Where does Africa stand in the ‘global climate treaty’?

As the climate negotiations in Lima approach their peak, there have been worries about the whole process and whether all voices have been heard in the negotiations. I must admit that it is always hard to have solutions for all ‘problems’ but there is a twist to this in respect to the ongoing negotiations. The African group has been seeing the glass as half empty!

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) recently held a demonstration to remind political leaders that Africa is watching and that there needs to be an all-inclusive package. An agreement that would in reality be binding rather than one sided. PACJA, through a press conference, registered their displeasure at the turn of events.

Panelists during a press conference organized by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance

What is the issue

The major issue of concern is that African Group’s position on the scope of Nationally Intended Determined Contributions (INDCs) has not been taken seriously throughout the negotiations. While the Africa Group and other Least Developed countries have been pushing for adaptation and mitigation to be included in the text, the EU and other developed countries have been keen to only have mitigation and not adaptation. The fear is that if adaptation is included in the agreement, then the developed countries will be obliged to pay for adaptation.

“We have a mandate from science, from our people, from the continent of Africa, and from the United Nations itself to push for enhanced global climate action to cut [greenhouse gas] GHG emissions as well as strengthen adaptation; this remains a priority for us,” Nagmeldin El Hassan, Chair of the African Group

There have been outcries from the part of the African Group that the parties, especially the developed countries, do not agree to include all elements in the agreement-adaptation, mitigation, finance, adaptation, technology transfer and capacity building. Africa has been pushing for adaptation to be part of the post-2015 agreement but a number of developed countries do not seem to agree on anything that relates to adaptation.
With developed countries continuing to make pledges to the Green Climate Fund and others announcing their commitments to reduce green house gas emissions, hopes are building for the formulation and implementation of the global climate treaty. However, these pledges and commitments need to be in line with the below 2 degrees celcius goal and linked to tbe mitigation targets.

Inrespect to Africa’s concerns, it is hoped that adaptation will be given as much wait as mitigation in the new agreement.

“The agreement should not only be about reducing emissions. It is supposed to address Africa’s main concern, which is adapting to the warming we did not cause, but is destroying our continent. It is about ensuring the finance, technology and capacity building that Africa and other developing contries need to adapt to and mitigate climate change” Samson Ogallah, PACJA Programme officer

The adaptation scenario

If you have ever been to various regions in Africa where communities continue to suffer from adverse impacts of climate change then you will appreciate the fact that adaptation is very critical at this stage.

These vulnerable communities have for the longest time tried to leave in harmony with the environment. To them, the word ‘sustainable development’ has no meaning. They do not know what industrialization is.

Most often, they rely on natural/renewable sources of energy like natural light as opposed to electricity. They cook using dead wood/forest products and not gas/electricity. Women walk for long distances to fetch water from the streams that are already drying up-they don’t understand the luxury of having tapped water in every corner of the house. More often, animals/carts and bicycles are used for transportation, not fuel guzzlers. Organic food products with less or no spices have always been served as opposed to over-processed food products.

They only need water, soap and sun to wash and dry their clothes-they don’t know what a ‘washing machine’ is. They don’t store food for later,they cook what is enough hence a refirgrator is unheard of. To receive news and feel ‘connected’ to the rest of the world, an a typical African villager only needs a tiny radio by his/her side. Better still, a rumor-monger for a friend and family would really be resourceful.

A typical African villager continuous to dig the dry and barren soils each year to plant crops, even in the face of the long dry spells. Why? Because agriculture has always been their ‘brain child’. Despite the harsh weather and the more often changing climatic conditions, African farmers continue to strive. Some families go without food for days but they still hope to reclaim their livelihoods that would allow them be food secure. Livestock continue to die due to lack of pasture and water as pastralists try their hands on other sources of livelihoods (not an easy thing for them to do). Disease outbreaks, like malaria, have also become the norm. Families continue to be displaced due to frequent floods-the once farmers have no choice but to rely on food relief from ‘donor’ countries. The list is long.

A remote village in Senegal

A typical vulnerable African does less harm to the environment but still inherits the impacts caused by other global actors to the the environment. His or her livelihood has changed. They need to be normal again.

The cities in Africa are in dire need for adaptation too. The infrastructural situations always ‘shout out’ for help! Extreme whether events have greatly destroyed properties-building have been swept away by floods and landslides. Roads are a mess! Communication and energy facilities are always in jeopardy. The list is long.

The low level of industrialization in Africa contributes to very low (or negligible) emissions to the atmosphere. With the world being a global village, Africa tends to receive a ‘generous share’ of the emissions’ impacts yet the capacity to adapt is lacking.

My ‘two cents’

Africa with its massive yet very vulnerable population should not be forgotten in the ‘climate treaty’ equation. The game needs to be fair and just. Developed countries should always strive to use their power (both in terms of terms and financial and technical capabilities) in strengthening negotiations and not weakening them. To try to be self-centered and push burdens, that are uncalled for, to less developed/ developing countries loses the meaning of the ‘global’ ‘binding’ ‘agreement’.

If the principle of ‘Common but Differentiated Responsibilities’ is a strange statement in the negotiations then the outcome from Lima will not really be ‘a global binding treaty’ but rather a mean and self-centered piece of paper? We still wait…