Published on : 06/09/2022 – 08:51
Yesterday, Monday September 5, took place in the Netherlands, in Rotterdam, the summit for climate adaptation in Africa. If European leaders shunned the event, many African heads of state were present. This meeting was to serve as a prelude to COP27, the Sharm el-Sheikh conference next November on climate change.
Ce «sSummit on Adaptation in Africa » – the first of its kind – took place in the old port of Rotterdam, in a floating building which was opened last year to serve as the headquarters of the Global Center for Adaptation. An international organization supposed to help governments develop solutions to better deal with climate change. Other partners of the event: the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Africa Adaptation Initiative and the Climate Vulnerability Forum.
Several African leaders have made the trip to Rotterdam, including Senegalese President and current African Union Chairperson Macky Sall, as well as Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, reports our special correspondent, Antoine Mouteau.
« moral duty »
Apart from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, European leaders have not bothered to move. Thus Emmanuel Macron was finally replaced by his Secretary of State for La Francophonie, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou. “ Of course I would have liked to have more European colleagues here “, declared the Dutch Prime Minister, present to close the summit. ” I know a lot of people wanted to come, but I just think the turnout wasn’t at a level that we would have liked added Mr. Rutte. ” We have a moral duty to help Africa deal with climate change, said former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. “ Time to invest in adaptation in Africa “, he added.
Climate Justice Now
A few climate activists came to disrupt the event
Africa emits less than 4% of global CO2 emissions
African leaders hope to raise, through the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), a capitalization of 250 million dollars to attract billions of dollars of investments. “ We have to find these 250 million dollars, it’s still not the sea to drink “Launched Macky Sall. Several African leaders have recently pointed to the failure of the international community to meet the objectives of the COP21 in Paris in 2015: to contain, by 2100, global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above the levels of the pre-industrial era, ideally limit it to 1.5 degrees.
But according to the World Meteorological Organization, the warming might reach 2.5 to 3 degrees. Africa emits less than 4% of global CO2 emissions but pays the heaviest price for global warming.
(with AFP)