ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - Human migration from one place to another due to different reasons has been linked to destruction of ecosystems as the migrants struggle to settle in the new areas, thus impacting on the prevailing climatic conditions.
Addressing the sixth Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-VI), Prof Araya Asfaw of the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Centre in Ethiopia observed that migrants end up clearing forest cover to create space for settlement, destroy wetlands and in some cases destroy natural habitats for wildlife.
“When people move, they deforest, and they destroy wetlands,” said Prof Asfaw, noting that most of the migration activities happen in the Horn of Africa region.
Trees are generally known to sequester carbon dioxide, which is the main driver for global warming. And when tree cover is cleared to create space for human settlement, experts say that it directly impacts on the climate.
There is evidence that forced migration is a serious, protracted, and in some areas, an expanding problem across Africa, particularly south of the Sahara.
According to the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA), conflicts and insecurity are major causes or drivers of forced migration in Africa. Across the continent, in Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, OSAA notes that including violent conflict and insecurity have resulted in forced displacement, both within and across borders, with dire consequences for vulnerable populations, including women, children, the aged and disabled.
A detailed study titled ‘Global Trends’, which tracks forced displacement worldwide based on data from governments, partner agencies and UNHCR’s own reporting, found a total 65.3 million people were displaced at the end of 2015, compared to 59.5 million just 12 months earlier.
This, according to experts, has highly contributed to distortion of the ecosystem, hence, impacting on climate change. This trend is expected to continue as conflicts continue to sour in many parts of the world.
The experts therefore called for integrated policies that can help address such issues.
Apart from forced migration, Prof Asfaw also pointed out that due to the increasing population and search for better livelihoods, there has been increased rural urban migration in the recent past, a trend that is also expected to increase in the near future.
So far, noted Prof Asfew, Ethiopia’s is an example whose population has been increasing steadily, and it has grown four folds in the past decade, putting more pressure on urban centres.
A study by Jukka Heinonen of Aalto University School of Engineering points out that the per capita emissions related to city Sustainability lifestyle are substantially higher than those related to rural and semi-urban lifestyles in the Finnish context.
Other people argue that urban dwellers often use vehicles for commuting shorter distances compared to rural dwellers, hence emitting more carbon into the atmosphere. Urban dwellers as well use coolers such as refrigerators, which emit hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
HFCs, also known as "super greenhouse gases," are known to be the most potent greenhouse gases because the combined effect of their soaring use and high global warming potential could undercut the benefits expected from the reduction of other greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Experts say that HFCs are 3,830 times more potent than CO2 with a lifetime of 14 years.
Though the world is currently negotiating the phase-down of the HFCs, it remains a huge concern because the phase-down is likely going to take some years, while the world population and the need to use cooling systems continue to increase.
“We expect most of the African population to urbanize, and this is going to have an impact on climate change,” said Ibrahim Ceesay, the Chairperson of the Africa Youth Alliance on Sustainable Development, noting that most of the people who move to urban areas are the youth.
The experts therefore noted that human migration is an important subject to be considered at all levels of climate discourse.
PAMACC News Agency
ADDIS ABABA (PAMACC News) - The African Development Bank (AfDB) has expressed its commitment to sustaining and extending ongoing collaboration with African countries with a view to deepening partnerships and investments that help in addressing the impacts of climate change and variability.
Acting Vice President of the bank, Dr. Kapil Kapoor stated this at the opening plenary of the 6th conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-VI) holding in the Ethiopian capital city, Addis Ababa.
Recalling the Banks’ Climate Action Plan for the period 2011 -2015 which prioritised mitigation, adaptation and climate finance as key pillars, Dr. Kapoor stated that approximately 260 projects with climate relevant components were implemented and $12 billion was channeled as climate finance.
For the period 2016 -2020, Dr. Kapoor said AfDB will be even more ambitious.
