Have you been to a restaurant where you both ate and drank by far the least, while the others mingled with both steaks and alcohol? And when the bill comes, it is suggested that they split the bill and pay the same amount for the whole gang? Are you protesting then? Yes, probably. But what do you do when the protests are only met with empty promises that are not followed up on? Who will take the climate bill? The table is set for yet another climate summit. The Conference of the Parties is solemnly called, but in the tribal language of the climate people it is simply called “COP”. And this is the 27th in a row of COPs. In the face of the world’s climate challenges, everyone is sitting around the same table and one of the same plates. But when the bill comes on the table, those who supplied themselves the most will not pay the same amount for themselves. A main theme during this year’s climate summit is something called “loss and damage”. It’s just as well to learn what it means right away. Said in Norwegian words: “Loss and damage”. And in other words: Who will pay for all the damage climate change has caused, is causing and will cause. Dealing with new climate changes costs money. This is a topic African countries are preoccupied with, and there are good reasons for that. Climate change does not belong in the future. They are here now. Especially in Africa Africa is in the middle of several challenges. Some of them are bone dry, others soaking wet. In the border area between Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, there has been hardly any rain for four years. In just a few weeks it may have become so bad that famine is declared, and that is both rare and serious. Elsewhere, heavy floods have occurred after heavy rain showers. Often because the dry soil is unable to absorb the amounts of water when the rain finally comes from above. If you have ever been responsible for watering the plants in your windowsill, you know that both too little and too much water can mean death for the plants. But there is still something quite different about a withered field. Because you have hardly experienced your animals dying because the monstera on the windowsill withered. Or that you eventually die yourself. In addition to ruined crops, both blight and drought can lead to diseases of various kinds. Weak bodies without nutrition, contaminated drinking water and good conditions for the hatching of malaria mosquitoes. To name a few. The climate skeptics will now find graphs, talk about how the climate has changed over millions of years, and point out that both droughts and floods have happened in Africa in the past. Yes, but if you listen to the climate experts instead, you will be less confused. Because they mostly agree that a lot now changes in a short time. The rain over some parts of Africa comes more irregularly, both in terms of quantity and where the rainfall comes. Women and children fleeing the ongoing drought in Somalia. the extensive drought has long since begun to take human lives, and is not over. Photo: Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP The world is experiencing an increase in temperature, and the temperature is increasing the most in Africa. This is shown, among other things, by a report from the World Bank, which uses data from NOAA – an American agency that monitors the weather around the world. The changes come as a result of emissions of greenhouse gases. Climate change is man-made, and must also be solved by man. Africa – the continent with the best climate conscience At the same time that Africa is the continent that feels climate change most clearly, it is also the continent that contributes the least to emissions of greenhouse gases. Both today, but also historically. 20 percent of the world’s people live in Africa. They account for 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown by an overview from the International Energy Agency. In Norway, we have hydropower, electric cars and money to be able to invest in green energy. But then I also fly more than most Africans, I love the cabin life, buy more gadgets and simply have a far greater consumption than most people. And although we invest in green projects both on land, at sea and abroad, our money is not as green as the image we try to build when we invest. Fossil energy is still Norway’s most important source of income. Yes, there are countries that are worse than Norway. But in the end, the statistics show that we are sitting on the side of the table where a red light is flashing. Overview of greenhouse gas emissions per inhabitant in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The overview of greenhouse gas emissions per inhabitant is gold for the African traders in Egypt in the coming weeks. And they know that. They have the moral upper hand when it comes to discussing who is responsible for the consequences of climate change. But it is not so easy to be listened to. And perhaps especially now when countries all over the world are experiencing inflation, and rising prices for fuel, food and energy. At the same time that Europe spends a lot of money, time and effort on following up the war in Ukraine. If a politician in a democracy is to gain renewed trust, electricity bills and oil revenues today can quickly become more important than the climate problem for future