Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
“The future of our continent is at stake. African governments should demand urgent action from high emitters through increased funding, higher emissions reduction targets, and shorter timeframes,” representatives from the various organizations said in their collective statement published Monday, October 25.
They emphasized, “We need countries in the global north to fulfil their commitments towards emission reduction and climate finance u (and) African Governments should hence unite and coordinate among themselves their tasks for an expedited response.”
In their Monday statement, the organizations have appealed to the African Union (AU) chairman and respective heads of the sub-regional bodies to lead the coordination process.
The COP26 slated for 1-12 November in Glasgow, United Kingdom will officially be opened on Sunday, October 31 and aims to commit States to more ambitious 2030 emissions reduction targets.
Acknowledging the challenges of climate planning, funding, implementation, and monitoring at all levels, Governments have been asked to “urgently prioritize climate information access, sustainable and adaptive food systems, water supply including sustainable rainwater harvesting systems, and social protection.” Besides, it is essential for “African governments to provide public financing and ensure all plans are climate resilient.”
Owing to the fact that the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of many African countries are too focused on mitigation when their contributions is insignificant, the concerned organizations suggest as a way forward adaptation rather than mitigation saying, “There’s a need to balance adaptation and mitigation as the impacts of climate change are already upon us, so we need to support communities to adapt while embarking on climate-resilient pathways.”
They further asked African governments to “unite in their negotiations in COP26 and other platforms to demand increased funding for adaptation actions within climate change funding streams.”
According to Caritas Zambia and other civil organizations, Agroecology is the most sustainable solution to climate crisis hence the need for African governments to “unite in investing in agroecological transition domestically and demand increased recognition and support for agroecology within UNFCCC, CFS, GAFSP, and other international fora as the best solution for the climate and food system crises,” and reduce much attention on “Bioenergy and Bioenergy for Carbon Capture with Storage (BECCS), and Climate insurance.”
The African governments were further advised to ensure that human rights are at the centre of the climate agenda so as to “empower the most affected groups, including the youth and women.”
“The climate crisis will not be addressed without addressing human rights violations; in particular, there is a need for a holistic approach that addresses the economic, social, cultural, and political dimensions of climate change,” reads an excerpt of the Monday statement.