Focus on Africa: Climate Change battle cash-trapped

Delegates from some 50 African countries are attending the two-week negotiations in Poland, which are aimed at building confidence in the battle to limiting the increase in global average temperature to 1.5°C.

In Nairobi, Kenya, Massaï protesters call for urgent action to fight the effects of climate change. AFP

The enthusiasm generated in Africa, by the 2015 Paris global accord, has been fading amid growing skepticism about humanity’s ability to effectively address the climate change challenge and the resolve of the world’s biggest polluters to respect their funding engagements.

Africa may miss climate change goals as major polluters default on funding

Augustine Njamnshi, is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Nairobi-based Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance in charge of political affairs.

He told RFI, as he travelled to the Katowice Summit, that the failure of international stakeholders to raise the 88 billion euros per year, over five years, which they promised at the COP21 summit in Paris, had dampened Africa’s hopes of meeting their own Climate Change goals.

Njamnshi, names the development of renewable energies as one of two flagship projects jointly approved for international funding at the Paris Climate Summit, but which are now in the drawers. He says the lack of funds has stifled the capacity of Africans to develop local solutions to climate emergencies.

Paving the way forward

While several countries around Africa wait for scarce billions, regional development communities have been drawing up National Climate Change Strategies aimed at guiding processes of mainstreaming climate resilience and low carbon development into key sectors of the economy.

A key objective driving the work of experts is to chart a new development pathway for integrated sector planning in a manner that balances cross-cutting issues of resource management.

Greener Cities

Kenya capital Nairobi is leading self-reliant efforts with a SH30 million per year Green Cities’ project that has seen youths grouped under a new Urban Environmental Movement, launch a flower and tree-planting operation to make Kenya’s capital greener.

The initiative is an example of coalitions which are mobilizing civil society, the private sector and investors, to promote climate action.

Green Awards

Another example of community-based action demonstrating increasing awareness about deteriorating echo systems is South Africa’s annual Greening Awards.

The event seeks to honour citizens and projects demonstrating best practice in categories such as reducing energy use, carbon emissions, innovative climate funding and waste management.