Africa is lagging behind in development when compared to other continents. Its economy is based on agriculture yet which is mainly rain fed and critically vulnerable to extreme climate condition and in time of adversity, not only the agriculture sector, but also the whole economy will be in trouble.
As the continent is less industrialized, its contribution to the global warming and climate change is negligible but it suffers a great deal from the effect of global warming induced by gas released from the economically advanced countries.
Extreme weather condition poses crop failure which leaves farmers to be dependent on foreign aid and when the situation is worse, they might face displacement. The livestock which is part of the agricultural sector also is vulnerable to the natural calamities. When drought occurs, particularly in the areas where pastoral community is settled, grazing lands will be changed in to barren land and water points also dry up. As a result, animals will meet their death in the wilderness.
Ethiopia experienced such catastrophic effect for the past successive decades and in the last two years, only in the south eastern part of the country, more than 2 million cattle lost their lives due to the drought resulted from the extreme weather condition. Rehabilitating the drought affected pastoral community cost the nation billions of Birr which again put the nation in financial stress.
Climate change also posed outbreak of new diseases which burden the health sector. According to public health professionals, three decades ago, the outbreak of malaria disease was a phenomena only in the place below 500 meter above sea level but currently, due to climate change, it has been common to experience the malaria disease in the places of 1000 meter above sea level and people are suffering all over Africa and the death rate is alarmingly increasing.
It is also witnessed that cattle disease was erupted and critically affected the animals. In the remotest areas of Africa, where there is shortfall of veterinary service, the matter has been worsened.
The expansion of desertification due to the increasing global warming also has been a worrisome phenomenon. The Shale region located in the northern and central Africa which is known by its aridity is expanding towards the south.
As a result, the farm lands are changed in to barren lands. Farmers unable to produce sufficient crops which support their livelihood and this again coerced them to live in a vicious cycle of poverty and dependent on foreign aid.
According to the World Food Program, 40% of the Africa’s food demand is covered by importation from abroad and aid and this clearly indicates that how the continent is far from food self -sufficiency. The expansion of desertification further complicated the matter and put the continent’s sovereignty in to question.
Drought also critically affects water sources that mostly support the energy sector by generating electric power. Unlike other continents which can develop other energy sources such as nuclear, solar, and geothermal and wind farm, African countries are heavily dependent on hydro power energy which is very sensitive to climate change and global warming. Due to drought resulted from lack of rain, the volume of water in the rivers and streams will be reduced and the flow of water to the dams is also reduced. Consequently, the dams’ capacity to generate electric power and supply to industries will be deducted which again reduces their production capacity and affect the whole economy.
To the other extreme, when heavy rain and wind occur, agriculture is affected and crops will be demolished; animals will be taken by flood; water canals will be destroyed due to over flow and in the urban centers, residential houses will be demolished and people residing in the suburb of river banks will be victimized and lose their life; bridges will be damaged which again interrupt road transportation. Hence, we can conclude that the earth has become inconvenient to humans’ and animals’ existence from time to time, due to climate change. Therefore, countries, especially in the developing world, should stand together and fight to mitigate global warming through voicing their plea in the climate change forum.
Countries across the world have been engaged in climate negotiation through the United Nations platform since 1972. Scientists proved that the gas emitted from the industries of the developed world since the industrial revolution in 1850 is responsible for the climate change and all countries agreed that the advanced countries should reduce their emission and through time, they should give up utilizing carbon based energy and change it in to none carbon based renewable energy.
On the other hand, the developing countries should agree to not to repeat the developed countries’ past mistake. Rather, they should pursue the development path through utilizing renewable energy. In addition, they are required to continue the adaptation mechanism to cop up the effect of climate change through implementing proper land management, afforestation, tackling soil erosion, land degradation and implementing proper waste management.
Developed countries on their part, in addition to reducing their gas emission, they pledged to support the developing countries financially to realize their endeavor to develop green economy.
Side by side with these, carbon trading has been taken as a tool to enhance the poor countries’ financial status. Developing countries need to cultivate their forest lands and professionals have to calculate the amount of carbon released from the developed countries and sequestrated by the forests located in developing countries to secure money from advanced countries and in such a way, developing countries will be able to mitigate climate change.
However, though the climate negotiation among countries undergone for many decades’ tangible results have not been obtained. Rich countries did not fulfill their pledge to reduce their gas emission nor they provided money to developing countries to withstand the effect of climate change and they are continued to suffer the brunt of climate induced global warming.
Recently, AU Great Green Wall Initiative Director Elvis Paul Tangem said that Africa is going with one document and one vision to the COP28 to be held from 30 November to 12 December 2023 in Dubai. At the COP28 Summit, countries, companies, financial institutions and civil societies will come together to affirm their will to tackle the climate challenge through concerted and collaborative action.
The director told ENA that this year’s COP28 summit is critical for Africa to make its voice heard with the same position. “I think this particular COP28 is going to be very critical because Africa is going with one document, one vision, and there is no longer any division between countries. Now we have the declaration, which is going to be the platform with which we are going to engage our international development partners,” he said.
Tangem expressed his hope that the summit will put in place a win-win approach to adopt funding that is going to support the member states that are being badly affected by climate change. Africa has the lowest per capita fossil fuel emissions of any region globally. Yet, the continent has been facing the most severe challenges due to the climate change.
The negative effects of climate change on the African continent have become increasingly vivid through disasters such as floods, untimely rain, and drought. Seven out of the ten most vulnerable countries by climate change are in Africa.
In an exclusive interview with local media, African Union Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment Commissioner, Josefa Sacko said that the Union is prepared to actively participate at the COP28 Summit.
It is recalled that AU member states’ leaders who attended the Africa Climate Summit (ACS), which took place in September 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, signed the Nairobi Declaration that will serve as a basis for Africa’s common position in the global climate change process to COP28 and beyond.
“We came out with a very bold African leaders’ Nairobi Declaration, and we are already prepared to go and negotiate,” the commissioner stated. She added that the AU is also in conversation with African group of negotiators to see the areas that the continent really wants to address.
“For us, it is adaptation. Adaptation is our priority, loss and damages another priority access to finance in order for us to implement our climate actions,” she said. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)/ CAADP Program Officer-Monitoring and Evaluation, Fatmata Seiwoh stressed that the continent is still facing climate issues.
There was a COP of last year, she said, adding that “There are recommendations. I know that for us as a regional economic community, we have done some efforts in implementing some of those recommendations; but climate issues continue to be imminent in the continent.”
Delegates from nearly 200 countries, leaders of businesses and financial institutions, and representatives of civil societies are expected to gather for the COP28 climate conference with the aim of fast-tracking the transition to a clean-energy future.
The COP28 is expected to stress the importance of collective action to stop climate change and the critical role of finance in the low-carbon transition. With Africa’s participation, things will be changed to the better in the future.
Editor’s Note: The views entertained in this article do not necessarily reflect the stance of The Ethiopian Herald
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
The Ethiopian Herald November 30/2023
