Climate Action Greatest Economic Opportunity of this Century, Says UN Climate Chief — Global Issues

by Joyce Chimbi (nairobi)Thursday, September 05, 2024Inter Press Service

The State of the Local weather in Africa 2023 report reveals all six African sub-regions have skilled a rise within the temperature traits over the previous six many years. In Africa, 2023 was one of many three warmest years in 124 years, resulting in unprecedented climatic carnage. The results are such that there’s not sufficient meals, deepening poverty, injury, displacement and lack of life.

However the place many see challenges, there are additionally alternatives.

Chatting with the African Ministerial Convention on the Surroundings (AMCEN) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as we speak, Simon Stiell, Govt Secretary of UN Local weather Change, stated “local weather motion is the only biggest financial alternative of this century.  It may possibly and needs to be the only biggest alternative for Africa to elevate up folks, communities, and economies after centuries of exploitation and neglect.”

“The chance is immense. However so too are the prices for African nations of unchecked world heating. The continent has been warming at a sooner fee than the worldwide common. From Algeria to Zambia, climate-driven disasters are getting worse, inflicting probably the most struggling on those that did least to trigger them.”

Collectively launched by the United Nations Financial Fee for Africa (ECA), the World Meteorological Group (WMO) and the African Union Fee on September 2, 2024, on the twelfth Local weather Change and Improvement in Africa (CCDA12) Convention, the local weather report reveals Africa is disproportionately affected by the local weather crises because the continent is warming at a fee that’s barely sooner than the worldwide common.

The 12 months 2023 was the warmest on file in lots of international locations, together with Mali, Morocco, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Uganda. The warming has been most speedy in North Africa, with Morocco experiencing the best temperature anomaly.

The report signifies that components of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Zambia, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo skilled extreme drought in 2023. Following extreme droughts within the Higher Horn of Africa, three international locations, together with Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, skilled in depth and extreme flooding, with not less than 352 deaths and a pair of.4 million displaced folks reported.

Amidst the far-reaching devastating loss and injury, the UN Local weather Chief emphasised that in Africa, as in all areas, the local weather disaster is an financial sinkhole, sucking the momentum out of financial progress and that the truth is, many African nations are dropping as much as 5 % of GDP on account of local weather impacts. It’s African nations and individuals who pay the heaviest worth.

Putting further burden on poverty alleviation efforts, which might in flip considerably hamper progress, the report reveals many international locations are diverting “as much as 9 % of their budgets into unplanned expenditures to reply to excessive climate occasions. By 2030, it’s estimated that as much as 118 million extraordinarily poor folks—or these residing on lower than USD 1.90 per day—can be uncovered to drought, floods and excessive warmth in Africa if ample response measures aren’t put in place.”

Placing it into perspective, Stiell stated, “Contemplate meals manufacturing being hit onerous, contributing to the re-emergence of famine, whereas additionally pushing up world costs, and with them inflation and the price of residing.  Desertification and habitat destruction are driving compelled actions of individuals. Provide chains are already being hit onerous by spiralling local weather impacts,” he stated.

Additional cautioning that “it will be fully incorrect for any world chief—particularly within the G20—to suppose: though extremely unhappy, finally it’s not my downside. The financial and political actuality—in an interdependent world—is we’re all on this disaster collectively. We rise collectively, or we fall collectively. But when the local weather and financial crises are globally interlinked. So too are the options.”

In sub-Saharan Africa alone, it’s estimated that local weather adaptation will value USD 30 billion to USD 50 billion, which interprets to 2 to 3 % of the regional GDP per 12 months over the subsequent decade. With COP28 having concluded the first-ever stocktake of world local weather motion—a mid-term overview of progress in the direction of the 2015 Paris Settlement—COP29 has been dubbed the ‘finance COP’—a possibility to align local weather finance contributions with estimated world wants.

COP29 may even be a possibility to construct on earlier success, particularly within the heels of a most profitable COP28, whose formidable commitments embrace: to transition away from all fossil fuels shortly however pretty; to triple renewable power and double power effectivity; and to go from responding to local weather impacts to really transformative adaptation.

Whereas recognizing these huge commitments, Stiell stated delivering on them will unlock a goldmine of human and financial advantages that features cleaner, extra dependable and inexpensive power throughout Africa.  Extra jobs, stronger native economies, underpinning extra stability and alternative, particularly for ladies. That electrification and lighting at evening within the house means youngsters can do homework, boosting training outcomes, with main flow-on productiveness positive factors driving stronger financial progress.

“Cooking with conventional fuels emits greenhouse gases roughly equal to world aviation or transport. It additionally contributes to three million untimely deaths per 12 months. It will value 4 billion US {dollars} yearly to repair this in Africa—an impressive funding on any accounting,” he stated.

Additional stressing the necessity to hyperlink nature-based local weather options with biodiversity safety and land restoration, as it will drive progress proper throughout the 17 Sustainable Improvement Objectives. But, he reiterated, African nations’ huge potential to drive ahead local weather options is being thwarted by an epidemic of underinvestment.

“Of the greater than USD400 billion spent on clear power final 12 months, solely USD2.6 billion went to African nations. Renewable power funding in Africa must develop not less than fivefold by 2030.  COP29 in Baku should sign that the local weather disaster is core enterprise for each authorities, with finance options to match,” Stiell emphasised.

“It’s time to flip the script. From potential local weather tipping factors to exponential adjustments in enterprise, funding, and progress. Modifications that may additional strengthen African nations’ local weather management and important position in world local weather options, on all fronts. Your position at COP29—and your voices within the lead-up—are extra vital than ever, to assist information our course of to the highest-ambition outcomes the entire world wants.”

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