Il y a environ 35 ans, le monde a été témoin d'événements cruciaux qui ont placé le changement climatique au premier plan de l'agenda mondial. Dès lors, l'intérêt et les investissements dans des initiatives visant à limiter la hausse des températures mondiales à moins de 1.5 °C et à réduire la détérioration de la couche d'ozone se sont progressivement renforcés. En conséquence, une série d'initiatives mondiales intensifiées ont vu le jour avec pour objectif d'atténuer les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et de renforcer la résilience et l'adaptabilité aux conséquences du changement climatique, sous la bannière de "l'action pour le climat".
Le discours sur l’action climatique en Afique se concentre principalement sur les consequences graves que le changement climatique a sur les communautés agricoles et les économies. Cette situation démontre l’urgente necessité d’augmenter les investissements pour l’adaptation et de réparer les pertes et les dommages causes aux systems alimentaires du continent. Malgré l’importance de cet accent, il est important de reconnaître et de promouvoir un discours parallèle qui souligne l’importance de la biodiversité et des ressources écologiques de l’Afrique en tant que cibles cruiciales pour les investissements visant à réduire, voire à inverser les effets du changement climatique.
En effet, il devient évident que la lutte contre le changement climatique en Afrique ne pourra pas produire de résultats satisfaisants sans la mise en œuvre de stratégies de conservation et de gestion globales, intégrées et adaptatives. Ces stratégies doivent trouver un équilibre entre la préservation de la biodiversité et des services écosystémiques, la promotion du développement économique de la région et la protection de la santé humaine.
Pour atteindre ces objectifs, il faudrait donner la priorité aux investissements dans l'agriculture intelligente face au climat, ce qui inclut l'adoption de pratiques agricoles durables et de techniques appropriées de gestion des sols. A cet égard, il es important d’investir dans des systems intelligents de données qui fournissent des informations fiables et opportunes pour soutenir une prise de déciion éclairée sur la disponibilité et la demande de produits de base avant et pendant les crises. Sans informations fiables sur les dimensions spatiales et temporelles de la disponibilié et de la demande de produits de base, y compris les estimations de production, les stocks, les flux commerciaux et les informations sur les marches; Il es difficile de comprendre les implications de ces crises et le réponses politiques à y apporter.
En outre, des importants investissements sont nécessaires pour l’acqisition de technologies de sotien comme les énergies renouvelables et l’irrigation afin d’amméliorer la productivité agricole tout en minimisant les impacts négatifs sur l’environnement.
L'intégration de sources d'énergie renouvelables peut contribuer à réduire les émissions de gaz à effet de serre tout en fournissant une énergie fiable pour les activités agricoles. Enfin, l'amélioration de l'accès aux systèmes d'irrigation peut renforcer la gestion de l'eau et garantir des pratiques agricoles durable.
Un autre aspect essentiel est la promotion d'actions visant à réduire radicalement les pertes alimentaires tout au long des chaînes de valeur. En investissant dans des technologies efficaces de stockage, de transport et de transformation, le continent peut réduire de manière significative les pertes post-récolte, qui représentent près de 40 % de la production alimentaire totale, réduisant ainsi la pression sur les systèmes agricoles et, en fin de compte, sur l'environnement.
Les solutions mentionnées sont louables et sont activement mises en œuvre de diverses manières par différentes institutions. Toutefois, l'impact qui laisse présager de grands avantages est limité en termes de rythme et d'échelle en raison de la fragmentation et du désalignement de la mise en œuvre par les gouvernements, les partenaires de développement et les acteurs du secteur privé. Pourtant, la complexité des défis structurels auxquels l'Afrique est régulièrement exposée exige un ensemble intégré de solutions impliquant des investissements et des réformes parallèles dans les infrastructures, la logistique, l’irrigation, les systèmes financiers et les systèmes éducatifs.Elle exige également de nouvelles alliances et formes de collaboration entre ces acteurs qui créent des synergies et une masse critique.