The bank will explore modalities for achieving the adaptation goal, the adequacy and effectiveness of climate finance, capacity building and technology transfer — building technical skills so that African economies can realize their full potential for adaptation in high-technology sectors.
“Under this plan, the Bank will nearly triple its annual climate financing to reach $5 billion a year by 2020,” the AfDB Vice President declared.
The bank will further examine the implication of the Paris Agreement on Africa’s future economic growth and sustainable development agenda while pursuing agriculture initiatives that complement investment actions and commitments of African countries expressed as national determined contributions (NDCs).
The AfDB however called on African countries to identify viable and transformative investment opportunities, reform institutions to make them more efficient, and build capacity to access and absorb climate finance — in readiness to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the Paris agreement, to leapfrog technologies and transition to low-Carbon, Climate-resilient development.
Organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in collaboration with ClimDev Partner organisations, the sixth Climate Change Development in Africa conference (CCDA VI) aims to facilitate science-policy dialogue and provide a marketplace for innovative solutions that integrate climate change into development processes.
With “The Paris Agreement on climate change: What next for Africa”as central theme, the CCDA-VI aspires to understand the implications, nuances, challenges and opportunities of implementing the Paris Agreement for Africa in the context of the continent’s development priorities.
The conference which ends on the 20th of October 2016 will examine the implications of the Paris Agreement for Africa’s future economic growth and sustainable development agenda; deepen an understanding of the nuances in the decisions of COP21, particularly with regard to the means of implementation (capacity, finance and technology transfer), as well as the domestication of the Agreement in Africa in alignment with the national development priorities of African countries; and identify strategies for implementing the Agreement especially through pan-African initiatives and institutions, public-private partnerships, and the engagement of State and non-State actors.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - 'Never to have any dealings with human beings, never to engage in trade, never to make use of money’ – is one of the famous extract defining the principle of Animalism in George Orwell’s Fable, Animal Farm. While it has over the years associated with political hypocrisy, there seems to be some positive lessons especially for Africa’s 2063 Agenda in relation to challenges that climate change poses to the continent, and the role of young people to achieve it.
Whilst Africa at present contributes less than 5% of global carbon emissions, it bears the brunt of the impact of climate change. Poverty, migration, disease and economic malaise characterise the continent and climate change is worsening these conditions. In its number one aspiration for Agenda 2063, Africa wants to see inclusive growth and sustainable development.
And to achieve this goal, the continent has prioritized climate adaptation in all actions, drawing upon skills of diverse disciplines with adequate support (affordable technology development and transfer, capacity building, financial and technical resources) to ensure implementation of actions for the survival of the most vulnerable populations, including islands states, and for sustainable development and shared prosperity.
However, Mithika Mwenda, Secretary General of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), believes the achievement of the 2063 dream requires some kind of a rebellion, just like the Animals rebelled against the tyranny of Man in ‘Animal Farm.’
“Agenda 2063 is like animal farm, it is a rebellion against climate change, against poverty, against all kinds of suffering and economic malaise, just like the animals rebelled against man’s tyranny,” said Mwenda during a panel discussion at the Sixth Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA VI), currently holding in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
To avoid being misunderstood because of the negative connotation that ‘Animal Farm’ is associated with, Mwenda was quick to explain his rebellion comments:
“It must be understood that the rebellion I am referring to is symbolic, the animals that fought for ‘Animalism’ did not live to see it to fruition but the younger generation. The implementation of the agenda 2063 is about the young people, it is a long term project, and will only be implemented by the younger ones who should now be given the mantle to lead these processes,” added the PACJA chief.
With a seven-point plan, Agenda 2063 is a 50-year strategic blueprint which is both a vision and an action plan that calls for action to all segments of African society to work together to build a prosperous and united Africa based on shared values and a common destiny.
But with Africa’s young people largely neglected in development processes, there is a danger that the continent’s aspirations as enshrined in the 2063 Agenda could be in jeopardy.
