NAIROBI, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The transition to a green, just, and resilient future in Africa is in jeopardy as the Industrial North dithers in honoring financial pledges to help the continent cope with the escalating climate crisis, African campaigners said Monday at a forum in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi.
Despite accounting for less than 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, Africa has borne the brunt of planetary warming with limited financial and technical capacity to cope with the phenomenon, the green campaigners observed.
Million Belay, general coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), a green lobby based in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, said the continent should demand a fair share of multilateral funds meant to tackle climate change. "We are suffering from devastating impacts of climate change, yet a huge chunk of finance promised to this continent by major emitters has not been forthcoming," Belay said.
He noted that many African countries are grappling with a shrinking fiscal space and elevated level of public debt, constraining their ability to finance green projects.
Convened by the AFSA and partners, the three-day forum brought together African policymakers, green campaigners, and experts to evaluate the outcomes of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last year.
Michael Okumu, a deputy director in the Kenyan Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, said African countries are keenly monitoring the implementation of key resolutions at COP28, including the launch of loss and damage funds that are key to hosting a green transition in the continent.
Okumu added that capital flows, technology, and capacity development are key to helping African nations accelerate low-carbon development while tackling poverty and inequality.
Bob Natifu, a senior officer in the Ugandan Ministry of Water and Environment, said the financing will be at the center of future global negotiations to help African countries respond effectively to climate emergencies like droughts, hunger, and water stress.
The urgency to implement bold climate mitigation and adaptation programs in Africa has intensified, Natifu said, adding that countries must sustain the pressure for the industrial north to honor the financing pledges. ■