À AGRA, nous avons pris conscience de cette lacune très tôt et au fil des années, nous nous sommes concentrés sur le renforcement de la capacité des gouvernements à établir des priorités et à mettre en œuvre des réformes politiques axées sur la sécurité alimentaire et l'intégrité du climat. En plus de cela, nous encourageons et mobilisons activement des partenariats public-privé efficaces entre les gouvernements, le secteur privé et les organisations de la société civile.
La réunion de diverses parties prenantes s'est avérée cruciale pour aligner les investissements et les synergies en matière de transfert de technologies et de partage des connaissances. L'initiative "Regional Food Balance Sheet" (RFBS) en est un exemple. Il s'agit d'un engagement collaboratif et multilatéral qui inclut la participation d'une série de partenaires analytiques et technologiques afin de fournir des données et des prévisions sur la production agricole, le commerce transfrontalier, la fourniture d'intrants et l'agrégation de données. La RFBS s'appuie sur la technologie numérique et satellitaire pour assurer un suivi et des prévisions plus actualisés de la production des cultures vivrières, des attaques de ravageurs et de maladies, et d'autres changements climatiques susceptibles d'avoir un impact sur la disponibilité des produits alimentaires.
Cet outil s’appuie sur l’apprentissage automatique et l’analyse avancée pour fournir en temps voulu des informations concernant l’offre, la demande et les prix des denrées de base en Afrique sub-saharienne, afin d'éclairer la prise de décision fondée sur des données probantes par les secteurs public et privé et d'autres parties prenantes de l'écosystème. De nombreux investissements collaboratifs supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour faciliter une action climatique ayant un impact et promouvoir un succès à long terme.
La rédactrice est la chargée des partenariats à AGRA.
NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - As Africa prepares for the crucial climate change conference later in the year, President Hakainde Hichilema has assured his Kenyan counterpart, who is also Coordinator of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), William Ruto, of Zambia’s unwavering support for Africa’s climate aspirations at COP28.
Speaking during a virtual CAHOSCC meeting on the Africa Climate Summit (ACS) that was co-hosted by President Ruto, in collaboration with His Excellency Mr. Mousa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), President Hichilema said, “Zambia, in its capacity as Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), will continue to work closely with you in pursuit of Africa’s climate and development aspirations.”
The Africa Climate Summit is set to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from 4th to 6th September 2023 while the 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled for 30th November to 12th December 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Writing on his Facebook page shortly after the meeting, President Hichilema congratulated President Ruto for the idea to host the Africa Climate Summit and assured him of Zambia’s support in achieving the summit's intended objectives.
President Hichilema emphasized the importance for Africa to clearly and specifically identify areas that need resolution in order to ensure a unified approach towards making a meaningful impact on the challenges posed by climate change.
The Zambian President further encouraged unity of purpose and speaking with one voice saying, “Africa should maintain coordination, consistency and rationality throughout the climate change debate and avoid polarisation.”
Some recent report statistics on climate ambition show that Africa is already sacrificing a lot of its resources towards the fight against climate change as captured in African countries’ highly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
This is despite the continent’s both historic and current negligible contribution to climate causing emissions.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which provides the best available science, Africa is the least contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions with less than 4% of global emissions and yet the most adversely impacted region.
Despite this well noted imbalance, statistics show that Africa is demonstrating its commitment to combating climate change, through the submission of highly ambitious NDCs and spending up to 9% of their GDPs in addressing climate change.
However, the full ambition of African countries’ NDCs cannot be realised without support from the international community, hence the call for the global north to continue taking the lead in the climate action agenda by not only cutting their emissions but also supporting developing countries with finances and other means of implementation as espoused in the Paris Agreement.
In highlighting the importance of financial support from the global north, President Hichilema also used the meeting to highlight and acknowledge the continent's strong momentum in pursuing the green investment agenda as well as noting the importance of private sector investments.
