Why Africa’s Voice Is Deepening at Climate Change Conference

In climate conference galleries in Paris, the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) along with Oxfam are seen mobilizing people to wear the message for 'MONEY TO ADAPT NOW' on an armband made of African fabric, and offering these for others to wear to show their support.

“The cry from the climate impacted people of Africa, especially women, children and smallholder farmers, is on the rise. The cries also indicate that they are losing their farmlands and animals to floods and drought,” says Mithika Mwenda, Secretary-General of PACJA, a civil society umbrella body.

Representing some of the countries already being hit hardest by climate change, PACJA’s outcry is that African countries, some of those being the most affected by climate change, need no less than $50billion per year for adaptation – along with no more than 1.5 degrees of warming.

Those vocalizations have been aired to ministers from some 200 countries finalizing the 21page blueprint submitted by negotiators for the global climate deal.

As they continue to advocate for Africa’s unique attention, there will be demands from African civil society and others most vulnerable to climate change to provide money to fund adaptation to the impacts of climate change.

A briefing of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) says “the agreement should be premised on the recognition of development needs and poverty eradication priorities of developing countries, whilst emphasising leadership of developed countries in climate action.”

The Pan-African Parliamentary Network on Climate Change (PAPNCC) is disappointed that rich countries want to backtrack on their earlier commitments to take leadership in climate action, by providing adequate finance and reduce emissions as science demands.

“We are struggling with adaptation on a daily basis especially as we struggle with climate-induced shocks and the need for technical and financial support to do this... We are negotiating our future, the future of our children’s children, as well as the health of the planet,” said Awudu Cyprian Mbaya, Executive Secretary of PAPNCC.

UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, at the conference with the AMCEN noted that the issue financing should not be regarded as charity.

“Africa is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change,” he noted. “Much of its economy depends on a climate-sensitive natural resource base, including rain-fed subsistence agriculture. This is an area of great opportunity for adaptation and mitigation”.

According to him, “Climate Change may be just one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals, but without addressing it properly, all remaining 16 goals cannot be fully implemented. It is critically important that we have a vision implemented in Paris”.

And Pan African Climate Justice Alliance says this is among reasons for its call for “climate adaptation finance now.”

Boaz Opio

Climate Tracker,

Kampala Uganda