Africa can offer solutions to global climate crisis: Experts

KAMPALA, Uganda

As the Africa Climate Week kickstarts in Nairobi, Kenya, analysts have said the continent can offer solutions to the global environmental crisis.

Katongole Hadija, who teaches environmental studies at the Kampala International University, Uganda, said African countries have a comparative advantage in renewables such as an abundance of solar, wind, and geothermal resources.

“Already, many African countries are now making serious efforts to transition towards low-carbon technologies, resilient infrastructure and low-carbon tax systems, the rest of the world should capitalize on this opportunity," she said.

"However, the African continent cannot do this alone, nor should she, the world’s developed economies must take action to help Africa build a cleaner, more prosperous future for themselves and to avoid the worst impacts of climate change created largely by others," she added.

Hudhaifa Busuulwa, an environmental analyst at Cavendish University, Uganda, told Anadolu that African states continue to remain marginal in climate financing.

“Africa is the most exposed region to the adverse effects of climate change despite contributing the least to global warming. The continent has the lowest total greenhouse gas emissions, comprising 7% of the world’s share and the lowest per capita emissions. If large emitters were to be fair, the responsibility to act would lie solely with them," he said.

The State of the Climate in Africa report states that Sub-Saharan Africa needs an estimated $30 to $50 billion each year for the next decade to avoid even higher costs of additional disaster relief.

In addition, research from the New Climate Economy shows that bold climate action could deliver at least $26 trillion in global economic benefits by 2030 and could also generate over 65 million new low-carbon jobs by 2030.

Katongole, however, says that the continent’s response to the climate crisis does not match the "magnitude of the challenge we are facing."

"Climate change knows no borders, we can no longer continue doing business as usual. Our approach must become more globally focused, with cross-border resource sharing," he said.

The region is disproportionately feeling the impacts related to a changing climate. Devastating cyclones affected 3 million people in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe in the spring of 2018.

GDP exposure in African nations vulnerable to extreme climate patterns is projected to grow from $895 billion in 2018 to about $1.4 trillion at the end of this year, nearly half of the continent’s GDP, the report said.