COP 27: What We Want At Africa’s Conference Of The Parties

Every COP cannot be a talk shop. COP27 in Egypt must move from talking to concrete and ambitious action. The time left to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C is disappearing fast. Without real action, climate impacts – like the floods in Pakistan and KwaZulu Natal, in South Africa – will only intensify.

But, climate impacts will not be felt equally. The African continent is disproportionately affected, warming faster than other regions, and in some areas, at double the global rate.

The way forward starts with 3 critical steps at COP

1. We need fair finance for People and Planet: Public Finance Institutions (PFIs), particularly those in Southern Africa, must commit to more ambitious policies related to climate change, power generation, and transparency & accountability. PFIs like the African Development Bank must prioritise the development of fossil fuel finance exclusion policies, that states banks will not fund, provide financial services, or capacity support to any coal, gas, and oil project on the African continent. Any climate finance deals or partnerships established at COP27 and directed toward Africa must be based on principles of equity, justice, and transparency, support the interest and livelihoods of African people, and serve both social and environmental objectives.

2. Boost climate finance for forest protection in Africa: The Congo Basin only received 11% of international funding for sustainable forest management between 2008 and 2017. We want to see more climate finance allocated to locally led solutions to forest protection in Africa. It’s important that the finance allocated is transparent, directed to community centred initiatives/institutions, prioritises monitoring and evaluation, and enforces zero-deforestation supply chains (including new logging concessions).

3. Make Loss & Damage a Priority: Existing climate finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund do not address the loss and damage finance needs of vulnerable countries and communities. We want to see steps taken to establish a separate loss and damage mechanism that assists the recovery of vulnerable communities affected by extreme weather events and slow-onset climate events, beyond adaptation and mitigation.

African Climate Reality Project’s involvement during COP :

1. Are public finance institutions in Southern Africa financing the climate crisis?

On Thursday, 10 November, ACRP as part of the Fair Finance Coalition of Southern Africa will host a side event at COP27 in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, to launch a policy assessment into the transparency and climate performance of public finance institutions in Africa.

2. African Voices for Africa’s Forests

ACRP’s award-winning short film that explores gender, Indigenous rights, and restoration solutions in Cameroon, will be screened at events hosted by the United Nations, African Union, Global Landscape Forum, and We Don’t Have Time. The protagonist, Ewi Lamma, will also receive the UN Agora Award for Climate Action on Friday, 11 November.

3. Solutions of Hope

In collaboration with the Future Climate Leaders Program, ACRP’s climate leaders from Egypt, Nigeria, and Cameroon will host a discussion on the role of climate education in fighting the climate crisis in Africa. The event will take place on Monday, 14 November.

At Africa’s COP, we need to elevate African stories, African centred solutions, and value lived experience as examples of these climate shocks. While the climate crisis is already here, solutions do exist that can help us work towards an equitable and sustainable future for the continent – one that leaves no one behind.