Wealthy nations ‘failing to fund climate adaptation’

[NAIROBI ] Africa faces an impending climate change-induced calamity as developed countries fail to fulfil commitments to fund climate adaption on the continent, scientists say.

African scientists who followed deliberations at the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which concluded last week (20 November), have been criticising what they describe as weak financial commitments to funding climate and biodiversity adaptation strategies by developed countries who are responsible for the largest greenhouse gas emissions.

“We’re not just talking environmental crisis. We’re talking a human calamity where people have been stripped of their dignity through hunger, disease and deprivation,” said Jeremiah Owiti, executive director at the Centre for Independent Research, a private research and policy think-tank based in Nairobi, Kenya.

“It is incumbent upon world leaders at the COP27 to ensure previous commitments on climate adaptation are fulfilled.”

Jeremiah Owiti, Centre for Independent Research, Kenya

“It is incumbent upon world leaders at the COP27 to ensure previous commitments on climate adaptation are fulfilled even before committing to new ones,” Owiti added.

Africa bears the largest burden of impacts from climate change, while it is responsible for for less than 4 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. China, the United States, and the European Union are the three largest emitters.

International adaptation finance flows to developing countries are up to ten times below estimated needs, according to the UN Environment Programme’s Adaptation Gap report, with estimated annual adaptation needs projected to reach US$160-340 billion by 2030.

The African continent currently grapples with drought and floods and is stretched beyond its capacity to adapt, Owiti told SciDev.Net. He challenged leaders of developed countries to make good on their financial pledges.

“Emphasis should be put on concepts like carbon credits, which has the potential to grow the continent economically,” Owiti said.

At the UN summit in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh, additional contributions totalling more than US$230 million were made to the Adaptation Fund, established in 2001 to finance adaptation programmes in developing countries.

Governments also agreed to develop a framework to advance the Global Goal on Adaptation, to increase climate resilience among the most vulnerable.

But they were unable to strike a deal to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels.

‘Crisis is now’

African scientists say an agreement must be reached urgently to stem global warming and save the continent from climate-induced health crises.

“For Africa, this is climate emergency here and now,” said Egmond Evers, acting WHO incident manager for greater Horn of Africa Food Insecurity and Health at a press  on climate-related health emergencies in November.

Some 47 million people are facing crisis levels of food insecurity, according to the WHO, due to the worst drought in 40 years in the region. The continent is currently experiencing its fifth consecutive failed rainy season.

South Sudan and Sudan are experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition exacerbated by floods that led to 39 urgent health diagnostics and treatment, said Evers.

“At WHO, we want to convey the message that the food insecurity crisis is also a health crisis,” Evers said. “Often when people think of what is happening in the Horn of Africa, they rightly think of food, clean water and livelihoods, which are essential, but at the same time the health impacts of the crisis are huge.”

Evers explained that malnourished people become sick more easily and sick people become malnourished more easily, leading to worse outcomes when disease and malnutrition are combined.

He says food insecurity also means people are on the move, with Sub-Saharan Africa now accounting for 80 million refugees and internally displaced people. And this results in interruptions to life-saving interventions such as immunisation and maternal and child care.

Zoonotics on the rise

Patrick Otim, WHO Africa’s incident manager for Ebola outbreak in Uganda, linked rising incidents of diseases that spread from animals to humans — also called zoonotic diseases —   such as Ebola to climate change.

“There have been a couple of research that have shown a possible link between the climatic changes that we see and the increase in zoonotic diseases, especially Ebola,” said Otim.

He said in the case of Ebola especially, human factors where population increases led to humans encroaching wildlife habitats, which facilitates the virus jumping from wildlife to humans.

“But looking at climatic factors, changes in temperatures and other climatic conditions result in migration of some of Ebola hosts like bats to human settlements, leading to close interaction between humans and the animals and therefore increased risks of transmission of the virus,” he explained.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net’s Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.