only just starting their journey, others have already achieved full climate neutrality.

The rest have already developed advanced sustainability strategies to step up their climate action by committing to reach climate neutrality. Through this commitment, organizations with more evolved plans will support those at earlier stages and share best practices.

By joining this initiative, organizations not only demonstrate a clear commitment to climate action and to implementing the global climate neutrality goal contained the Paris Agreement, but they also serve as models for others to follow suit

The international organizations that announced their commitment to climate neutrality are:

1.     Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Secretariat

2.     Common Markets for Eastern and Southern Africa Secretariat (COMESA)

3.     Eastern Africa Development Bank (EADB)

4.     Western Africa Development Bank (BOAD)

5.     Asian Development Bank (ADB)

6.     Pacific Community

7.     ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability

8.     European Investment Bank (EIB)

9.     European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

1.  Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat

1.  Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)

1.  International Paralympic Committee (IPC)

1.  Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE)

1.  World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) 

 By doing so, they have joined the United Nations agencies, which adopted a strategy and a roadmap in 2007 to reach climate neutrality by 2020.

Over half of all UN system entities are now climate neutral, representing 39% of the total UN emissions as per the 2018 Greening the Blue report. The UN Headquarters have reached climate neutrality for the first time in 2018.

Some of the climate actions that these organizations are implementing to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions include the installation of solar photovoltaic systems, policies for reduction of air travel, upgrading of insulation and lighting systems in buildings, reduction of paper used at conferences, installation of efficient cooling systems, promotion of car-pooling schemes among employees, establishment of sustainable procurement policies, and enhanced collection and recycling of waste, among many others.

The initiative’s ambition is to motivate other international organizations to take this commitment soon and amplify the message of the urgency of climate action of society and avoid the worst effects of climate change.

COP24 must finish the job of protecting ‘that thin blue line of life’

UN’s Climate Chief, Patricia Espinosa and other top UN officials have made passionate pleas to governments to finish the work they set for themselves and conclude the Climate Change Conference (COP24) with a strong and effective outcome.  

The main objective of the conference is to finalize the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement.

With more than 100 Ministers now in Katowice to provide political guidance, and with only a few days left to go, Ms. Espinosa said: “Many political divisions remain. Many issues still must be overcome. But I believe it’s within our grasp to finish the job… Let’s complete the Paris Agreement Work Program and, by doing so, immediately unleash the power of the Paris Agreement itself.”

Ahead of COP24, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a special report on the achievability and implications of a 1.5°Celsius global average temperature rise compared to pre-industrial levels, the lower temperature goal of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

In Katowice, Hoesung Lee, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reiterated the key findings of the report, namely that the temperature goal is achievable, but that this can only happen if there if governments take urgent and far-reaching action in all aspects of society, with many implications for policy-making.

“Every bit of warming matters. Every year matters. Every choice matters.  With this report, the scientific message is clear. It is now up to you, the governments, to act,” he said.

Mr. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, also addressed Ministers and delegates.  

He warned that current levels of greenhouse gas emissions were unsustainable, and were already leading to dramatic climate change impacts around the world, from the melting of Artic ice to many incidents of fires flooding this fear.

"We are expecting a 2 to 4 percent increase in global carbon dioxide emissions this year. If we are serious about the Paris Agreement, we need to see different numbers."  

He also pointed out that even if pollution of the atmosphere is stopped today, the current levels of CO2 would stay in the atmosphere for many years to come, locking in extreme weather.

African civil society at COP24 acknowledged progress has been seen on Agriculture, Gender and NAPs but there are serious concerns on the climate finance, adaptation and the finalization of the robust Paris Agreement Work Programme.

“We stand at a unique point in human history. Incredible opportunity exists if we embrace the transition towards a low-emissions future and unleash the power of the Paris Agreement,” said the UN Climate Chief.

At the end of her speech to the high-level segment of the Conference, Ms. Espinosa alluded to the words of Mae Jemison, the first black female astronaut in space, who spoke about traveling to space and exploring the unknown.

