Africa: The response to the climate crisis does not match the ‘scale of the challenge’ |
During the debate on improving the response to the effects of climate change on peace and security in Africa, the Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, said “our response today does not match the magnitude of the challenge we face”.
Threat to peace
The climate emergency is a “threat to peace”, he added, noting that although there is no direct link between climate change and conflict, “climate change amplifies existing risks and creates new”.
As desertification and land degradation compete for resources, they also destroy livelihoods and food security for millions.
Ms. Pobee described a severe drought in the Horn of Africa that is forcing families to move far from their homes, escalating conflicts over resources in the Sahel, and violent activists taking advantage of widespread positions.
Action on ‘multiple fronts’
“To support the African continent… we must work on several fronts”, he said, calling for “passionate climate action”, and the rapid implementation of the Paris Agreement.
During next month’s “African-owned, African-focused” UN climate conference, COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, he said he was looking forward to “meaningful agreements”.
“We cannot hope to achieve lasting peace if we do not meet our climate goals,” Ms. Pobee said.
three joys
He said there are three priorities moving forward, starting with increasing capacity for risk analysis and incorporating a climate lens into conflict prevention, peacemaking and peacebuilding efforts.
Noting that existing peacebuilding efforts are often based entirely in individual countries, he reminds that as “climate change knows no borders”, analysis and engagement must become more regionally focused with the sharing of border-based.
Second, people must be placed at the center of efforts to put peace and security with the expertise of those who are living with the consequences of climate change, leveraged to develop mitigation and adaptation skills.
She reminded that women are “important agents of change” and young people, important victims, “driving climate innovation and peace-building action”.
Third, climate action and the peace process must strengthen each other, according to Ms.
“Delivering on the commitment of international cooperation is an important task,” the UN official said. “African leadership is essential”.
Somalia is bracing for record levels of displacement this year as drought ravages civilian areas,
On dreams
Speaking about the dangers of climate change for African countries, Tanguy Gahouma, former President of the African Union of Negotiators on Climate Change, also noted the evolution of the UN peacekeepers who work now in high climate risk areas.
Furthermore, he emphasized that while the African economy can benefit from the continent’s “abundant” natural resources and a young population, the country continues to be small in global trade and finance.
‘silent man’
Patrick Youssef, International Committee of the Regional Director of the Red Cross for Africa, reminds that, as important as the front-line responders are to face climate threats, humanitarians cannot expect to be peaceful too.
While Mr. Youssef noted that environmental degradation is the “silent side effect” of war, he suggested bringing a conflict lens to communications in settings that affect the climate.
Obstructive presentation
At the head of the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Gabon, Michaël Moussa Adamo, highlighted the obstacles in securing funding “for the people”.
It supports that climate impacts and the conflicts that are often from them place huge burdens on already stressed national budgets.
The Foreign Minister warned that future wars will not be fought over oil and gold, but over access to water and food, remembering that climate threats in one region threaten others – even countries with bare forests much.
