Earlier in September, 20 African Heads of State and Government met in Nairobi, Kenya to discuss the climate change challenges Africa faces, as well as suitable solutions to them. This was the first ever Africa Climate Summit, and its theme was ‘Driving green growth and climate finance solutions for Africa and the World’. Discussions predominantly revolved around the mobilization of financing to help the continent adapt to extreme weather, conserve its natural resources, and develop renewable energy. (Reuters)
Climate Change Impacts
Climate change poses significant risks to the entire global community and people all over the world are already experiencing its devastating effects. Global temperatures are rising and there are more and more extreme weather events.
However, these impacts are not distributed equally across the global community. Africa is disproportionately affected by the rise in temperatures, despite its per capita emissions being significantly lower than the global average. In fact, the African population is responsible for only about 2 to 3 percent of all carbon emissions worldwide. But the continent has to face intense challenges caused by climate change, like drought, desertification, and cyclones. This increases food scarcity and health risks in affected areas, causing people to suffer from hunger and disease. Further, climate change influences the factors that put and keep people in poverty (UN), all of which leads to the rise of displacement and migration.
Due to the crippling debt that African countries have on their backs, the Governments’ abilities to respond to the crisis and to be a part of the development of green solutions are very limited. (ACS). Despite suffering from some of the worst impacts of climate change, Africa receives just 3 percent of the global funding for climate mitigation and adaption which is about 12 percent of the nearly $300 billion in annual financing it would need to cope, according to researchers.
The Nairobi Declaration
The summit culminated in the release of the Nairobi declaration which defines the shared position of the countries, their demands, and commitments. Due to the financial issues mentioned above, the declaration is heavy on demands that the major polluters provide more resources to developing countries and allow them to borrow at more affordable rates. The declaration asks for systemic changes, rather than for one-off investments.
This is supposed to be done by implementing a global carbon tax regime. A carbon tax is a price that is set by governments that emitters must pay for each ton of greenhouse gas they emit. The idea is that the money made from the implementation from the tax can then flow toward green development and climate change adaptation in Africa. The fair distribution of funds should be ensured by a global governance body, independent of national interests (ACS). The tax would also be an incentive for major polluters to find ways to cut their emissions, resulting in lowered levels of carbon emissions. To date, 27 countries have implemented a carbon tax, but the idea of a global carbon tax regime has not gained traction so far.
MOAS Climate Change Educational Campaign
In 2022 MOAS launched an ongoing Climate Change educational campaign, which focuses on the consequences of climate change on the migration phenomenon and on engaging with the key issues that climate migrants face, including a lack of international protection mechanisms and no long-term collaborative plan to ensure peoples livelihoods are protected.
Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 which will be held in Dubai from the 30th of November until 12th December, we want to voice how we can come together and educate ourselves, our peers, our friends, and our families, so that we may build spaces to discuss solutions not just in technical scientific circles, but in our communities too.
Final thoughts
We must take immediate action to lower global emissions and support green development worldwide. The African summit was an important step towards holding big polluters responsible and unifying many voices in their demands for support in climate action. Now we must ensure that action follows these discussions. We at MOAS are continuing and expanding our climate campaign to help you understand climate change, its impacts, and consequences, and how it will interplay with migration for years to come.
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