African heads of states discussed climate change and renewable energies at the African Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, from 4 to 6 September 2023. At the end of the summit, a declaration was adopted. It should serve as Africa’s common position in the global climate change process up to COP28.
This African climate summit was a forum for reflection on clean energy on the African continent. At the end of the summit, the African countries reached a consensus on the fight against global warming, particularly in terms of the resources to be deployed.
In terms of priorities, the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, notes that the heart of the fight to obtain financing and create a global carbon market must be waged around the forests of the Congo Basin, Indonesia and Brazil. “These three basins contain 80% of the world’s biodiversity and regulate the planet’s carbon balance”, he said.
Senegalese President Macky Sall believes that the development of the green economy is already at the heart of the battle, but that international funding commitments are not being met. He proposes that the fight to adapt to climate change should be supported by donations, so that African countries do not have to go into debt for the cause.
The African presidents called on the international community to provide more resources in the fight against climate change. They are calling for an increase in Africa’s renewable energy production capacity from 56 gigawatts in 2022 to at least 300 gigawatts by 2030, the introduction of a global carbon tax, and a flexible financing mechanism by international financial institutions to fund climate action in Africa. But this funding must not add to Africa’s debt burden.
23 billion worth of pledges to finance projects to promote the green economy and clean energy were made by governments and institutions at the summit. These pledges were made by the United Arab Emirates, which will host the next UN climate conference (COP28) at the end of the year, the United States and a number of European countries to combat climate change.
As a reminder, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attended the African climate summit.
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Mines Actu Burkina