generations. In addition, the willingness to pay for climate damage in a country far away is not necessarily as great when you also know that you have to pay for green transition and climate adaptation at home. Therefore, it is not always the case that the countries that consume the most are willing to pay for their share of the global account. And then Africa is left with a bigger bill than they are strictly responsible for. In South Africa, coal-fired power plants are still an important part of the energy mix. They thus stand out a little from the rest of Africa, which in sum released far less greenhouse gases than other continents. Photo: LUCA SOLA / AFP The rich countries promise money that never came It is not the case that African countries expect them to sit completely still and demand that other countries do the whole job of bringing about a green transition. There are countless initiatives and projects of all sizes around Africa, where steps are being taken in the right direction. But African countries expect that the countries that have become rich from greenhouse gas emissions will contribute the most to pay for the damage caused by climate change. In addition, there will be funding for green projects that will contribute to lower emissions in the future. That was part of the background when the world met for the climate summit in Paris in 2015. Then a burden sharing was decided, with the rich countries taking a greater part of the financial responsibility. But they have not followed through on their promises. The rich countries have promised that every year from 2020 to 2025 they will give 100 billion dollars to the poorest countries, to help them adapt to climate change and cut emissions in the future. An OECD report from July this year shows that in 2020, 83 billion dollars were collected out of the 100 billion promised for climate adaptation. Now more and more developing countries believe that the amount to be spent on climate adaptation must be increased, while at the same time they want “loss and damage” high on the agenda, i.e. money to correct damage that has already occurred. And in Egypt, for the first time, this will become a high-priority debate topic. There are a number of measures that can counteract drought, drought and other consequences that climate change leads to. Such as digging ditches for water around the field, as this Sudanese farmer does. Photo: MOHAMED NURELDIN ABDALLAH / REUTERS When it comes to Africa, a report came out in August this year which made it even clearer how big the gap is between the needs that exist and the sums that have been given. Of the 83 billion dollars collected for global climate adaptation measures in 2020, 29.5 billion dollars went to Africa. But the report, published by the Climate Policy Initiative, estimates that a whopping 250 billion dollars are needed annually to implement the climate adaptation measures needed in Africa. A gap of 220 billion dollars annually. Only in Africa. The need for Africa to stand together Which country would you say is Africa’s great power? Nigeria, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo or Egypt? Faced with the USA, Russia, China, India and the EU, Africa needs to stand united behind its demands. They also have plans for that in Egypt. In October this year, emissaries from all over the continent met for their own pre-meeting in Kinshasa in the Congo. Several boasted of the initiatives that had previously been taken to finance climate measures, and Norway’s climate and environment minister Espen Barth Eide was also heard. But he also heard that both Norway and the rest of the world’s richest countries will have to put up much more in the future. – From 2025 onwards we must get a new number, and developing countries and Africans cannot just let it end up with a politically symbolic sum, said the leader of the Congolese delegation, Tosi Mpanu Mpanu. They stand together. Many African leaders, plus some politicians from other countries, met in Kinshasa to discuss topics that will become central in Egypt in the coming weeks. Photo: JUSTIN MAKANGARA / Reuters With “symbolic sum”, he referred to the 100 billion dollars a year, which was adopted in Paris in 2015. – We need a number that really reflects the needs of developing countries, said Mpanu, knowing that there is several reports that say that 100 billion dollars a year is far from enough. He received support from one of the UN’s most important voices. Deputy Secretary-General and head of the UN Group for Sustainable Development, Nigerian Amina Mohammed. – The money that is available as of now is an insignificant amount, given the huge disasters that vulnerable countries and people face now and in the future, said Mohammed. During the three days in Congo, the various delegates were able to meet each other in large halls and in back rooms. They agreed on their priorities for the upcoming climate summit, but also talked about the many solutions that exist. Now their hope is that a consistent, clear and strong message will end with the climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh also being written into the history books of the future as “Africa’s climate summit”.
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Africa against the rest, and especially the West – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
