KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- African countries urged to develop adaptation centric Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)
- Developed countries told to provide adequate and predictable finance, technology transfer, and capacity building
- Call for adoption of an ambitious and need-based New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG) at COP29
- The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its framework needs to be further operationalized
- Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) report places financial support needed for current NDCs at the scale of USD 5.8 trillion by 2030
- Projections show that by 2030, than 90 percent of the world poor will be in Africa
By PATRICK MAYOYO
As COP29 kicked-off in Baku, Azerbaijan today, African climate change lobby groups outlined ambitious measures they want put in place to combat climate change and support vulnerable communities affected by its impacts across the continent.
They urged African countries to develop adaptation centric Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to ensure adaptation finance and all support mechanisms are significantly scaled up to support development and implementations of National Adaptation Plans (NAP) and other adaptation strategies.
They also want countries from the global north to amplify the Paris Agreement principles, particularly on Common But Differentiated Responsibilities based on Respective Capabilities, placing developed countries parties at the centre of leadership of transformative climate action.
“Our bold and sustained call for transparency, accountability and bold anti-corruption measures to ensure good governance of climate action and climate finance flow s t o communities at the frontline of climate crisis,” they said in a statement.
They also demanded that developed countries fulfill their historical responsibility and provide adequate and predictable finance, technology transfer, and capacity building to support adaptation, mitigation, and loss and damage in Africa.
The civil societies also called for the adoption of an ambitious and need-based New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG) at COP29 that supports developing countries’ transitions to low carbon and climate resilient development through implementation of (NDCs) and (NAPs).
They added that the focus of just transition must be sufficiently comprehensive to include: – just and equitable mitigation, just adaptation and resilience, financing for the Just transitions, just trade including increasing access to finance and technology.
They also called for the amplification of the seven voluntary Guiding Principles of the United Nations Secretary General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals to secure rights, integrity of planet, justice in taping on critical minerals value chains for transition, good governance economic diversification and international cooperation to promote peace and security.
New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG)
The civil societies also called for the adoption of an ambitious and need-based New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance (NCQG) at COP29. PHOTO/PACJA.
They noted that securing an ambitious needs based New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance in Azerbaijan has been a primary expectation from diverse stakeholders from Africa and this aspiration has been shaped by the struggles of people at the frontline of climate crisis and their experience at previous COPs, shows that majority of them have closed without any substantive decision on matters climate finance.
“Baku, seems cut-out to deliver on the climate promise – the much deserved climate finance for advancing the imperatives for just climate action through adaptation, just transition and mitigation ensuring women, youth, indigenous peoples, smallholder farmers, pastoralists, fisher folk, workers, trade unions have the means to implement climate action,” they added.
Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) said their statement consolidates the views, reflections, and communiqués of over 3,000 representatives from diverse backgrounds who participated in various convening’s hosted by PACJA and its sectoral-thematic partners, in collaboration with other pan-African institutions throughout the year.
They said the climate crisis is increasingly alarming, with 2024 likely to be one of the hottest years on record with Greenhouse gas concentrations having surpassed 420 ppm of CO2, driving global warming towards a dangerous 2.7°C increase by century’s end.
“The first Global Stocktake reaffirms the inadequacies of both climate actions and support and echoes the IPCC AR6 report that asserts Africa will be impacted by climate change under all mitigation scenarios, setting basis for agitation for concrete and accelerated adaptation actions to enable communities at the frontline of the crisis to cope with impacts of climate change,” they added.
They observed that the acknowledgement that there is scientifically backed correlation between the amount of carbon emissions and the level of adaptation needed to address climate change.
Noting that there is growing mutual understanding on the need to scale up adaptation action and support to ensure an adequate adaptation response in the context of the temperature goal.
Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said global emissions need to fall by 9% every year until 2030 to keep the 1.5-degree Paris Agreement limit alive. PHOTO/ COP28/Stuart Wilson.
“The Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) and its framework needs to be further operationalized, and in particular the adequacy of adaptation action and support in relation to adaptation needs in a broader sense and more specific to sectors such as agriculture, water, health, biodiversity, infrastructure and human settlements,” they added.
On climate finance they said since COP29 is being referred to as the “Finance COP” it should deliver on NCQG that is based on achieving the goals agreed to in Glasgow, Sharm and Dubai, as well as evolving needs as reflected in countries’ NDCs, NAPs, and other national climate planning and programming instruments, and should reflect the GST outcome.
They however, noted that Africa is disadvantaged in accessing and attracting international climate finance and global trade resulting in African countries spending 5% -15% of their GDP to respond to climate impacts.
“This contributes to most African countries facing unsustainable debt situation which is worsened by the general global rise in lending interest rates and exchange rate shifts after the COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine,” they emphasized.
They added that the Needs Determination Report, produced by the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) clearly states the magnitude of the current needs that the NCQG should respond to, placing the scales of financial support needed for current NDCs at the scale of USD 5.8 trillion by 2030.
“As such developed countries must provide leadership to provide the scale of climate finance required as trillions of dollars are needed annually to tackle the climate crisis and restore trust in the multilateral system,” they demanded.
Loss and Damage
The African climate change lobby groups want countries from the global north to amplify the Paris Agreement principles. PHOTO/PACJA.
