According to the State of the Climate in Africa 2022 report published by the World Meteorological Organization, the continent is responsible for less than ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

But Africa is disproportionately harmed by climate change and is unlikely to be able to cope with its negative effects. According to the Emergency Event Database, more than 100 million people are directly affected by climate- and water-related hazards, endangering food security, ecosystems and economies, and exacerbating the threat of conflict related to dwindling resources.

Ahead of the 2024 United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku, Azerbaijan next month, the African Negotiating Group (AGN) on Climate Change is urgently calling on the continent to prioritize concessional financing based on changing needs. It is reflected in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of developing countries. Harmonization Agenda At COP28, governments

The Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is within reach. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015, with countries committing to reduce emissions, adapt to climate change and provide financial support to developing countries.

One of the key outcomes of COP28 was that parties agreed to increase adaptation efforts by developing targets for the Global Adaptation Goal, which focuses on resilience, water, food, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, poverty eradication and cultural heritage.

A large percentage of people on the continent are engaged in agriculture. However, the sector has been the most affected by climate change, declining by 34 percent since 1961.

As a result, Africa has no choice but to adapt to the effects of climate change. At a special media briefing on Africa’s position and prospects at COP29 in Nairobi, Kenya, last week, Kalthoum Omari-Motsumi, chief negotiator for Africa (Adaptation) and Kenya’s special envoy on climate change, reiterated that adaptation is a key priority for Africa . continent.

“We need to agree on how much this global process (UNFCCC) contributes and helps countries reduce the impact of climate on water, food security, health and infrastructure. “We agreed on time-bound targets for the development of national adaptation plans, the availability of monitoring and evaluation, and implementation plans,” he said.

He added that Africa’s priority for COP29 is to track progress on achieving the 11 adaptation goals developed at COP28. The continent will develop cohesion indicators for the first time.

“Our development partners refuse to talk about the financing and the cost of ensuring countries can build the resilience of their farmers and what technology is needed. These are important decisions that need to be discussed, but we are not making progress,” Omari-Motsumi said.

Financing the adaptation agenda Climate finance was also one of the important outcomes of COP28; Commitments to the Green Climate Fund reached a record $12.8 billion.

The parties also set a New Collective Quantitative Target (NCQG) for new fiscal targets to support developing countries in their post-2025 climate action.

“We will discuss the new climate finance target that Africa wants to be created according to the needs of each country. Omari-Motsumi said Africa needs US$1.3 trillion every year between 2024 and 2030 to develop a quantum figure for its needs.

Under the Paris Agreement, developed countries must provide financing to developing countries to ensure that the 1.5 degrees Celsius target is met.

But according to Amb. It is just a drop in the ocean of what is needed,” said Ali Mohammed, chairman of the African Negotiating Group (AGN), which finances climate adaptation.

“As a continent on the front lines of the climate crisis, key sectors such as agriculture, water and health are being destroyed. How do we pay the rising cost of climate change? “There is a lot of resistance, but we will press the issue of inequity in funding,” he said.

The type of financing is also an issue that needs to be addressed because most of the financing provided has been in the form of loans.

As a result, this situation worsened the debt problem of developing countries. AGN advocates for grants to serve as the basis of climate finance, separating the latter from development finance.

Anthony Wolimbwa, national coordinator of Climate Action Network Uganda (CAN-U), argues that Africa needs more than $1.3 trillion a year to combat the effects of climate change.

“This is just a conservative estimate to respond to adaptation needs. When you look at climate action plans across NCDs, more money is needed to build climate resilience across the economy. We need additional money for loss and damage,” he says.

Loss and damage refers to the negative effects of climate change, such as infrastructure damage, loss of culture, and human displacement, that occur despite mitigation and adaptation efforts. The Loss and Damage Fund was launched at COP28 and will help vulnerable countries respond to economic and non-economic loss and damage caused by climate change.

Developed countries made financial commitments and commitments worth US$ 792 million in the first phase. But climate activists say the funds are not enough to meet the needs of climate-affected communities.

