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Sifelani Tsiko Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor
African countries must continue to push the industrialised countries for more financial justice to adapt to the effects of climate change, campaigners say.
Trusha Reddy, a climate change activist told participants at a workshop organised by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) on Thursday that it was important for campaigners in Africa to rally together ahead of the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which will take place in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt from November 7 – 18 this year.
“Climate change is the defining crisis of our time. Africa is experiencing the climate change crisis now and things will get worse,” she said.
“Social and economic gains will be undermined by the climate change crisis. It’s a very scary process and we need to ratchet up the pressure on industrialised countries which are the major polluters ahead of CoP27.”
The workshop on climate change was held under the theme: “Climate Change: The Search for Climate Justice.”
Prof Patrick Bond, a University of Johannesburg climate expert said richer countries must pull their heads out of the sand and deliver on climate change promises.
“Africa is paying dearly for the environmentally destructive policies of rich industrialised nations. The impact on climate change destruction has left our communities struggling as shown by what happened in Mozambique and Zimbabwe when Cyclone Idai ravaged the countries leading to massive destruction and loss of lives.
“And more recently floods in Durban in the KwaZulu Natal province affected the poor most. There is no social justice for the poor. We must push our governments and the rich industrialised countries, which are the major polluters, to deploy a significant portion of the billion dollars promised to developing countries to support the recovery and climate adaptation of the most vulnerable population.”
He said there was need to support the poor on adaptation and resilience building as well as to press industrialised nations to compensate affected communities in Africa and other developing countries.
The workshop sought to build a climate justice movement by bringing together various community representatives drawn from across Zimbabwe to form a national convergence advocating for climate justice and transparency and accountability with regards to climate finance.
More importantly, the forum sought to push for the prioritisation of actions demanding climate change justice and the allocation of more financial resources towards mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage.
Africa was part of the world’s poorest and lowest carbon-emitting countries that are suffering the most from climate change.
Africa has incurred economic losses of up to US$5 billion due to weather-related disasters that have hit the continent and other parts of the world over the past five decades, says the World Meteorological Organisation.
According to the WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water Extremes (1970-2019), Africa recorded 1 695 disasters that caused the loss of 731 747 lives and $5 billion in economic losses.
The continent accounts for 15 percent of weather, climate, and water-related disasters, 35 percent of associated deaths and one percent of economic losses reported globally.
Southern Africa has also not been spared from weather-related disasters. The region is now experiencing an average or above-average number of tropical cyclones every season.
Tropical Cyclone Idai, the worst in more than 50 years, brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe between March 5 and 19 2019, causing severe flooding which led to loss of lives, destruction of infrastructure, disruption of livelihoods and destruction of crops.
Online Reporter