On loss and damage they said the devastating impacts of climate change are increasing in frequency and severity, creating irreversible loss and damage. Across Africa are disproportionately impacted by climate change-induced severe weather, despite their negligible contributions to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
In 2022, floods, drought and heat waves affected over 110 million people across the continent and resulted in economic damages exceeding US$ 8.5 billion and the frequency and intensity of these impacts will continue to increase.
“According to the IPCC, Africa has suffered annual losses of $7 billion due to climate change between 2010 and 2019, and under high-emissions scenarios, this figure could rise to $50 billion by 2040, causing a 2-4% reduction in Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth per year by 2040 and a 10-25% reduction by 2100,” they warned.
The civil societies said even with the paltry USD.700 million committed to the fund, the Loss and Damage is yet to release funding to countries most impacted by climate change and together with the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, both are yet to contribute to capacity and financial support anticipated for effective response to climate triggered disasters.
They added that there are gaps in coordination, collaboration and coherence in the implementation of the respective mandates and functions of the different bodies dealing with loss and damage including the Fund, Santiago Network, and Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM) in supporting vulnerable people and nations.
On just transition, they noted that the objective of the just transition work programme is to shape pathways to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement outlined in Article 2, paragraph 1, in the context of Article 2, paragraph 2, with view to adopting decisions to support implementation of just transitions and efforts to achieve sustainable development and poverty eradication more effectively.
Just Transition
The lobby groups said projections are rife that by 2030, just four years from now, more than 90 percent of the world poor will be in Africa. PHOTO/PACJA.
They added COP28 secured decisions relating to the energy sector and provide for provision and mobilization of the necessary means of implementation, ensuring that the continent can transition to sustainable energy systems while addressing the pressing energy access needs of its population.
“Nevertheless, Africa faces a severe energy poverty, with over 600 million people lacking access to electricity and more than 900 million people without access to clean cooking solutions, a challenge that underscores the urgent need for substantial finance and investment in the energy sector as a top priority for the continent,” they outlined.
They revealed that the critical role of Africa’s critical minerals resources in the just transition discourse and in advancing opportunities for developing decentralized people centred energy systems is apparent, yet Africa seems not well poised to benefit from this contribution.
“Projections are rife that by 2030, just four years from now, more than 90 percent of the world poor will be in Africa,” they warned.
The climate change lobby groups said the nexus between critical minerals and sustainable development has been well established as minerals are drivers’ economic growth by generating revenue for governments, decarbonizing economies, financing development projects, and improving living standards.
On mitigations, they said scientists warn that the world is staring at a time bomb that will explode if measures are not put in place to cut down greenhouse gas emissions by 43% by 2030 to keep the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal alive.
They added the current NDC commitments fall short of achieving emissions reduction targets, with the 2022
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report indicating that, even if all current climate pledges are successfully implemented, the planet will fall short of Paris Agreement goals and is likely to reach between 2.4 and 2.8 degrees Celsius of warming by the end of this century (IPCC 2022).
“Even if the international community were to stop emitting all greenhouse gases today, it would take decades for the climate to stabilize, and that climate disruption is here to stay for the long haul,” they noted.
On carbon markets, the civil society groups said after almost 20 years of carbon trading, it is clear that market-based mechanisms do not work and safeguards have not protected the indigenous people from the predatory and land grabbing practices of carbon brokers, conservation NGOs, carbon market managers, banks and states – forming what is being termed as carbon colonialism.
They added that whereas Africa considers carbon markets as instruments to leverage low carbon and resilient development and deliver meaningful sustainable development impacts beyond emissions reductions, there is a bold push by developed countries to centre carbon markets in the climate financing mechanisms as demonstrated by the many Africa countries are currently engaged in development of national carbon markets frameworks.
“The notions of premising carbon credits as climate finance must be dispelled and measures initiated to reverse the narrative pushing for historical responsibility on part of parties from the global north,” they added.
Transparency in the Climate Change Sector
The African climate change lobby groups said the climate crisis is increasingly alarming, with 2024 likely to be one of the hottest years on record. PHOTO/PACJA.
On transparency in the climate change sector, the African groups said there are well noted gaps in reporting both on mitigation outcomes (fossil fuels phase out) and in delivery on climate finance commitments with double counting of ODA as climate finance
“In many instances information related to climate change including related to NDCs and NAPs remains unclear and least understood by general public impairing broad based pursuit for accountability,” they revealed.
They said whereas the Global Stocktake process resulted in progressive outcomes, the pursuit for consistent and transparent implementation of the Global Stocktake outcome is likely to impair the gains envisages in the recommendations.
They added in a continent with acute need for climate finance to address climate actions across all the spheres and sectors, the emerging phenomenon of reverse flow of climate finance to the developed countries must be urgently addressed.
“Increasingly climate response actions, including transitional measures have not been devoid of rights violations and hence the need for strengthened accountability actions,” they noted.
They called on COP 29 to launch work on the consideration of the special needs and special circumstances of Africa under the Paris Agreement in line with the relevant and previous decisions adopted by the COPs.
“African countries including African Least Developing Countries (LDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) align with Africa’s unified position, particularly regarding the continent’s special needs and circumstances under the Paris Agreement in relation to support,” they concluded.
