Act on Africa’s demand for adaptation, finances

As the United Nations Climate Conference (COP28) comes to an end, African nations are up in arms over what they consider a matter of life and death for the continent – adaptation and finance.

The talks in Dubai have so far failed to deliver on fair and equitable finance for climate adaptation, according to the chief negotiator of the powerful African group at the talks.

Africa’s demand has been bogged down in tenuous negotiations that have characterised every COP since the first UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil also known as the Earth Summit 1992.

The Earth Summit 1992 concluded that sustainable development was an achievable global goal while focusing on economic and environmental concerns. Three decades later, the same goal still exists but conflicting interests have made its achievement difficult to attain.

This is the situation the African continent finds itself in as COP28 enters the final stretch. African ministers attending the talks on Sunday expressed their disappointment and concern about the lack of progress on various issues of importance to the group, particularly on finance and adaptation.

While there has been marked progress with the loss and damage fund since COP27, tangible advances in adaptation and climate finance are still lacking.

The creation of the loss and damage fund was historic; agreed upon on the first day of the summit. It was a hard-won victory by developing countries they hope signals a commitment by the developed world, polluting nations to finally provide financial support for some of the ongoing destruction.

Developing states suffer more from floods, droughts, storms and other climate-related shocks than other countries when they have contributed the least to climate change.

Wealthy countries most responsible for the climate emergency have so far pledged $720 million to the loss and damage fund, which is equivalent to less than 0.2 per cent of the irreversible economic and non-economic losses developing countries face from global heating every year.

Pledges have fallen short of what is needed. Loss and damage in developing countries is estimated at $500 billion a year. Despite its limited contribution to global heating, Africa is significantly affected.

Currently, 17 out of the 20 countries most threatened by climate change are located in Africa and climate change already impacts two to nine per cent of national budgets across the continent, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says parts of Africa are particularly vulnerable, with expected 1.5 to three degrees Celsius temperatures posing significant threats to populations’ health productivity and food security.

COP 28 must conclusively address Africa’s demand for climate adaptation and finance. African countries are directing a significant portion of their public finances towards mitigation efforts and the protection of their populations.

They are depriving themselves of resources needed to finance development, safeguard development gains and implement the Sustainable Development Goals. There is an urgent need to prioritise Africa’s adaptation needs in global climate discourse.

Discussions and protracted negotiations are falling short on vital issues such as finance, gender equity, and agriculture for Africa, as disputes persist around loss and damage funding, governance, and eligibility, casting uncertainty on COP28 outcomes.

COP28 should therefore finalise a comprehensive framework for the Global Goal on Adaptation and commit to bridging the adaptation finance gap, reforming the financial system, and providing accessible, quality adaptation finance for Africa.

— The writer comments on climate change and development issues. – albertoleny@gmail.com