During a recent consultation provided a platform for raising awareness about the impacts of climate change on peace and security, It was indicated that “Climate change is a ‘threat multiplier’ that demands immediate and robust strategies. The approach must be data-driven, integrating adaptation and mitigation efforts into peace building initiatives. Let us continue to collaborate and take transformative action to secure a resilient future for Africa.
According to French Development Association (AFD) about 30 of the world’s 40 economies that most dependent on agriculture are located in Africa, and the dependence on natural resources like farming and mining, is rendering many African economies increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
This is why significant financial resources are needed to help countries cope. The Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) estimates that some $2.8 trillion will be needed between 2020 and 2030 for Africa to achieve its global warming prevention targets. However, the resources committed so far to implement contributions determined at national level (CDN, or national climate plans) only amount to $300 billion, which is just over 10% of total needs.
For a continent of more than 1.4 billion people, and who have only a negligible amount of contribution to the global climate crisis, the small amount of financing is an indication of the underestimation of the issue. This also shows that the countries of the continent are facing an uphill battle to alleviate a problem that will actually impact not only them.
It is important for African countries to continue their struggle at national level and through the continental blocs and initiatives so as to secure the appropriate financial and technical cooperation to curb the alarming impact of climate change.
Among the endeavors of the African countries in the prevention and mitigation of impacts of climate change is the activities of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN).
Ethiopia has shared its strategic approaches in addressing the issue of climate change in the 10th Special Session of AMCEN which was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, according to ENA.
Ethiopia will play its role in order to maintain a unified voice and common positions to address common challenges of Africa in this regard, ENAs report indicated.
The AMCEN session has dwelt on the timely topic of “Raising Africa’s Ambition to Reduce Land Degradation, Desertification, and Drought”
Ministers have endorsed an Omnibus decision on advancing Africa’s common positions at Conferences of the parties and other meetings, the head stated. Ethiopia has been doing utmost effort towards realizing the stands of the continent on environment.
He added that the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration on raising Africa’s ambition to reduce desertification, land degradation and drought was a pivotal achievement of the conference.
It is worth noting that the subsequent dialogues under the annual conferences of parties (CoPs), Africa has not obtained adequate resource required for coping with the impacts of climate change. While the dialogues progress African countries need to bolster their bilateral partnerships based on common grounds.
For instance the European Union (EU) and Africa both have a stake in climate resilience. The EU will need to work with Africa to make the adaptation of vulnerable African sectors part of a larger move towards structural economic transformation, according to policy brief No 166. Not doing so risks disrupting international trade and financial markets, displacing vulnerable people or escalating conflict, further jeopardizing the global climate agenda and causing welfare loss everywhere (Knaepen 2022b). With climate adaptation being generally cost effective, building resilience today will reduce future loss and damages.
The AU-EU partnership can build on a track record of joint initiatives and a clear prioritization of adaptation and resilience-building on both sides.
African and European partners can help drive the agenda both on a technical level, focusing on innovations, and on a financial one, maximizing the effectiveness of EU external adaptation finance.
In addition to what Africa has so far suffered from the impacts of climate change, it is also bothering to know that the continent is likely to remain vulnerable to environmental degradation, desertification and related issues as it is becoming a global focus as a source of critical minerals that are vital input for the intended clean energy transition.
Several sources indicate that the energy transition agenda calls for the growth of the mining sector by at least six folds in the coming years. This puts into question whether the attention given to the prevention of the side effects of the drastic growth of the mining industry would also grow equally. Else the continent is likely to fall into another vicious cycle of environmental and climate crisis.
According to a research by James Boafo et al, the socio-ecological impacts associated with extraction of critical minerals in Africa, with particular focus on lithium extraction. Hard rock lithium mining involves drilling and blasting, which generates significant pollution, exacerbates biodiversity loss, dislocate fauna, and affects infrastructure of mining communities. In addition to the direct impacts, the ecological impacts could have global implications.
Moreover, communities around large lithium deposits in Africa may be displaced to make way for development of large-scale lithium mines. Also, some people who have already lost their livelihoods because of displacement are engaging in illegal lithium mining activities, a predominant social, political, and ecological problem affecting the resource sector in Africa.
These are but a few of the disastrous consequences awaiting Africa as it struggles to both develop its economy as well as to cope with the environmental challenge. In both cases the continents financial muscle predominantly plays a significant role in determining its bright future.
For this the countries of the continent still need to put pressure on securing a significant share of revenue from the mining sector not only to reap as much economic benefit but also to make sure that they are raising a considerable sum of funding for prevention of climate change.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 9 OCTOBER 2024
