2024-01-14 19:49:19
The COP 28 summit ended in December 2023 in a climate of controversy and contradictory messages. On the one hand, the fact that the United Arab Emirates, the fourth largest energy consumer per capita in the world (out of 211 countries), is hosting such an important meeting has been the subject of strong criticism. But there was also the shadow of a gigantic “Greenwashing” – or a re-interpretation of climate emergencies – due to the influence and sponsorship of powers closely linked to fossil fuels and opposed to reducing their consumption (Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry of the United Arab Emirates is a representative).
COP 28 highlighted an urgent reality: the world is far from reaching the goal of limiting the increase in temperatures to 1.5°C. This is an important conclusion, but it is not the only one. Another suggests that, to achieve the goal of limiting warming to 1.5°C by 2030, global emissions must be reduced by 42% compared to 2010 levels. But the reality is that we do not we only achieved a reduction of 14%.
In this context, the adoption of a roadmap for the “transition away from fossil fuels” can be presented as the greatest achievement of the summit, however, although it is an event without precedent in the history of the COPs, the agreement was not up to par if we consider the absence of formal commitments.
Particularly affected by debt (especially since the health crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic), African countries have focused their attention on the defense of the Loss and Damage Fund and, following this negotiation, the countries the most developed have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to help the most vulnerable countries (although it is still too early to assess the commitment of each of them).
Likewise, African diplomacy obtained commitments of $3.5 billion to relaunch the Green Climate Fund, as well as other important announcements regarding the Special Fund for Climate Change.
Despite all this progress, an atmosphere of incomprehension and suspicion persists at the summits. Indeed, since the Paris agreements in 2015, the polluting powers have not responded as announced when the Green Fund was created and African countries are still waiting for a serious and transparent commitment.
Africa: a key player in climate change negotiations
As I explain in my essay “Africa: climate change and resilience” (Editions Utopia, 2023), the tortuous path that Africa has followed in climate negotiations reveals, in a certain way, its situation in the order global. The image of its powerlessness is so clear that its passage in the climate agreements might be used as the mirror of a system which marginalizes.
Over the past 30 years, Africa has been one of the most important players in the search for environmental agreements, even if its visibility has not matched the efforts made. This winding and frustrating historical stage, during which the continent had to face old ghosts, might be summed up by the words of the key character of Alain Mabanckou’s novel, “Tomorrow I will be 20 years old”, which, with the frankness and the innocence of children, reflects out loud on the presence of the Congo – and, by extension, of all of Africa – in the media: “Who is going to ask our opinion? Our country is so small that it is too often forgotten in the media.
Africa’s role at the summits might be summarized as recalling everyone’s commitments and preventing giants such as China, the United States and Europe from withdrawing to protect their interests. Moreover, if it were necessary to make a film to illustrate this negotiation process during climate summits, the feature film “Hotel Rwanda” would be the most appropriate, but instead of seeing the UN disappear to avoid an explosive scenario opposing Hutus and Tutsis, here we would see each of the great powers disappearing into the corridors to avoid making a decision.
This is the sad and dark story of the summits seen from an African perspective.
Johari Gautier Carmona
Twitter : @JohariGautier
www.24haubenin.bj ; Real-time information
January 14, 2024 by Judicaël ZOHOUN
1705277959
#COP #Africas #role #fight #global #warming
