Africa braces for Polluter Pays principle position at COP29
A car drives through a flooded road at the Lugogo Bypass in Kampala. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- The Polluter Pays principle states that those who pollute should be responsible for the costs of their actions. However, countries in the global north are not honouring their pledges towards climate financing for Africa, which is most affected by the effects of climate change, yet contributes less than 10 percent to global emissions. This is an abuse of Africa’s environmental rights.
- Now, to ensure their survival, Africa, Latin America, Asia and the Small Island States are pushing the Adaptation Agenda at COP29, as Gillian Nantume reports.
According to the State of the Climate in Africa 2022 report, published by the World Meteorological Organisation, the continent is responsible for less than ten percent of the global greenhouse gas emissions.
However, Africa is suffering disproportionately from climate change and is least likely to cope with the negative impacts. According to the Emergency Event Database, more than 100 million people have been directly affected by climate and water-related hazards, jeopardising food security, ecosystems, and economies, worsening the threat of conflict over dwindling resources.
A section of Lwera wetland which Chinese investors have cultivated for rice growing. Photo/File
Ahead of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (UNFCCC) to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan next month, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) on Climate Change are urgently calling on the continent to prioritise concessional financing based on evolving needs as reflected in developing countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).Adaptation AgendaAt COP28, governments came up with collective pledges to keep the
Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius within reach. The Paris Agreement was adopted in December 2015 with countries committing to reducing emissions, adapting to climate change, and providing financial support to developing countries.
One of the key outcomes of COP28 was that the parties agreed to enhance adaptation efforts by developing targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation focusing on resilience, water, food, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, poverty eradication and cultural heritage.
A high percentage of people on the continent are engaged in agriculture. However, the sector has been most affected by climate change, declining by 34 percent since 1961.
A flooded road in Kampala after a heavy downpour Africa's priority for COP29 is to track progress on reaching the 11 adaptation targets developed at COP28. Photo/File
As a result, Africa has no option but to adapt to the impacts of climate change. During an exclusive media briefing on Africa’s position and expectations at COP29, held in Nairobi, Kenya last week, Kalthoum Omari-Motsumi, the lead negotiator for Africa (Adaptation) and Kenya’s special envoy on climate change, reiterated that adaptation is a key priority for the continent.
“We need to agree on how much this global process (UNFCCC) is contributing and assisting countries to reduce the climate impact on water, food security, health and infrastructure. We agreed on time bound targets to develop national adaptation plans, have monitoring and evaluation in place, and implementation plans,” she said.
She added that Africa’s priority for COP29 is to track progress on reaching the 11 adaptation targets developed at COP28. This is the first time the continent will be developing adaptation indicators.
“Our development partners are refusing to talk about finances and how much it will cost to ensure countries are able to build the resilience of their farmers, and what technology is needed. These are important decisions that need to be discussed but we are not making progress,” Omari-Motsumi said.
Financing the adaptation agendaClimate finance was also a key outcome at COP28, with pledges to the Green Climate Fund reaching a record USD $12.8 billion.
Parties also set the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) for new financial targets to support developing countries in their climate actions post-2025.
“We will be discussing the new climate finance goal which Africa wants to be based on each country’s need. Africa needs USD $1.3 trillion every year between 2024 and 2030 to develop a quantum number informed by its needs,” Omari-Motsumi said.
Under the Paris Agreement, developed countries have to provide finance to developing countries to ensure the achievement of the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal.
However, according to Amb. Ali Mohammed, the chairperson of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) financing climate adaptation is only a drop in the ocean of what is needed.
“As a continent at the front line of the climate crisis, key sectors such as agriculture, water, and health are being ravaged. How do we pay for the expanding cost of climate change? There is a lot of resistance but we will be pushing the issue of unfairness in financing,” he said.
The type of financing is also an issue to tackle because most of the funding provided has been in the form of loans.
As a consequence, this has worsened the debt problem of developing countries. The AGN is advocating for grants to serve as the foundation of climate finance, distinguishing the latter from development financing.
Anthony Wolimbwa, the national coordinator for the Climate Action Network Uganda (CAN-U), argues that if Africa is to tackle the effects of climate change, it needs more than the proverbial USD $1.3 trillion dollars per annum.
“That is just a conservative estimate to respond to adaptation needs. When you check the climate action plans in the NCDs, more money is required to build climate resilience at an economy-wide level. We need additional money for loss and damage,” he says.