James Murombedzi, Officer in Charge of the Africa Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, believes time for action is now, and wants to see the younger generation use their energy to call for action.
“I would rather not use the metaphor of animal farm, the metaphor of rebellion, but what I think should happen is that there is a serious urgency to climate action, and what I want to see is young people use the energy to call for action now, it is not a challenge for the future it is for now,” said Murombedzi.
He cited the 1.5 degrees debate as one issue that requires urgency. “You see, already the 1.5 degrees debate is being pushed further as if to wait until we get there before action is taken, and yet this is an urgent matter and I think young people must come in to demand action now,” the ACPC chief added.
Interestingly, the youths are fired up but they have reservations regarding their involvement in the continent’s development agenda.
“The youth are the future of Africa, all the development agendas being developed should be anchored on young people. But in terms of leadership mantle transition, we are still lugging behind because our leaders don’t trust young people, they see them as a threat, they see young people as naïve…but we will rise and fight for climate justice and ensure that 2063 is a reality,” said Ibrahim Cessay of the Africa Youth Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC), a network of African youth organizations and individuals working on climate change & sustainable development.
And Abel Musumali of the ClimDev Youth Platform agrees with Cessay on the need to engage young people saying “climate change is about both short and long term planning, under for Agenda 2063 to be achieved, we should be involved now in solving the climate change problem which has a bearing on our future, otherwise, we are doomed.”
Agenda 2063 heralds Africa’s dream for development in the next 50 years. And Dr. Seth Osafo, former legal advisor at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) secretariat, would like to see investments in scientific research especially for young scientists.
“We need to develop young people’s expertise at the highest level to contribute positively in their country processes. There are already some experts in all the other areas but we need a lot of research scientists, and I look forward to having a programme soon that could be mentoring young scientists for Africa to be much involved in the climate scientific governance framework considering that climate change threatens to hinder Africa’s aspirations as enshrined in the Agenda 2063,” concludes Osafo.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) - “The Paris Agreement is somewhat weak in terms of how African countries will attract the required investments to deal with the challenges of climate change…,”says James Murombedzi, Officer in Charge of the Africa Climate Policy Centre of the United Nations economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
While heralded as a landmark global deal on climate change, there remains a feeling of impotence from the Africa group on certain nuances of the Agreement and its implications to the continent’s development agenda.
However, signing and ratifying the Agreement is not optional for Parties as it was universally agreed by the then 196 members to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change—UNFCCC, in Paris last year.
This therefore implies that whatever issues Africa has with the Agreement and its implications, would have to be dealt with at the negotiating table, and this is the point at which the Young African Lawyers (YAL) Programme becomes crucial.
Established under the ClimDev-Africa Programme, YAL has the overarching goal of strengthening Africa’s negotiating position and ensuring Africa gets the best at the UNFCCC processes.
“Signing and ratifying the Agreement is not optional for us as Africa,” says Natasha Banda, a young Legal Practitioner from Zambia, one of the mentees under the programme.
Being part of the legal advisory team for the Zambian negotiators through the UNFCCC country Focal point person, Banda believes ratifying the Agreement is not negotiable and the starting point “because the nature of international Agreements is that you cannot have bargaining power from outside,” and is certain that Zambia, which is yet to ratify, would do so once all necessary processes are complete.
In recognition of the importance of addressing the impacts of climate change comprehensively, and the unique roles and responsibilities of lawyers in the process, the Young African Lawyers (YAL) programme brings together young and motivated African lawyers in integrating climate change responses into Africa’s development agenda.
According to Dr. Johnson Nkem, Senior Climate Adaptation Expert with the Africa Climate Policy Centre, and Coordinator of the programme, YAL is a crucial component for Africa’s climate governance framework, especially now that the world is moving towards a greener, cleaner future, as espoused in the Paris Agreement.
“While providing essential legal support to the AGN, the YAL programme is an important foundation for developing a cadre of African lawyers who are fully engaged in wider climate change issues. Legal advice on low-carbon trading transactions, for example, or integrating climate change into Environmental Impact Assessments are going to be increasingly important as the world heads towards a greener, cleaner future. As Africa anchors itself firmly in this global transition, the YAL programme aims to nurture the legal skills that will be integral to this process,” Nkem explains.
As well as the immediate benefits of providing legal support at the climate negotiations, YAL has the longer-term goal of building the expertise of young lawyers, to be applied in broader aspects of climate change policy and law.
And Rachael Rwomushana, a Ugandan Lawyer, testifies to the positive impact that the programme has had on her and on the country’s engagement in the UNFCCC processes.
Uganda is one of the African countries that has ratified the Paris Agreement, and Rwomushana believes she played a positive role as a young lawyer working in the office of the Attorney General.
“Being involved in the this programme has enabled me to better understand the process and the guidance that I can give to my country and the African Group of Negotiators in the process,” she says, stressing that African countries should not look back on the Paris Agreement but work to strengthen their climate governance so that they get the best out of it.
Under the guidance of two seasoned lawyers experienced in Multilateral Environmental Agreements such as Dr. Seth Osafo, former senior legal adviser of the UNFCCC Secretariat, and Matthew Stilwell, a climate change expert and legal adviser to the African Group of Negotiators, the YAL programme could be Africa’s hope for better climate governance engagement in the years to come.
With the availability of additional resources and support, the programme plans to expand to other interested participants and legal institutions across Africa in developing the knowledge-base of legal experts on climate change issues.
The African Development Bank, (AfDB) has unveiled a new action plan for 2016-2020 in pursuant to its ambitious vision to accelerate the continent’s economic transformation and the fight against climate change.
“We need to build technical skills so that African economies can realize their full potential for adaptation in high-technology sectors,” said Kapil Kapoor, acting vice president, sector operation at the African Development Bank, during the official opening of the 6th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa, CCDA-VI, October 18,2016 in Addis Ababa- Ethiopia.
Under the new plan the African Development Bank will nearly triple its annual climate financing to reach 5 billion a year by 2020.
The Bank, said the vice president, has taken some initiatives geared at pursuing and driving growth in agriculture, which will complement investment actions and commitments of African countries as expressed in their National Determined Contributions, NDCs.
Citing some of the investment support initiatives, AfDB officials pointed at climate and disaster resilience programmes in many drought stricken African countries. For example the drought resilience projects in Djibouti, Ethopia and Kenya and the horn of Africa that received some 125 million US dollars. A similar project worth 231 million dollars was supported in the Sahel to control drought.
Only recently the Bank approved over 500 million US dollars to support the fight against the effects of El-Nino that hit many parts of Eastern and Southern Africa.
Officials believe the supported projects are already yielding encouraging results.
“Through many projects now financed by the Bank, environmental protection and climate mitigation and adaptation activities are mainstreaming into national development plans,” said Kapil.
The Bank also revealed it was working through partnerships with other Banks and insurance providers across Africa to bring greater access to insurance and risk financing in order to leverage lending for agriculture to the tune of I billion US dollars.
Experts however say Africa needs the right climate infrastructure to win the confidence of insurance service providers
“We understand that this cannot happen unless insurance and finance providers have access to reliable and quality climate and weather information that allows them to calibrate their risk models and design appropriate insurance package for agriculture,” Kabil Kapoor said.
Development experts called on African countries to review and revise the INDCs with a view of addressing the different challenges including that of infrastructure.
“There is urgent need for African countries to review and revise their NDC’s to meet the challenges of the Paris agreement,” said Dr Abdalla Hamdoc, deputy executive secretary and chief economist of UNECA.
According to officials on the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, UNECA, increasing levels of ambitions where appropriate will not be easy for many African countries given the complexities of ensuring adequate and reliable data, mainstreaming climate change into national development imperatives, ensuring coherence between climate change goals and the various sectoral goals and ensuring adequate funds for the process.
The sixth CCDA accordingly has been convened under the theme “The Paris Agreement on climate change, what next for Africa?”
The conference officials say, is built on the fifth conference on climate change and development in Africa, which was held in the lead-up to the twenty-first session of the conference of parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP21.
The sixth CCDA conference accordingly examines the implication of the Paris Agreement on Africa’s future economic growth and sustainable development agenda.
SIAYA, Kenya (PAMACC News) – When an American investor arrived in Siaya County in 2003 with a promise of transforming thousands of hectares that form the Yala Swamp into an agricultural and fish production potential, Mary Abiero, a mother of five children from Yiro village knew that a new brighter day had come.
But today, the 63 years old widow is one of the 280 women camping at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Arusha, Tanzania, representing over one million women in Africa who have been oppressed, and denied the right to own property, in particular land. 38 of the women will climb the mountain to the top as a symbol of elevating women voices to the highest physical location in Africa.
When he started his investment, the American farmer who had already acquired the entire Yala Swamp from the government decided to increase the portion from the original 3,700 hectares to 6,900 hectares so as to have enough reservoir of water for irrigated rice farming.
And to do so, he offered to buy land from all the neighbouring households at a predetermined price, which some farmers accepted, but others including Abiero rejected. But despite the objections, he went ahead to release water, which covered all the demarcated area including Abiero’s 10 acre (4 ha) piece, submerging houses, thus driving everybody from their private properties regardless whether they sold it or not.
Today, despite a court ruling that was issued in favour of the residents, Abiero is among hundreds of residents who watch from afar as someone mint profits from what belongs to them.
“We have tried all we can, we have visited administration offices time and again, but nobody seems to be interested in our plight,” said Abiero. “It is in this regard, despite my age, I have volunteered to follow other women and shout from the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro for the world to listen,” she said.
In another scenario in Malindi, along Kenya’s coastal line in Kilifi County, the story is no different. In 2001 for example, Chadi Charo Mwaringa, also a widow from Kanagoni Gundasaga village arrived home one day to a devastating reality. Her house, where she had been living with her late husband and children for decades had been pulled down by a salt mining company, which had allegedly bought the place.
“I got married here 40 years ago, and you can be sure very few local resident own land title deeds,” said the 67 mother of three grown up children. Along the entire coastal strip covering hundreds of thousands hectares of land, people have always lived a communal lifestyle for ages. The land has always belonged to the community, and not to particular individuals.
As a result, private developers have taken advantage to process title deeds for chunks of land, and used the legal document to forcefully evict residents from their ancestral homes.
“Lack of legal documents for land ownership is now the biggest problem in this area,” said Katana Fondo Biria, former area councilor who has not been able to process the title deed for his land due to bureaucracies, despite having served as a politician for five years from 1992.
Part of his land, including an airstrip which used to serve guests coming to his former Giriama Village Hotel has been taken over by a salt mining company.
“There are several cases of this nature in this area,” said Sifa Edward, who works for Malindi Rights Forum, a community based organisation that engages humanitarian organisations in an effort to solve the land equation in Malindi.
According to Philip Kilonzo, of ActionAid International Kenya, millions of people particularly women in the country and the entire continent are suffering due to land based injustices.
“Some cases are cultural, some are due to corrupt and inefficient systems, and others are political,” said Kilonzo.
It was based on these reasons that ActionAid, in collaboration with several other civil society organisations all over Africa organised for the ‘Mt. Kilimanjaro initiative’ whose aims is to create space for rural women to be able to participate in decision making processes about issues dear to them.
With access to and control over land and natural resources as an entry point, four regional caravans have already departed simultaneously from the North, South, East and Western Africa regions. This will culminate into a mass African rural women’s assembly and a symbolic ascent by a delegation of women.
The women plan to proclaim a charter of principles and demands specifically on women’s access to and control over their land.
END