He cited Zambia’s collaboration with the Democratic Republic of Congo which have prioritised electric vehicle and batter value chain.
“As an example, Zambia is collaborating with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to prioritize the electric vehicle and battery value chain. To promote industrialization, combat high poverty levels, and achieve resilient socio-economic development, Africa must mobilize private sector investment. Private sector involvement is a critical tool for implementing the continent's transition towards a low-carbon development pathway,” said President Hichilema.
BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - There is no agreed definition of "Loss and damage" in the international climate negotiations. However, according to Climate Promise, the term can refer to the unavoidable impacts of climate change that occur despite, or in the absence of, mitigation and adaptation. Importantly, it highlights that there are limits to what adaptation can accomplish; when tipping point thresholds are crossed, climate change impacts can become unavoidable.
Loss and damage can refer to both economic and non-economic losses. Economic loss and damage can include costs of rebuilding infrastructure that has repeatedly been damaged due to cyclones or floods or the loss of coastline land (and homes and businesses) due to sea-level rise and coastal erosion.
Non-economic loss and damage include negative impacts that are not easily assigned a monetary value. This can include trauma from experiencing a climate-related natural disaster, loss of life, the displacement of communities, loss of history and culture or loss of biodiversity.
It must be stated that such extreme climate-related events have become more frequent and intense in recent years.
A more recent example is Cyclone Freddy, which hit Southern Africa in February and March 2023 and was scientifically described as record-breaking in strength, length, and resurgence. It left over 1.5 million people displaced in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
In Malawi alone, Cyclone Freddy, which was also exceptionally one of the long-lived storms that traversed the southern Indian Ocean for more than five weeks, killed over 1000 people. Freddy is both the longest-lasting and highest-ACE-producing tropical cyclone ever recorded worldwide.
In support of vulnerable countries hit hard by climate disasters, a landmark decision on loss and damage funding was agreed at the 27th session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“This outcome moves us forward,” said Simon Stiell, UN Climate Change Executive Secretary at the COP27 closing plenary. “We have determined a way forward on a decades-long conversation on funding for loss and damage – deliberating over how we address the impacts on communities whose lives and livelihoods have been ruined by the very worst impacts of climate change.”
Governments took the ground-breaking decision to establish new funding arrangements, as well as a dedicated fund, to assist developing countries in responding to loss and damage. Parties also agreed to establish a ‘Transitional Committee’ to make recommendations on operationalising both the new funding arrangements and the fund at COP28, later this year.
The said Transitional Committee on the operationalisation of the new funding arrangements and the fund was established, to make recommendations for consideration and adoption at COP 28.
At the Bonn Climate Conference of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB58) currently taking place, Parties are deliberating on critical issues for this vital agenda item, and the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has made its stance clear.
“The Africa Group underlines the significance of the outcome of the Glasgow Dialogue for informing the recommendations of the Transitional Committee to the COP on the operationalisation of the Loss and Damage Fund,” said Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, Chair of the AGN. “In this regard, the Group looks forward to engaging in a fruitful discussion with Parties in the Dialogue during this session.”
In view of another equally important agenda item for Africa, the Global Stocktake (GST), Shitima emphasised the need for the GST to dedicate sufficient time to consider loss and damage, separate from the adaptation discussion. “The Group underlines that the outcome of the Global Stocktake should provide clear guidance for bridging gaps and addressing challenges related to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage in developing countries,” he said.
The global stocktake is a Party-driven process conducted transparently and with the participation of non-Party stakeholders, that enables countries and other stakeholders to see where they’re collectively making progress toward meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement – and where they’re not.
With a growing list and frequency of climate-related disasters, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, believes loss and damage funding is a lifeline for billions of people, especially across the developing world.
In his remarks at the opening of the 2nd Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage, Stiell highlighted the importance of loss and damage.
