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A reflection on COP26: An African Perspective

In light of the recent COP26 talk in Glasgow, I wanted to touch upon climate change, reflect on what African nations got out of these talks, and dissect what this may mean in the future.

 

With the 26th United Nations climate change conference (COP26) having come to a close, media surrounding it is slowly dissipating - a win for the organisers considering that it wasn't well-received by many, with popular opinions stating that it 'fell short'. Already the climate summit was downplayed by world leaders in the run-up to it, and part of the problem for this was that there was no major headline agreement planned to come out of this - this COP was about determining whether the Paris agreement of '1.5 degree' global warming was still attainable. 

Photo depicting 2015, 3-day rain that displaced 0.3 million people in Malawi (Ashley Cooper/Getty images)

Climate change issues are already projected to hit African countries the hardest despite being the continent least responsible for driving global warming. A new report from The State of the climate in Africa 2020 states that up to 118 million extremely poor people in Africa will be exposed to drought, flooding, extreme heat and other maladies as a result of climate change (Karu, 2021). In relation to water issues, Mekonnen et al, (2016) argue that beyond extreme flooding and droughts, drastic changes to already variable rainfall patterns, rising sea levels, and decreased natural freshwater storages are just the start of the list of Africa's future problems. 

In regards to climate adaptation, some progress was made during COP26. Although the original annual commitment of $100 billion US from developed countries as agreed upon the previous COP25 fell short, a pledge was agreed, saying that around $500 billion US would be mobilised by 2025. Another empty promise? Perhaps, but we can stay hopeful. The president of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina argues that Africa needs "trillions of dollars, not billions if it is to adapt to the impact of global climate change". Unfortunately in light of the rejection of loss and damage fund ($1.3 trillion US) requested by African delegates, the continent needs to look towards other ways to deal with the rising problems of climate change.


Tweet from Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate

It is important for African nations to transition to investing in renewable energy, climate-resilient infrastructure, water sanitation for urban areas. Africa needs more climate-based science and coordination from a local level. Sylla (2021) argues that the African Union Commission and other local political bodies need to be more involved in the process. One amazing thing that did come out of the talks however was the commitment to phase out fossil fuels, especially coal. South Africa, one of the top coal producers in the world is set to receive $8.5 billion US to help facilitate the transition to renewable energy (Sippy, 2021). Similarly $1.5 billion US has been pledged towards the Congo Basin, in an effort to stop deforestation, addressing SDG 15 and helping to mitigate global carbon emissions. It would be a lie to say these talks were a complete failure, but they certainly didn't address the current needs of Africa to its full extent - rather it's a step in the right direction. I eagerly look forward to seeing how these policies develop at the next conference (COP27) which is set to be held in Egypt. 




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