Hope as African countries meet in Gabon ahead of climate talks

African countries met in Gabon on Monday for Africa Climate Week ahead of key climate talks scheduled for Egypt in November.

Environment Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko is leading Kenya's delegation, even as the country faces a looming disaster due to worsening drought.

Already, 4.1 million Kenyans are in dire need of food relief.

The Africa Climate Week 2022 also comes even as statistics from the government show that the ongoing drought is expected to affect 4.35 million Kenyans by the end of the year.

The week is meant to accelerate the region’s climate action, explore challenges, identify opportunities and showcase ambitious solutions to the impacts of climate change in the region.

Coming months before countries convene for climate talks in Egypt in November, the Africa Climate Week is organised by United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in collaboration with UNDP, Unep, World Bank, AU, Africa Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.

Gabon's President Ali Bongo said the week provides the perfect opportunity for countries to find solutions ahead of the critical climate talks.

Bongo officially launched the event. 

The 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 7 to 18.

COP27 will provide a platform for African countries to share their frustrations over failed promises, especially by the developed countries.

Such promises include the availing of the much-needed resources to tackle the impact of climate change.

Bongo said his country has adopted measures to efficiently tackle climate change.

"Our efforts on the issue of conservation have contributed to solutions based on nature in order to address the score of climate change," Bongo said.

He said some of the efforts have seen more than one billion tonnes of carbon absorbed.

Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed said there is a need to implement all the objectives of the Paris Agreement.

Mohammed said the commitments made including those made in Glasgow must be kept.

"Developed countries must provide specifics on how they will honour their commitments to deliver the $100 billion a year to developing countries for climate action," she said.

Mohammed said the developed countries also need to demonstrate how they will double the finance for adaptation by 2025.

"We need to see the updated NDC [Nationally Determined Contributions] targets and long-term strategies for achieving global reductions and emissions of 45 per cent by 2030 so that we can reach a net zero emissions globally by 2050."

Mohammed said there is a need to accelerate the just transition to renewable energy, adding that only two per cent of investments in renewable energy flow to Africa.

However, more than 600 million people in Africa lack access to basic electricity.

She said the massive investments required will unlock millions of jobs.

The UNFCCC deputy executive secretary Ovais Sarmad said the coming COP27 offers an opportunity for Africa to take a meaningful step towards the climate talks.

Sarmad said nature-based solutions and land restoration offers new opportunities and solutions to tackle climate change.

“Every nation in Africa and around the world can and must be part of the solutions because there are many opportunities and it is not just doom and gloom,” he said.

Sarmad said the week offers an opportunity for Africa to take a step together and unite in the common cause of climate action.

“We are here to forge new partnerships and fortify the existing ones. We are here to collaborate and build confidence as we walk together on the road to COP27,” he said.

Sarmad said COP27 comes to significant progress made in Glasgow last year.

He said decisions on mitigation, adaptation, finance and a common set of rules open the door to accelerating the implementation of the Paris agreement.

The UNFCCC secretariat is the UN entity tasked with supporting the global response to the threat of climate change.

The convention has near universal membership (197 parties) and is the parent treaty of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The main aim of the agreement is to keep the global average temperature rise this century as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The UNFCCC is also the parent treaty of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The ultimate objective of all three agreements under the UNFCCC is to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that will prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system, in a time frame which allows ecosystems to adapt naturally and enables sustainable development.

Sarmad said the Glasgow pact that was entered into last year recognises the week as an important platform to strengthen the credible and durable response to climate change.

“COP27 will be as has been noted in various forums implementation COP; it must be a COP where nations show they have put the Paris Agreement to work in their countries through legislation, policies and programmes,” he said.

He said the coming COP would be about inclusive multilateralism and empowering all segments of society to be active in climate solutions.

Sarmad said the COP is about implementing the Paris Agreement and having more climate ambition, adding that governments must lead. He further said countries must ensure that the week helps communities already hit by the impacts of climate change.

He, however, said climate action is more effective when the private sector — investors, youth, academia and civil society are involved.

Sarmad said it is a moment for bold actions as countries approach COP27.

UN Climate Change High-Level champion Dr Mahmoud Mohieldin said there is a need for a better data system to have better national and local policies.

“For implementation, we need finance, good cooperation and technology,” he said.

Mohieldin said regional dimensions are needed to complement regional and national efforts.

(edited by Amol Awuor)