Loss and damage describes the negative impacts of climate change – that occur despite mitigation and adaptation efforts – such as infrastructural damage, loss of culture, and displacement of people. At COP28, the Loss and Damage Fund was operationalised and it will help vulnerable countries to respond to the economic and non-economic losses and damages caused by climate change.
Developed countries made initial financial commitments and pledges amounting to USD $792 million. However, climate activists say the funds are not enough to support the needs of climate-affected communities.
“Africa and the Group of 77 (G77) will be pushing for a NCQG which is equitable, responsible, participatory and accountable. There are some who are putting the figures at USD $5 trillion or USD $8 trillion per year to cover – besides adaptation and loss and damage – technological advancement and general development,” Wolimbwa adds.
According to the State of the Climate in Africa 2023 report, on average African countries are using two to five percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and many are diverting up to nine percent of their budgets responding to the effects of climate change.
The report further states that by 2030, up to 118 million extremely poor people will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa, if adequate response measures are not put in place.
This will place additional burdens on poverty alleviation efforts and significantly hamper growth.
“The reality is that if it was not for Africa, adaptation would not have been on the agenda. Developed countries do not want to see it because dealing with it means it will have to be supported in a grant form. And they do not want that because it means they have to pay more since they contributed 90 percent to climate change. Even the Small Islands Developing States do not want to see adaptation. They only want to see loss and damage,” Omari-Motsumi said.
Wolimbwa says by resisting the call to honour their pledges on climate finance, developed countries are escalating climate injustice to developing countries.
“The global north has already exhausted its carbon budget but still does not want to compensate the south. Some of them argue that it was their forefathers to blame for the emissions. Others say climate effects are not attributable, reasoning that if there are disasters in Uganda, how sure are we that they are due to emissions in the USA?” Wolimbwa explains.
The state of denial of the global north means Africa’s environmental rights are being abused. Adaptation is linked to poverty reduction and sustainable development. Food insecurity linked to climate change causes malnourishment in children.
Malnourished children miss out on school and this, in turn, will affect Africa’s human resource. Unfortunately, the continent receives only three percent of the global share of funds for renewable energy investment.
Key standards for UN carbon market finalised ahead of COP29
UN Climate Change News, 10 October 2024 – In meetings held on the heels of Pre-COP in Baku, agreement was reached on crucial standards to operationalize a new UN crediting mechanism ahead of COP29. The Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, responsible for creating the UN carbon market under the Paris Agreement, adopted standards for methodologies and greenhouse gas removals.
Known as the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism, this new UN mechanism is designed to facilitate international collaboration in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. The standards agreed are seen as essential in making the mechanism fully operational.
The Supervisory Body also agreed on recommendations to be reviewed at the upcoming COP29 climate summit. New approach to COP29 recommendations The Supervisory Body took a different approach to its recommendations to the Parties to the Paris Agreement (CMA).
To ensure the mechanism can remain agile and adapt to ever evolving developments in addressing climate change, they adopted the elements requested by the CMA as ‘Supervisory Body standards’ and requested the CMA to endorse this approach and provide any additional guidance.
This allows the Supervisory Body to review and further improve these standards whenever necessary.
Standards adopted
During the five-day meeting, intense discussions focused on two key standards:
• Standard on methodology requirements: Requirements for developing and assessing projects under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.
• Standard on activities involving removals: Requirements for projects that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Both standards are now Supervisory Body documents, meaning they can be updated to keep up with market developments.
These standards will help project developers create and submit methodologies for their projects, to allow them to be registered under the new Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.
Maria AlJishi, Chair of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body said: “These new standards are a key element in our effort to deliver a crediting mechanism that is fit for the future. As the only crediting mechanism directly responsible to Parties and mandated by the Paris Agreement, we are committed to ensuring it balances the needs of achieving the Paris goals, supporting market players, and addressing host country interests. The adoption of these standards marks a major step forward in enabling a robust, agile carbon market that can continue to evolve.”
Martin Hession, Vice-Chair of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body said: “Some of the highlights of these standards include the alignment of baselines with Paris Goals through downward adjustment, an additionality test that excludes projects that would lead to lock-in of unsustainable levels of emissions, and a shift to cover the risk of reversal for all risks with a buffer pool. We are also exploring alternative methods to compensate for any reversals, as well as potential upper limits to acceptable risk. It’s all about getting the balance right — protecting the integrity of the Paris agreement, driving the necessary climate ambition, while balancing the interests of all market stakeholders and host parties.” unfccc.int
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Features Editor Caesar Karuhanga Abangirah
