The file photo shows John Kerry, U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, speaking at a press conference during the ongoing 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow, Scotland, the United Kingdom, on Nov. 10, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Green campaigners from the Sub-Saharan African region slammed the United States Climate Envoy John Kerry for giving lip service to the continent's quest for a low-carbon and resilient future.
NAIROBI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Green campaigners from the Sub-Saharan African region on Saturday slammed the United States Climate Envoy John Kerry for giving lip service to the continent's quest for a low-carbon and resilient future.
Kerry, who addressed the 18th session of the African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN) held on Sept.13-16 in Dakar, Senegal, appeared indifferent to the plight of vulnerable population in the continent bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, said the campaigners.
Mithika Mwenda, the executive director of Nairobi-based Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), regretted that Kerry's address felt short of acknowledging the United States and West's lip service to the continent's green aspirations.
According to Mwenda, the major Western powers are yet to deliver on their pledges to help Africa deal with the escalating climate crisis that has worsened poverty, inequality, conflict and disease outbreaks.
Mwenda said, in particular, that Washington is yet to demonstrate commitment to supporting communities in the climate hotspots of the Sahel and Horn of African regions to cope with the phenomenon.
The file photo, taken on June 9, 2015, shows an aerial view of a traffic jam along Waiyaki Way at Westlands in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. (Xinhua/John Okoyo)
During the just concluded Africa's environment ministers summit, Kerry said the West bore no responsibility for the ravages of climate change in Africa and the global south by extension.
According to Mwenda, Kerry insisted that each country should bear the burden of climate emergencies, adding that Africa should prioritize mitigation as opposed to adaptation measures.
Augustine Njamnshi, the chair of the Technical and Political Committee of PACJA, said in a statement released in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the failure of the United States to honor its financial pledges to support Africa's climate response had taken a toll on livelihoods.
He added that Washington bears historical responsibility for run-away greenhouse gas emissions that had worsened climatic shocks like droughts, cyclones and floods in Africa.
"We thus call on the U.S. to stop dilly dallying and avail to African people its fair share of climate finance to build their resilience," Njamnshi said.
Julius Ngoma, a member of Malawi's Civil Society Network on Climate Change, said Africa should chart its own green pathways without relying on Western powers. ■
