Sunday Ehigiator
Experts in environmental rights have revealed thatclimate-induced floods in Nigeria, Chad, Benin-republic, Cameroon, South Africa and others will continue and is likely to displace half of Africa’s 1.4 billion population by the year 2030
The experts emphasised the need to make provision for $1.3 billion annually to fund climate-related projects and schemes from 2025 as the Africa Group of Negotiators had suggested in its report.
They made the call at the official unveiling of a report, “Assessing Climate Change, COP26 Commitments in Africa – Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda” recently.
The report was put together by Nigerian-based Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Uganda-based African Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) and South African Climate Action Network (SACAN) with support from Climate Emergency Collaboration Group (CECG).
At the inauguration, the experts challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and other African leaders “to cut gas flaring or greenhouse gas emissions in their countries from its source to achieve a zero carbon emission target by the United Nations by 2050.”
The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi said Nigeria and African countries “carry the greatest burdens of climate change even though it contributes less than three per cent of global emissions.
Citing the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Oluwafemi noted that the IPCC predicted that climate-induced floods in Nigeria, Chad, Benin-republic, Cameroon, South Africa and other countries would continue.
According to him, the climate-induced flood will is likely to displace half of Africa’s 1.4 billion populations by the year 2030 unless something is done urgently
Among other findings, the expert said: “The report notes that though there is improved awareness of the urgent need to act on climate change in Africa, significant encumbrances in the race towards a clean energy transition and carbon-less society continue to stifle real progress.
“For instance, the economies of many African countries are currently on life support because of rising public debts and post-coronavirus pandemic-induced economic contractions that have combined with other stressors to hamper national efforts to achieve sustainable development and climate goals.
“Hence Africa must begin to look at cutting all forms of emission right from its source, this is only when we can start getting closer towards achieving net-zero carbon emission by 2050.”
Also speaking, AFIEGO representative, Dickens Kanugisha recommended that African governments should leverage green economic opportunities including increased demands for electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, etc. which are produced with critical minerals some of which are sourced from African places.
“this puts Africa at a vantage point to renegotiate its position on the global stage while stimulating inclusive economic growth. African governments must also remove barriers to renewable energy technologies in Africa such as import tariffs to make renewable energy accessible and affordable to most of the energy-poor African population.
“It must also withdraw support for the heavy-carbon projects, such projects like Dangote refineries and petrochemicals and Uganda’s EACOP which will lock Africa into fossil fuel,” Kanugisha.
He said the Africa Group of Negotiators has also called for “$1.3 trillion a year in climate finance to be made available from 2025.
“There is a need to utilize the global stage afforded by COP 27 to campaign and secure commitment to this as well as a strategy to follow up and net in the commitments after the conference.”
Kanugisha said there was also a cogent need to drop false solution schemes – Carbon trading schemes, and gas as a transition fuel as a pathway towards carbon emission reduction, while also increasing climate change education and awareness.
In giving global recommendations, SACAN representative, Thando Lukoko said the global north and big polluters must make reparations for historical losses suffered by individuals and communities on the frontline of the climate crisis in Africa.
