Dina Mahmoud (London)
From severe drought in the east, to massive floods in the west, to powerful storms and hurricanes that strike the north and south, Africa has been facing, for years, a series of violent weather fluctuations and extreme weather events, due to the worsening phenomenon of climate change and its consequences.
Nearly two months before the UAE hosts the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), during which the world hopes to launch a more effective phase in dealing with the climate crisis, Africans are anticipating the outcome of this very important international forum, For a consensus that would reduce the heavy burden placed on their continent due to the escalating rates of global warming, in a way that seems unprecedented.
Although the countries of the African continent release only 4% of greenhouse gas emissions to the surface of the Earth annually, what results from climate change inflicts catastrophic damage on them, in a way that is unparalleled in any other part of the planet.
The drought sweeping Somalia, in the far east of the continent, the worst of its kind in 40 years, claimed the lives of nearly 43,000 people in this country over the past year, and forced about 3.8 million to flee their homes. While Libya, located in North Africa, is witnessing the most horrific natural disaster in 4 decades, after the recent floods resulting from Storm “Daniel,” similar torrents last year devoured large areas of West African lands, at a time when the severity of tropical storms and hurricanes is intensifying, in Countries in the south of the continent.
Experts warn that these climate shocks and shifts, with long-term effects, force millions of Africans to become displaced and refugees, and lead to the escalation of conflicts over agricultural lands that are already limited in size, as well as over pastures, potable water, and other resources, which It leads to fueling unrest and threatening social peace in many African countries.
Experts call for the major powers, led by the United States, to develop a strategic approach that ensures greater support for the most vulnerable continent on Earth, to help it confront the climate crisis and adapt to its changes, especially since it includes approximately 20% of humanity.
This requires the development of proactive strategies to deal with the consequences of climate change, which include the participation of international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the establishment of fair partnerships with African countries and countries of the South, aimed at addressing the grievances they suffer from due to the climate threat.
The experts highlighted what was stated in the “Nairobi Declaration”, which resulted from the first African summit on climate, held at the beginning of this month in Kenya, in which it called on the richer countries of the North to fulfill the pledges they made in 2009, to provide one hundred billion dollars annually for 11 years, to support countries. Vulnerable and developing countries facing climate shocks.
The declaration also included a proposal to establish what was described as “a new financing structure, adapted to Africa’s needs, including alleviating the burden of debt” that places a huge burden on its economies, calling at the same time to “support the proposal to impose a carbon tax system, including… Fossil fuel trade, shipping and aviation.
Experts pointed out that the holding of the summit constituted an indicator of Africa’s success in achieving partial progress towards taking a unified position to confront the risks of climate change, although it did not result in the formulation of a unified continental position on this level.
In statements published on the website of the United States Institute of Peace, which was established by Congress in the mid-1980s, experts stressed the need to provide the opportunity for African movements and non-governmental organizations concerned with climate change and environmental protection to play a greater role in the upcoming climate summit on the continent, scheduled to be held. Year 2025.
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