Chronicle Editor
IN its quest for greater social and economic development and comfort, the world has been burning hydrocarbons and forests since the First Industrial Revolution from around 1765 to 1830.
The coal-fired steam engine and power stations, petrol and diesel guzzlers on the roads in the West. Everyone burnt forests as our populations and tastes grew and changed. We polluted the environment and changed the way it operates.
The results have been hotter temperatures, increased frequency and severity of droughts and flooding, as well as climate-related infections killing or threatening to kill all life.
Unfortunately, while the people most responsible for this catastrophe are Europeans and Americans, the worst of its impact is most felt by a region which contributed the least to it — the Global South.
To limit the adverse impacts of climate change, the world must clean up its act. We must burn less of hydrocarbons or not at all, anchor electricity production on renewables, plant more vegetation and adapt to the changing conditions.
But doing these is not as easy as it seems. Much commitment is needed across the board. Large sums of money are required as well, especially in the less resourced Global South. World leaders agreed that the West must bear that cost.
It was agreed that they provide $100 billion per year for climate response investments in developing nations. They only met the target in 2022, two years later than expected. The sum, while welcome, is clearly too small for the purpose.
Now, discussions towards a new collective quantified goal for climate finance are due to be concluded at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) which is underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Based on modelled projections using the UN Global Policy Model, developing countries would need about $1,1 trillion in climate finance from 2025 and some $1,8 trillion by 2030.
This is big money but we are optimistic that the ongoing summit will agree that, indeed, the Global North must provide that funding yearly from next year to enable the Global South to effectively respond to climate change.
Yes, the cost is immense but as President Mnangagwa said at the COP29 official opening ceremony on Tuesday, the time for implementing half-hearted measures to respond to this existential threat to humanity is over. The time for action is now.
We demand that the developed nations take the responsibility to provide the $1,1 trillion from next year and $1,8 trillion by 2030 because we are suffering the dire consequences of the damage they caused.
We demand also that the industrialised nations be bound to release the funding for projects that need it without talk of sanctions and all. We are saying this because of our unfortunate experience as Zimbabwe over the past 24 years when Europe and the US blocked some important funding citing their bilateral, illegal sanctions on our country.
The world must unite and fight this challenge because when disaster strikes, it does not choose. It can just hit any country at any time.
Online Reporter