“What struck her most was looking back at Planet Earth and seeing not just the beauty of our planet, but the thinness and fragility of the atmosphere surrounding it—the thin blue line protecting all life on Earth. That’s what we’re fighting for. That’s what we’re here to protect: That thin blue line of life. That thin blue line of hope.”

Ten New Insights in Climate Science

Impacts of human-induced climate change are coming earlier than expected – but halving global emissions in the next decade is achievable and affordable, say scientists.
 

Many impacts of human-induced climate change, from drought and heat waves to Antarctic ice melting, are coming earlier than expected. 

Extreme events, such as recent fires in North America and floods across Asia, can with increased certainty be linked to global warming.

Halving global emissions over the next decade is technically achievable and would save the world billions of dollars, say scientists in a new statement to coincide with the UN annual climate talks in Katowice, Poland.

Their warning comes as global emissions are projected to rise for a second consecutive year to a new historical high after three stable years.

Professor Johan Rockström, Co-Chair of Future Earth and Chair of the Earth League, the organisations that produced the statement says: “Emissions must peak by 2020. The world cannot allow climate catastrophe to unfold when all the solutions to solve this challenge are here in front of us.”

“Our analysis of the most recent research shows that a global transition to clean energy is affordable, achievable, and already underway,” says Future Earth Executive Director Amy Luers. “But to avoid catastrophe, we must ratchet up the pace and move beyond energy. The research shows clearly that we must cut emissions by half across all economic sectors in the next decade, to have a chance of avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis.”

The statement, “10 New Insights in Climate Science,” will be presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 24th Conference of the Parties, 10 December, and distributed to negotiators in Katowice. It is published by Future Earth and the Earth League, two major international organizations representing networks of global sustainability scientists, and summarizes recent Earth-system science, policy, public health and economic research.

Summary of the 10 new Insights in Climate Science:

1. Extreme weather events are now clearly attributable to climate change

The frequency and intensity of extreme events, including flooding, heat waves, and drought conditions have been increasing. Until recently, it was difficult to clearly attribute these events to climate change. Now, more accurate observations and progress in modelling has made the link clear.

2. Growing climate impacts show risks of critical tipping points

Changes have been observed in major Earth systems – like a weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation, mass mortality of the world’s coral reefs, and the tripling of ice loss from the West Antarctic ice sheet. These and other systems could reach points where they rapidly collapse or a major, largely unstoppable transformation is initiated. The risks are growing.

 3. Every half degree matters: Large difference in impacts between 1.5°C and 2°C degrees of warming

This year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on 1.5^oC has shown that the magnitude and risk of a range of climate change impacts increase significantly between 1.5°C and 2°C.

4. New understanding of the acceleration of sea level rise and its future

The rate of ice loss from Antarctica is increasing. It is now almost twice as high as projected by the latest IPCC assessment (2014). Limiting warming to 1.5°C instead of 2°C can avoid the inundation of lands currently home to about 5 million people.

5. Managing plants and soil: a prerequisite for meeting the Paris Agreement

Between 2007 and 2016, land use change was responsible for annual global emissions of, on average, 4.7 billion tons of CO₂, which is around 12 percent of CO₂ emissions. Natural climate solutions could potentially provide over one-third of the cost-effective climate mitigation needed between now and 2030 to stabilize warming to below 2°C.

6. Options to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere are limited

Scenarios that have recently been assessed by the IPCC show that the world will need to draw down between 100 and 1000 billion tons of CO₂ out of the air, so-called Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), during this century to achieve the 1.5^oC target. But research shows that CDR at the upper end of this scale is in conflict with other sustainable development goals.

7. Major socio-technical transformations needed to meet the 1.5°C target

Globally, approximately halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 is consistent with meeting the Paris Agreement goal to stay “well below 2°C.” This is technically feasible but this scale of emissions reductions requires transformations of full socio-technical systems, across all sectors and scales. There is already considerable momentum in the energy sector that it could see major shifts towards very low emissions, with the right support. However, there is worryingly little progress in reducing emissions from buildings, transport, food systems and industry.

