By Charles Mgbolu
Global leaders are gathering in the UAE for the 28th edition of the United Nations' Climate Conference, also known as the Conference of the Parties (COP), taking place from November 30 to December 12.
The UN says it is a critical moment for global climate action, with over 60,000 expected attendees.
Host country, the UAE, says COP28 will be a milestone in taking stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement.
African leaders are expected to make strong presentations at the conference, coming off the Africa Climate Summit, which took place in September in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
President William Ruto of Kenya will lead the Africa delegation as the AU’s Chair of the Climate Change Presidential Summit sub-committee.
Here are five key things experts hope African leaders will include in their presentations at the conference.
Reducing global carbon emissions
Reeling from the devastating consequences of climate change including unprecedented droughts and floods, Africa is the worst affected by the impact of greenhouse emissions despite contributing little to such pollution.
Stating that the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees according to the Paris Agreement is a position that cannot be overemphasised.
Experts stress that African leaders must remind attendees that the continent continues to bear the brunt of climate change.
Ahead of the COP28, the UN said children in 48 out of 49 African countries assessed were found to be at high or extremely high risk of the impacts of climate change due to their exposure and vulnerability to cyclones, heatwaves, and other climate and environmental shocks, as well as access to essential services.
African leaders are expected to voice out the continent's concerns and mount pressure on major emitters to do more to address the impact of climate change.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema said ahead of the summit that leaders will ‘’discuss solutions that address the threat of climate change. Our focus is geared towards nature-based solutions, food security, and protecting against the loss of biodiversity.’’
Renewal of climate pledges
COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber says he would apply significant pressure on developed countries to deliver on the $100 billion per year climate finance pledge made to developing countries.
African leaders in their presentations are expected to emphasise that fulfilling a pledge made over a decade ago is long overdue.
In 2020, based on OECD data, developed countries provided $83.3 billion which fell short of the pledge and only 8 percent of that went to low-income countries.
African leaders are expected to remind the international community that they must be committed to justice and to not leaving anyone behind, in line with principles of fairness and equity.
Reforming climate financing structure
The UN stresses that building storm-resistant housing, planting drought-tolerant crops, installing reliable water supplies, and investing in social safety nets are among the many adaptation essentials needed to live in a climate-changing world.
As they stressed during the first-ever Africa Climate Summit in Kenya, African leaders at the COP28 in UAE are likely to amplify calls for reform of international climate financing.
They have been demanding a border, inclusive and fairer financing systems as well as establishing currency safeguards because the current global system mostly impacts low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
They often complain that international loans often feature high interest rates and short maturities, making them an unattractive option to pursue climate infrastructure that should positively impact lives in many vulnerable African countries.
Green Climate Fund
There is already a call from the UN to replenish the Green Climate Fund in 2023. In its first round of resource mobilisation, from 2020 to 2023, the GCF raised $12.8 billion to improve the resilience of a billion people in 128 countries, according to the UN.
A second round is underway to fund the GCF from 2024 to 2027, and African leaders are expected to re-echo the Nairobi Declaration for world leaders to "stand behind the proposal for a carbon tax regime including a tax on fossil fuel trade."
Grants, not loans
Experts have urged African leaders at the summit to push for more grants rather than loans to alleviate the debt burden on the continent and make it easier for countries to respond to the climate crisis.
Some African countries often take loans from a multilateral financial institutions with conditions mostly unfavourable to them.
Experts urge African leaders to emphasise that the continent should not be shackled with a financial debt burden from a climate crisis that was never their making.