“Africa and the Group of 77 (G77) will push for a fair, responsible, participatory and accountable NCQG. There are those who put these figures at $5 trillion or $8 trillion annually to include adaptation, loss and damage, as well as technological progress and general development,” adds Wolimbwa.

According to the State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report, African countries on average use two to five percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with many directing nine percent of their budgets towards the impacts of climate change.

The report also states that unless adequate measures are taken, up to 118 million extremely poor people in Africa will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat by 2030.

This would add additional burden to poverty reduction efforts and significantly hinder growth.

“The truth is that without Africa, harmony would not be on the agenda. Developed countries do not want to see this because dealing with it means supporting it in the form of grants. They don’t want that either because it means they will have to pay more because they contribute 90 percent to climate change. Even Small Island Developing States do not want to see compliance. They just want to see the loss and damage,” Omari-Motsumi said.

Wolimbwa says developed countries are escalating climate injustice to developing countries by resisting calls to meet their commitments on climate finance.

“The global north has already exhausted its carbon budget but still does not want to pay compensation to the south. Some claim their ancestors are responsible for the emissions. Others say climate impacts are not attributable and wonder: “If there are disasters in Uganda, how sure are we that they are caused by emissions in the United States?” Wolimbwa explains.

The denial of the global north means the exploitation of Africa’s environmental rights. Adaptation is linked to poverty reduction and sustainable development. Food insecurity due to climate change causes malnutrition in children.

Malnourished children are missing school and this will impact Africa’s human resources. Unfortunately, the continent receives only three percent of the global share of funding for renewable energy investments.

Core standards for UN carbon market finalized ahead of COP29

UN Climate Change News, 10 October 2024 – Meetings held immediately after the Pre-COP meetings in Baku agreed on key standards to operationalize a new UN lending mechanism ahead of COP29. The Article 6.4 Supervisory Board, which is responsible for establishing the UN carbon market under the Paris Agreement, adopted standards on methodologies and greenhouse gas removals.

This new UN mechanism, known as the Paris Agreement Credit Mechanism, is designed to facilitate international cooperation in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. The standards agreed upon are considered important for making the mechanism fully operational.

The Supervisory Board also agreed on recommendations to be reviewed at the upcoming COP29 climate summit. New approach to COP29 recommendations The Supervisory Board has taken a different approach to its recommendations to Paris Agreement (CMA) Parties.

To ensure that the mechanism can remain agile and adapt to ever-evolving developments in tackling climate change, they adopted the elements required by the CMA as ‘Supervisory Board standards’ and asked the CMA to endorse this approach and provide additional guidance.

This allows the Supervisory Body to review and further improve these standards where necessary.

In the five-day meeting, intense discussions focused on two basic standards:

• Standard on methodology requirements: Requirements for the development and evaluation of projects under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.

• Standard for activities involving cleanup: Requirements for projects that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Both standards are now Supervisory Body documents; meaning they can be updated to keep pace with market developments.

These standards will help project developers create and deliver methodologies for their projects and allow them to be registered under the new Paris Agreement Lending Mechanism.

Maria AlJishi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Article 6.4, said: “These new standards are an important element of our effort to deliver a future-proof lending mechanism. As the only lending mechanism directly accountable to the parties and authorized by the Paris Agreement, we aim to achieve the Paris targets, support market players and “We are committed to balancing the needs to address owner country interests. The adoption of these standards marks a major step forward in ensuring a robust, agile carbon market that can continue to evolve.”

Article 6.4 Supervisory Board Deputy Chairman Martin Hession said: “Some of the highlights of these standards include aligning baseline values ​​with the Paris Targets through downward adjustment, an additional test that excludes projects that would lead to a lock-in at unsustainable levels of emissions reduction and a buffer pool We are also exploring potential caps of acceptable risk, as well as alternative methods to compensate for any reversal, while maintaining the integrity of the Paris agreement and supporting the required climate target. balancing the interests of all market stakeholders and host parties.” unfccc.int

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