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Can COP26 reduce the threat of climate change in Africa?

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Nairobi, Kenya
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Despite Africa contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions of all continents, it remains the most threatened when it comes to climate change.

Africa remains the most endangered continent from climate change according to reports by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The report mainly highlights climate change risks to human health, extreme drought, flooding, water, and food security, which directly affects Africa’s biggest economy – agriculture.

This year’s ongoing COP26 summit in Glasgow remains a test for world leaders to actually put their conversations into actions to reduce the increasing global warming threats.

As it stands, climate change will be a major obstacle in getting Africa to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals in the coming decades. African leaders will be voicing their concerns at COP26, providing potential options for international climate support, including financial aid and technological research.


Africa leaders concerns and efforts

On Tuesday, day two of the summit, President Felix Tshisekedi of Democratic Republic of Congo, also the African Union Chairperson, said that it is ‘essential’ for the world to ‘protect and support Africa’s forests and oceans’ which serve as natural carbon sinks.

The Congo Rainforest covers more than five countries in Central Africa, making it the second largest after the Amazon. It is currently losing its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere due to climate change and destructive human actions such as deforestation.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told the international community that Kenya is ‘determined and on course’ to achieve full transition to clean energy by the year 2030.

He noted that renewable energy currently accounts for 73% of Kenya’s installed power generation capacity while 90% of electricity in use is from green sources, including geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro-electric installations.

African leaders also aired their grievances over the promised $100 billion dollar per year funding pledge for developing countries. They noted that two years in a row the pledge has not been met and the summit should come up with a realistic plan for implementing the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

During the opening ceremony, 26-year-old environmentalist and climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti told world leaders that children and young people are ‘waiting for them to act’.

She further said that millions of Africans are facing climate related starvation due to the inaction by governments all over the world, and noted the recent heat waves and wildfires in Algeria and Uganda respectively.


Climate change effects in Africa

According to the Global Climate Risk Index 2021, African countries such as Mozambique, Malawi, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and Niger lead in the continent as worst affected by climate change. These countries’ economic productions dropped significantly in agriculture and infrastructure sectors.

Mozambique and Zimbabwe experienced extreme cyclones and floods earlier this year which left a number of displaced people from their homes, deaths and damaged infrastructure. Till date, a number of people in Zimbabwe are living in tents and are affected by rains and diseases in these temporary settlements they are in.

In 2018 Somalia experienced the highest number of displaced persons, with 7.5% of their total population uprooted due to flooding.

Farmers have also experienced severe drought this year in South Africa’s Karoo region. There has been a loss of animals due to starvation from damaged grazing lands and the only option is to wait for government help. Similarly, dams and rivers have gone dry in some regions and locals are forced to rely on international aid.

In the dry northern region of Kenya, the well-known Grévy’s zebra is under threat due to increasing human population and diseases such as anthrax. Additionally, desert locusts have caused agricultural loss in east Africa, increasing food scarcity in the area alongside changing weather patterns.


Response to climate change

33 of 54 African countries are currently involved in the Paris Agreement. COP26 could increase this number and improve the continent’s efforts to mitigate climate change.

On Tuesday, the COP26 President Alok Sharma announced new funding from the UK to support the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), a new initiative endorsed by African Union leaders and led by the African Development Bank.

We’ll have to see whether COP26 will genuinely help Africa move forward with its plans to combat the climate crisis – but new initiatives such as AAAP offer hope for a more inclusive and co-operative future.

Writer Nairobi, Kenya

I’m Derrick (He/Him), a Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from the Technical University of Mombasa, Kenya. Currently I write about trending topics and major issues affecting Africa for Thred, specifically concerning SDGs. View my Twitter here if you’d like to send me feedback.

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