Simon Stiell said: “This year will be decisive for climate action. The global stocktake at COP28 will assess our implementation of the commitments we have made since the adoption of the Paris Agreement and give us a view of how to course-correct to meet them. We are already facing serious impacts. Floods are washing away entire villages, wildfires are devastating communities, and droughts are fueling famines in some of the world’s most vulnerable nations. The agreement in Sharm El Sheikh to set up new funding arrangements and a fund for loss and damage was only the first step. We are talking about funding, yes. But these arrangements can translate into real, life-saving change for billions of people. The loss and damage funding arrangements are a lifeline for vulnerable people and places.”
EMBU, Kenya, BONN Germany (PAMACC News) - Over 4000 smallholder farmers who practice Regenerative Agriculture in Embu County have enrolled to a project that will see them start earning annual income just for having particular trees on their farms.
This comes as Africa Group of Negotiators at the ongoing climate talks in Bonn, Germany strive to come up with rules that ensure fairness in the carbon markets particularly for smallholders in less developed countries.
Through an initiative by the Dutch based Rabobank to trade Carbon Removal Units (CRUs), dubbed Agroforestry CRUs for the Organic Restoration of Nature (ACORN), 4,096 farmers from the county will soon start earning not less than 20 Euros (Sh3000) per ton of carbon stored in trees on their farms when their carbon credits get monetized.
“ACORN will remotely measure the sequestered carbon and sell the CRUs in the voluntary carbon market,” said Patrick Nyaga of Farm Africa, which is implementing the project in collaboration with the County Government of Embu.
He pointed out that a farmer with180 mix of agroforestry trees such as Glericidia, Calliandra, Sesbania, Leucaena, Acacia, fruit and nut trees on one hectare of land will stand a chance to earn at least 120 Euros (Sh18,000) per year per hectare depending on the size and type of the trees on the farm.
In this scheme, farmers will receive up to 80 percent of the sales of the CRUs where each CRU represents one ton of carbon dioxide that has been removed from the atmosphere and stored into tree biomass. The payment will be partly in cash and partly in-kind (form of seedlings or beehives).
Recent transactions in the carbon market were between 20 Euros (Sh3,000) to 31 Euros (Sh4,650) per CRU. Based on the prevailing prices, an average farmer in Embu County can sequester between zero and six CRUs per year, which translates to a maximum of Sh27,900, and a minimum or Sh18,000 for the best performing farmers.
“However, given the unique circumstances of every farmer and plot of land, no specific numbers can be given at the moment,” said Nyaga.
Carbon markets, according to the United Nations (UN) are trading systems in which carbon credits are sold and bought. A carbon credit is therefore a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.
However, some African civil society activists have observed that the carbon credits are underpriced, and therefore a false solution for African smallholders. “This is a situation where these smallholders are actually being paid by someone else to carry their responsibility for polluting the environment consequently causing climate change,” Charles Mwangi, the Head of Programs and Research at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) told PAMACC at the SB Climate Conference in Bonn.
“Here at PACJA, we have our reservations because if this is supposed to be a business, we believe smallholders are investing so much in terms of manpower, the cost of maintaining the trees, and most important, the foregone investments on the land were the trees are planted for the sake of carbon sequestration, yet they end up earning so little for every ton of carbon that is absorbed by the trees,” he told the Climate Action Magazine at the ongoing UN Conference on Climate Change in Bonn, Germany.
However, he noted that the only advantage is that the schemes, which also include the REDD+ are giving the African smallholders an opportunity to sustainably manage the forest ecosystems and biodiversity, but “we cannot afford to do that solely because of carbon credits,” said Mwangi.
So far, the UN reports that the current supply of voluntary carbon credits comes mostly from private entities that develop carbon projects, or governments that develop programs certified by carbon standards that generate emission reductions and/or removals.
And the demand for those carbon credits comes from corporate entities especially in the developed world who are emitting volumes of carbon, but would like to compensate for their carbon footprints. It also included corporations with corporate sustainability targets, and other actors aiming to trade credits at a higher price to make a profit.
