Western countries said they may spend about $25bn by 2025 to assist Africa adapt to climate change but pledged only $55m.
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo has criticised Western nations for his or her low financial commitment to addressing issues attributable to climate change on the continent.
“$55m for 54 countries – this isn’t fair,” Akufo-Addo was quoted as saying by French state broadcaster RFI on Monday.
Akufo-Addo who’s on a six-day visit to France where he is anticipated to satisfy President Emmanuel Macron, was referring to commitments made during a climate summit in Rotterdam last September – $23m from the UK, $15m from Norway, $10m from France and $7m from Denmark.
“The difference summit had the mission of mobilising $25bn by 2025 … ridiculously, while the G20 countries are answerable for 80 percent of emissions, Africa left Rotterdam with pledges of as much as $55m,” the Ghanaian leader said.
The African Development Bank pledged an extra $12.5bn to support the cause.
The Rotterdam summit was arrange to debate climate change financing for Africa and took place ahead of the twenty seventh annual summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) to be held this November in Egypt.
It also got here on the heels of a warning from the UN climate science panel that extreme weather and rising seas are hitting faster than expected, prompting calls for extra money and political will to assist people adapt.
The Rotterdam meeting – attended by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa and International Monetary Fund head Kristalina Georgieva – heard from representatives of African nations, small island developing states and other climate-vulnerable countries.
‘Impacts are massive’
Western countries said they may spend about $25bn by 2025 to spice up Africa’s efforts to adapt to climate change. Still, their pledges in Rotterdam fell short.
“It’s loads, after all, nevertheless it is derisory,” said Akufo-Addo, reminding that G20 countries “are answerable for 80 percent of [gas] emissions”.
For years, African leaders have said the continent is being to made to pay a heavy price by cutting off usage of fossil fuels, despite its low emissions compared with the remaining of the world.
In June, just weeks after the G7 pledged to finish public financing for foreign fossil-fuel projects by the top of 2022, Nigerien President Mohamed Bazoum said the continent was “being punished”.
Africa emits just 2 to three percent of the world’s carbon emissions despite being home to just about 17 percent of the world’s population.
It’s already experiencing temperature increases of roughly 0.7°C over much of the continent, and “with predictions that temperatures will rise further, Africa is facing a big selection of [climate change] impacts, including increased drought and floods,” read a UN report.
“The impacts are massive. Africa loses today $7-15bn a 12 months by way of climate change, and if that doesn’t change it’s going to be about $50bn by 2040,” Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, told Al Jazeera throughout the Rotterdam summit.
Africa will need between $1.3 and $1.6 trillion this decade to implement its commitments to the Paris climate agreement, an annual cost between $140 and $300bn, Adesina said.
“It’s never too late [to bring about change]. What Africa needs is to mobilise resources … to permit rebuilding of infrastructure, to make it more climate resilient, and to be certain that we’ve higher systems that may resist most of the challenges we’ve today.”
