• Senior Analyst on Climate Nazanine Moshiri said Africa is only getting 10 to 20% of its climate adaptation financing of more than $570bn over the period 2020–2030.
• Researcher Andrew Ciacci the summit produced minimal progress on helping Africa adapt to climate change.
Image: PCS
Climate analysts have weighed in on the just concluded Africa Climate Summit which culminated in heads of State and government making the Nairobi Declaration.
The ten-point document has among other things proposed the establishment of a new financing architecture that is responsive to Africa’s needs.
The leaders also proposed for a global tax regime to finance climate action and for the Nairobi Declaration to be adopted at COP28 and beyond.
They further called for the Africa Climate Summit to be a biennial event (once every two years) convened by the African Union and hosted by AU member states.
But Nazanine Moshiri, a senior analyst on climate, environment and conflict at Africa at Crisis Group said the resolutions missed out on how the declaration will be adapted.
She said despite many participants emphasising the need to help fragile or conflict-affected states adapt to weather extremes, the funding aspect of the adaptation was largely omitted.
"Africa needs more than $570 billion (Sh83 billion) in adaptation finance over the period 2020–2030, but at the moment the continent is receiving about 10 to 20 per cent of those needs," she said.
Moshiri further acknowledged that whereas climate financing was canvassed at large during the summit, the declaration failed to address the link between climate, peace and security.
"Many communities bearing the brunt of increasing floods and droughts, while also at risk of conflict, are disappointed that there wasn’t more emphasis on ensuring that green investments trickle down to them," she said.
Moshiri's sentiments were echoed by Andrew Ciacci, a researcher on the future of conflict, at Crisis Group.
Ciacci observed that while the Africa Climate Summit resulted in deals on climate mitigation and highlighted Africa’s potential as a carbon sink, the summit produced minimal progress on helping Africa adapt to climate change, which is contributing to conflict across the continent.
He said despite Africa contributing to roughly four per cent of global gas emissions, it is disproportionately vulnerable to climatic distress.
"As we approach COP28, this reality needs to be addressed with concrete commitments to increase the availability, accessibility and actionability of financing for adaptation in fragile contexts," he said.
Ciacci said funding adaptation is both just and financially prudent and warned that the costs of inaction are fraught with danger.
He said over half of the countries most vulnerable to climate change also experience conflict, something he said will continue unless deliberate efforts are made to mitigate the effects of climate change.
"As warming increases unabated, climate change will continue to exacerbate conflicts and will require costly humanitarian and security responses," she said.
The Africa Climate Summit will largely shape debate at the forthcoming COP28 which will be hosted by Dubai.
The UAE will host the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change from November 30 to December 12, 2023.