Thought leader: What can Africa do to gain from COP-26?

A number of African heads of state and governments among them Kenya’s President Uhuru will be attending the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties famously referred to as COP-26 which begins on Monday 1st -12th November 2021 in Glasgow Scotland.  

The conference brings parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change which was adopted by 196 Parties at COP-21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015.

The overall goal of the agreement was to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. 

To achieve this long-term temperature goal, countries aimed to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century. The Paris Agreement is a landmark in the multilateral climate change process because of the overreaching effects that climate change has caused rise in temperatures, more severe storms, increased drought, rising ocean levels, loss of species and lack of food.

According to the International Energy Agency global emissions from global energy-related CO2 emissions are projected to rebound and grow by 4.8% to 400 Mt CO2 as demand for coal, oil and gas rises as countries try to recover from the effects of the global covid-19 pandemic.

Majority of this gas emissions will be from the industrialized nations such as the United States, European Union, China, Russia, Germany, India, United Kingdom, and Japan who account or 80% of total global gas emissions. 

Africa and other countries in the global south who account for only 4% of the emissions will also be part of the conference and will be hoping that the industrialized countries will agree to cut their global gas emissions.

On their part, the major global gas emitters will be driven by nationalism and their negotiation teams will be seeking to defend their interests while at the same time accusing other industrial competitors of contributing to higher global gas emissions and doing little to address the same. 

They will also want to be seen as committing and re-committing to their desire to address climate change through wide ranging actions of adopting clean energy practices, reducing on fossil fuel consumption and investing in carbon markets.

Sadly though, at the heart of the climate change talks is nationalism, commerce and industrialization and no powerful industrialized nation will want to cede ground so that another one can become a better producer, more industrialized and in control of world commerce. 

As a result, there is a likelihood that commitments will be mainly remain commitments unless the major contributors of global gas emissions intensify and commit to the desire to help save the plant by meeting their obligations.

For African countries and others in the global south in general, lobbying and amplifying their voices so that they can call the global gas emitters to action in meeting their obligations will probably help push the climate change agenda forward.

Environmental rights activists and heads of states and governments in Africa and the global south in general must insist that industrialized nations meet the obligations and pay the reparative cost to help combat the effects of climate change in their countries now rather than later.

This is because as the Centre for Foreign Relations has observed the desire to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C or even 2°C by the end of the century will not be met unless industrialized countries pledges to combat climate change are acted upon quickly enough.

Further, most of the effects will continue being felt in Africa where as we talk, there already exists threats to human health, food and water security and socio-economic development caused by changes in climate. 

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