NAIROBI, (Xinhua) — African experts will at the forthcoming COP27 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, push for prioritization of the continent’s climate adaptation needs as losses and damages arising from the effects of climate change surge, they said on Tuesday.
The climate experts from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) said in a statement released in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital that developed countries emit most of the carbon dioxide that has fueled climate change and thus should fund mitigation measures in developing countries that are suffering the worst of effects because they are least prepared.
Africa has in the past months suffered some of the severest effects of climate change including the flooding in Nigeria and the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa.
Guleid Artan, the director of the IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC), said Africa wants the world to realize that it is bearing the brunt of climate change.
“For us, it is a daily reality. Our continent has already warmed by at least 1.8 degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial times, and we are going from one extreme to another – from floods to droughts,” he said.
He observed that the focus currently has been on mitigating climate change, but this needs to change to adaptation, and countries that have created the mess for Africa must be part of the solution.
“We had an agreement for 100 billion U.S. dollars to be given each year by developed nations to fund adaptation in developing countries, but we haven’t seen much of it. I hope that following up from COP26 in Glasgow, a clear implementation plan can be agreed upon,” he said.
Philip Omondi, a climate change specialist at ICPAC, said on the question of loss and damages, the standards are not adapted to the African context.
“We are so close to 2030. Even if we are given everything we are asking for, time is extremely short. I hope people come to COP with a clean heart and an open mind, but still, some key players are not putting all their cards on the table when it comes to loss and damages for Africa,” Omondi said.
Ahmed Amdihun, the Disaster Risk Management Programme Coordinator at ICPAC, said it is time to step up climate action.
“The way we’re handling climate change is, in my view, a bit fragmented. We must bring coherence between the different agreements and commitments that drive the climate agenda. I hope that the concept of anticipatory action can be mainstreamed in all commitments made at COP,” he said.
Linda Ogallo, a climate adaptation expert, at ICPAC, called on Africans to unite and define the climate problems and come up with solutions.
“We always go to negotiations as a recipient, which makes it very difficult for us to set the terms. Africa is a huge market, it’s the next wave of the future, there are a lot more opportunities that we don’t see, but that we can seize if we can begin to articulate what we need and what we can offer one another.”
The 27th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) will be hosted by Egypt on Nov. 6-18 in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh. – Xinhua