Generally, carbon is captured from the atmosphere and stored in trees, and can only be released back to the atmosphere when the trees are burned in form of firewood or charcoal. Fruit trees can therefore store carbon for a very long time because the primary objective is to harvest fruits and nuts, and not to cut down the trees for fuel.
“In our project here in Embu, the minimum approved piece of land is 0.1 hectares, and the maximum is 10 hectares,” said Njagi.
One of the eligibility criteria is that farmers must have new agroforestry and/or existing agroforestry trees planted within the past five years, as a way of motivating farmers to plant as many trees as possible so as to increase the volume of carbon to be captured, which will be translated into cash.
To succeed in mobilising the farmers, Farm Africa engaged the services of Village Based Advisors (VBAs) – who are trained but commercially motivated private agricultural extension service providers, to do ecological zoning and to collect data from eligible participants.
“All farmer information was captured through a mobile phone App, which then relayed the data to ACORN data bank in the real-time, thereby linking the farm to remote sensing tools,” said Moses Mbogo, one of the VBAs in Embu County.
According to Muthoni Nyaga, another VBA from the area, women are currently the most proactive farmers in the project. “Most of the farmers we registered are women, and this went down well for us because ownership of the land title deed was not a must as long as the farmer can formally or informally prove that they are owners of the piece of land,” she said.
Steve Njagi, an Agricultural Officer in Embu County observed that the motivation for farmers to plant more agroforestry trees for carbon credit is a good mitigation measure for the climate emergency.
“This is in line with the government’s agenda to plant 5 billion trees as a way of combating climate change,” said Njagi.
A recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – which includes carbon dioxide are still rising across all major sectors globally, and this is going to have devastating impact especially on the African continent in the near future.
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The Subsidiary Bodies (SBs) are an integral part of the Bonn Climate Change Conference. They consist of two bodies: the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). These bodies support the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The SBs take place every year, in many cases during the month of June, and they always happen at the World Conference Centre in Bonn, Germany. Whatever is passed during the Bonn conference, forms the agenda for the next Conference of Parties (COP), usually held between the months of November and December, and it rotates every year from one part of the world to another.
Here are five facts you need to know:
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The SBs meet twice a year: during the Bonn Climate Change Conference and COP
They discuss and negotiate various aspects of climate change mitigation, adaptation, finance, capacity-building, technology transfer, and now, loss and damage. The meetings typically take place in June and November/December. The SBs work separately, but have joint agendas as they cooperate on cross-cutting issues within the areas of competence of both bodies.
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The SBI focuses on the implementation of climate policies and actions
Its meetings include discussions on mitigation, adaptation, reporting and review processes, as well as on financial mechanisms and capacity-building initiatives. The SBI meeting plays a crucial role in enhancing transparency and accountability in the global climate change response.
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The SBSTA provides scientific and technological advice for implementing the Paris Agreement and other climate policy processes
It assesses the latest scientific findings, technological advancements and transfer, as well as methodologies and guidelines relevant to climate change mitigation and adaptation. It also fosters inter-institutional collaboration in the field of research and systematic observation of the climate system.
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The SBs play a vital role in preparing the agenda and decisions for the annual Conference of the Parties (COP)
COP is the highest decision-making body under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The SBs provide technical expertise and recommendations that shape the negotiations and outcomes of COP. The SBs also inform the CMA (Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Paris Agreement) and the CMP (Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol). The CMA oversees the implementation of the Paris Agreement and takes decisions to promote its effective implementation, whereas the CMP does this for the Kyoto Protocol.
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The Bonn Climate Change Conference serves as a platform to advance the global climate agenda
It is a meeting point for governments, civil society organizations, scientists, and other stakeholders to come together. The Conference provides opportunities for dialogue, knowledge sharing, capacity-building and consensus-building among parties involved in the UNFCCC process.