8. Stronger policy measures would reduce climate risks

Global fossil fuel subsidies remain massive. Phasing out these would reduce global carbon emissions and strengthen public budgets, but reforms should consider acceptance, effects on poverty, and possible adverse effects such as shifts from gas to coal. A portfolio of policies including standards, regulations, incentives, and carbon pricing would effectively support and accelerate a low-carbon transition.

9. Transformation of food systems needed for global health and reduced greenhouse gas emissions

Decarbonizing and building resilience in the world food system is a prerequisite to succeed with the Paris Agreement. Dietary shifts away from unhealthy “Western diets” towards reduced meat and dairy consumption are a significant way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve health.

10. Benefits for global health by addressing climate change

Climate change is increasing the numbers of injuries, illnesses, and deaths from, for example, extreme weather and climate events, infectious diseases, and under nutrition. Efforts to combat climate change would have significant co-benefits for health, chiefly, saving millions of lives through lower air pollution.

What Africa wants from the Katowice Climate Change Conference

COP24 has been described as the most important gathering on climate change since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.

The 24^th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened on Sunday, December 2 in Katowice, Poland, with the UN climate chief, Patricia Espinosa, urging nations to come up with a set of rules to make the Paris climate deal work.

She has emphasized that the impacts of climate change “have never been worse”.

According to UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, “We are in trouble. We are in deep trouble with climate change. Climate change is running faster than we are and we must catch up sooner rather than later before it is too late”.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special report on 1.5 Degrees should serve a guiding inspiration to the global community that any further delay to drastically cut emissions will not only be ominous to the current and future generations, but also the health of the planet.

In 2017, carbon emissions grew by 1.6 percent after a three-year hiatus.

A leading scientific study has also projected global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and industry will rise for the second consecutive year in 2018, by more than 2 percent to a new record, mainly due to sustained growth in oil and gas use.
 

The Global Carbon Project estimates that CO₂ emissions will rise a projected 2.7 percent, with an uncertainty range between 1.8 percent and 3.7 percent.

African civil society, led by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), is joining the African governments and other stakeholders in underscoring the vital importance of a Paris Work Programme that upholds equity and justice.

The CSOs describe the Katowice Climate Change Conference as critical, “do-or-die” moment whose outcomes will determine whether the world will march towards precipice, or trigger a reversal of the growing global warming threats by laying a solid foundation to cement global cooperation for effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

PACJA is going into the conference with nine specific demands:

Demand 1: Global warming must be limited way below 1.5 degrees Celsius this century

Demand 2: Adaptation is crucial to protecting and promoting development gains, especially in Africa

Demand 3: Climate Financing should be long term and achieve a balance between mitigation and adaptation support

Demand 4: Capacity building should be enhanced under the Paris Agreement

Demand 5: Loss and damage Parties should commit to full implementation of the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage

Demand 6: Technology deployment and transfer should be supported to enhance resilience and low carbon development

Demand 7: Gender agenda should be enhanced in the implementation of the Paris Agreement

Demand 8: Common timeframes and enhancing ambition within the NDC process

Demand 9: Enhanced transparency framework

“We are calling on parties here in Katowice to fresh energy and push the negotiations towards concrete outcomes that will address this grave concern to Africa. The world is watching and the outcome from this COP24 as it will determine whether the Paris Agreement will be a reality or a mere rhetoric,” said Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of PACJA.

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has acknowledged climate change “is already a matter of life and death” for many, people, regions and countries.  

He delivered deliver four simple messages at the opening of COP24.

First: science demands a significantly more ambitious response.

Second: the Paris Agreement provides the framework for action, so we must operationalize it.

Third: we have a collective responsibility to invest in averting global climate chaos, to consolidate the financial commitments made in Paris and to assist the most vulnerable communities and nations.

Fourth: climate action offers a compelling path to transform our world for the better.

For African civil society, endless negotiations at COP24 should be viewed as delaying tactics, emphasizing that there is no option B for world leaders to be genuinely committed to the implementation of the various provisions of the Paris Agreement by adopting detailed rules and procedures – otherwise referred to as the ‘rulebook’.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh