LIBREVILLE, Gabon (PAMACC News) - African Civil Society Organisations on climate have started talks ahead of the 16th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) scheduled for 12th to 16th of June 2017 in in Libreville, Gabon, with main focus on the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement, Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063.
Organised by the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) in collaboration with the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Government of Gabon, the workshop is being attended by civil society groups from the five sub-regions of Africa.
The workshop aspires to provide an avenue for non-state actors in Africa to interrogate emerging global perspectives and actions on climate change and the implications of the Paris Agreement for Africa as well as the SDGs and Africa's Agenda 2063.
According to Sam Ogallah of PACJA, "African civil society groups under the umbrella of PACJA have vigorously engaged with different stakeholders on the urgent need to take forward and internationalise the Paris Agreement, implementation of the African Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa's Agenda 2063."
These engagements according to him, are in recognition of civil society's role in informing processes and influencing decisions taken by UNFCCC parties and African member states with a view to driving the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
"The Pre-AMCEN workshop offers us an opportunity to urge African governments to forge ahead with the implementation of the Paris Agreement regardless of United States' exit from agreement as well as deepen our engagements with regards to the African Policy Dialogue on Climate Change, High Level Policy Dialogue on Sustainable Energy and Energy Access, African Parliamentary Roundtable on Climate Policy and Legislation, and the African Regional Post-COP22 Consultative Forum," Ogallah added.
The AMCEN Process
This year's AMCEN meeting comes after the 15th Session of AMCEN in Cairo, Egypt March 2016; the UNFCCC–COP22 which held in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016 and the just concluded UNFCCC-Bonn Climate Change Conference (SB46) which held in Bonn, May 2017.
The meeting provides an opportunity for African Governments, represented by 55 African Ministers of Environment, to discuss challenges of the implementation of SDGs and Africa Agenda 2063 and a regional stocktaking of their performance at UNFCCC-COP22 and Bonn SB46 on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Other key focus at this meeting will be on the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI), Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) and other issues closely related with the Paris Agreement which came into force on the 4th of November 2016.
The 2017 Pre-AMCEN Consultative workshop will be held alongside the UNEP Major Groups and Stakeholders Forum ahead of the main 16th Session of AMCEN on 10th -11th June, 2017.
Hosting the African civil society workshop at the sidelines of the AMCEN meeting is a recognition of the need to strengthen non-state actors analysis and contributions to respond in a timely and resolute manner to these key issues, focusing in particular on the role they expected to play in influencing governments, African Group of Negotiators (AGN) and related inter-governmental institutions such as African Union, UNEP, UNECA and Regional Integration Economic Blocs.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (PAMACC News) – Science is essential to adapting to climate change, but indigenous knowledge systems can complement the wide use of climate information services (CIS), researchers say.
Only by complementing scientific facts with indigenous knowledge upon which generations of communities have relied on to understand and manage the risk of changes in the climate and weather patterns, can Africa alter its narrative on climate information services, researchers highlighted this during discussions at conference on knowledge management hosted recently by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in the Ethiopian capital.
While science has been relied on for facts and figures on climate change impacts, the cultural and social understanding of the weather patterns provides a wealth of knowledge that can best inform development plans. Africa has experienced negative impact of climate change.
The Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement, which went into force in November 2016 following ratification by 55 countries and by countries representing at least 55 percent of global emissions, offered new hope to reduce global emissions. However, critical debate on the impediments to climate change efforts is missing because Africa is not widely using information on climate services, said James Murombedzi, Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC) under UNECA.
Murombedzi said the lack of climate data and capacity to process available data on climate change has meant that climate information services remain peripheral to development strategy in Africa. He said there is need to popularize CIS products and their use through clear knowledge management and communication strategies.
“Knowledge management is a key activity in the integration of climate information services and we need to improve the understanding of CIS in the political circles for effective policy formulation and implementation,” Murombedzi said.
Murombedzi said Africa’s increasingly variable weather and climate threatens its development. Weather related shocks demand effective use and sharing of climate information and indigenous knowledge was a strategic tool in adaptation to climate change.
Researchers are agreed that indigenous knowledge systems can reinforce the current knowledge base on climate change and provide sustainable solutions within communities where resilience has been deeply rooted in the lifestyle.
Indigenous knowledge, defined by the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as the ‘local knowledge that is unique to a culture or society which is passed from generation to generation, usually by word of mouth and cultural rituals, can help build resilience against climate change risks and promote sustainable development. IKS have for generations, been used as the basis for agriculture, conservation, food preparation, health and education that ensure the well-being of communities.
Professor Joseph Matowanyika, Director of the Institute of Life Long Learning and Development Studies at the Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), said indigenous knowledge systems need to be incorporated into development planning, noting that Africa has structural challenges in adequately using information that is available on climate issues.
“We do fail to fully utilize information in many other spheres of our livelihoods and economies," Prof. Matowanyika said. “Could it be that most of the information is not generated by us at our bidding and within the frame of our needs so that we do not end up using what is structured for non-African interests? We need to examine this.”
Underscoring the need to use what we know of the environment, Prof. Matowanyika said IKS comprises assets people owned and generated as a matter of need and daily livelihoods. Therefore a mind shift was important to recognize IKS and then apportion appropriate value to it.
The benefits of IKS are there to see in many examples in Africa. Short term weather predictions are a case in point. Using indigenous institutional arrangements in handling adaptation to disasters are another, Prof. Matowanyika said.
Indigenous knowledge is a new way of thinking and doing things, colonialism has created the idea that there is only one science, but knowledge is culturally placed and African ways of knowing can contribute to knowledge especially in dealing with challenges such as climate change, says Prof. Hassan Kaya, Director of the DST-NRF Centre in Indigenous Knowledge Systems at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa.
“We are living in world of knowledge systems that are not necessary competitive but now we are promoting that cultural diversity is an instrument of richness and where you share knowledge,” Prof Kaya said. “There is a problem of climate change and African ways of knowing can contribute to solving that problem.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN scientific body for assessing the science related to climate change, has rated Africa as one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change especially its agriculture production, a key source of livelihood, food and income.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - The U.S. President Donald Trump has finally made good his threat to withdraw his country from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, in a move that has been condemned by leaders and personalities from all over the world including USA.
During his campaign for U.S. presidency, Trump vowed to put ‘America first.’ But his decision to withdraw from an international agreement that has been signed by 194 and ratified by 147 countries has left America walking on a lonely path alongside Syria and Nicaragua.
"Donald Trump has made a historic mistake which our grandchildren will look back on with stunned dismay," Thomson Reuters Foundation quoted Michael Brune, the Executive Director, Sierra Club.
In a statement released by Climate Justice Info, civil society representatives and social movement leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States vowed to build people power to address the climate crisis despite Trump’s decision.
"Climate change is not waiting for U.S. action and neither can the rest of the world,” said Ben Schreiber of the Friends of the Earth USA.
“Trump has turned the U.S. into a rogue climate state and the world should use economic and diplomatic pressure to compel the U.S. to do its fair share,” said Schreiber adding that the majority of Americans do not support the president and his fossil fuel agenda that puts corporate profits above people.
Sreedhar Ramamurthi of the Environics India pointed out that it is because of the historic U.S. pollution, that the world is already suffering the consequences of a rapidly warming world with droughts, fires, and floods wreaking havoc with livelihoods and lives, even displacing whole communities.
“Trump wants to add to that historic pollution and condemn present and future generations in the global south to further suffering and death. We cannot allow this, there must be forceful political, legal, and economic consequences levied against the U.S. Trump must realise that in the case of climate, nature has the trump card and not him and his cronies," said Ramamurthi.
Rachel Smolker of the BiofuelWatch USA also expressed her disappointment in Trump’s decision. "I am ashamed of my country's persistent role in undermining efforts to create a strong and binding agreement, now culminating in Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement,” she said.
“Here in the U.S. climate justice activists are scrambling hard to find a path forward from within. We hope our allies will let their voices be heard at U.S. embassies - to both isolate Donald Trump and his ilk - and apply pressure on the U.S. to step up and take responsibility for real and equitable solutions to the escalating climate catastrophe," added Smolker.
In a statement to the media, Trump’s announcement was also highly regretted by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC Secretariat also noted the announced intention to renegotiate the modalities for the US participation in the agreement. In that regard, the secretariat said it was ready to engage in dialogue with the United States government regarding the implications of the announcement.
However, according to the Secretariat, the Paris Agreement remains a historic treaty signed by 194 and ratified by 147 counties and cannot be renegotiated based on the request of a single Party.
According to Mithika Mwenda, the Secretary General for the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the people power and international solidarity are the only hope for averting an unimaginable climate crisis which will fan the flames of every existing inequality and injustice.
“It will take all of us around the world, organising together, to hold the historic emitters like the U.S. under the watch of Donald Trump to account and ensure our governments also do their fair share of climate action in the next four years to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. Trump's decision doesn't change that," said Mwenda.
The Paris Agreement is an accord within the UNFCCC dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.
The Agreement is aimed at reducing risk to economies and lives everywhere, while building the foundation for a more prosperous, secure and sustainable world. It enjoys profound credibility, as it was forged by all nations and is supported by a growing wave of business, investors, cities, states, regions and citizens.
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (PAMACC News) - The decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement signals that the Trump Administration is in total discord with both reality and the rest of the world,a press release from Climate Action states.
Civil society actors have been reacting to news of the withdrawal and are unanimous that the first to suffer from the injudicious decision is the American people. "This action is totally contrary to their best interests: their health, security, food supply, jobs and future," the release states.
By turning its back on climate action, the Trump administration burdens the American people with rising costs and risks from pollution, environmental degradation and lost opportunities in a low-carbon economy and renewable energy jobs. None of this will make America great, in any way.
The overwhelming show of support from the international community in the past weeks, defending the Paris Accord, is a reminder that the world is wasting no time on laggards when it comes to climate action.
“Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement is an act of global environmental vandalism that has the potential to do great harm to current and future generations. Even without the US as a party, Paris still represents our best chance of avoiding severe and destabilising climate change. The rest of the world must continue to build on Paris to speed the transition to a cleaner, lower-carbon world. The direction of travel is clear, and climate action will continue globally and within the US, as states and businesses continue to drive progress. In the meantime the commitment of the UK, the EU and other leading nations is more important than ever,” says Jonathan Church, lawyer, ClientEarth
"As global temperatures hit record high every year now, the world is rightfully outraged by the decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement.
We welcome the strong statements from all other world leaders that their countries will not withdraw their commitments, goals, policies and actions related to climate change. Unlike the view of the current US administration, countries all over the world see the Paris Agreement as an engine for growth and jobs.The EU is already strengthening its alliances with countries like China and Canada, as well as those most affected by climate change. The EU needs to step up its game now, to trigger more climate action and smooth the way for scaling up the Paris climate pledges, " points out Wendel Trio, Director, Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe .
For Catherine Abreu, Executive Director, Climate Action Network,Canada has quickly established a track record of collaborating and working across differences to launch coherent climate strategies. Now is the moment for Canada to take that to the next level, and emerge on the world stage as a bold climate leader. "Trump may be ready to abandon the benefits associated with climate action, including improved air quality and human health, job creation in emerging industries, and international influence. Yet it is clear that American states, communities, and businesses are not willing to make the same sacrifice. Canadian governments and citizens will continue to work with these entities and allies in Mexico to maintain North American momentum on climate action.”
“The historic Paris Agreement was achieved thanks in large part to US climate diplomacy, but it will succeed with or without the US, as the rest of the world remain committed to the low-carbon transition. The 20th Century was powered by fossil fuels and America dominated the world. The 21st Century will be powered by clean energy and Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement could mark the end of American supremacy," says Mohamed Adow, International Climate Lead, Christian Aid.
"In the face of a dangerous and failing Trump administration, and its withdrawal of the US from the Paris Climate Accord, the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network stands in solidarity with our partners, frontline communities and Indigenous peoples worldwide as we continue to organize ceaselessly and rise ever more boldly to end extraction of fossil fuels and the destruction of the planet for profit and power. Women worldwide are working everyday to protect our lands, waters, climate and children’s futures - and though the challenges and injustices we face are many - women will be undeterred in our action and advocacy for a just and livable world. " - Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN International)
“U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement will erode America’s standing in the world at a time when global cooperation is needed more than ever. Coming on the heels of a budget proposal that, if enacted, would increase suffering among the poorest and make the world a more dangerous place, the Trump Administration’s intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement is another failure of U.S. leadership. Addressing climate change is critical to the continued progress to combat extreme poverty and to alleviate humanitarian crises. Walking away from the Paris Agreement now is a sign that America is prepared, not only to stand in isolation, but also to walk away from its partners, from its moral responsibility, and from the promise it owes to future generations of a healthy and safe planet.” -Michelle Nunn, president and CEO, CARE USA
The Paris Agreement is a lifeline for small islands and vulnerable communities everywhere. President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Paris will not bring prosperity to the US. It will create further injustice for those who have contributed little to climate change. - Farhana Yamin, Founder and CEO, Track
