African leaders ended their second continental climate summit on Wednesday in Addis Ababa with a call for more money, fairer financing and a stronger voice in global talks.
The African Union (AU) gathered all 54 member states at its headquarters in Ethiopia’s capital. The aim was to agree a common position ahead of Cop30 in Brazil this November.
The summit closed with the Addis Ababa Declaration – a plan that AU leaders say should reframe Africa not as a victim of climate change, but as a source of solutions.
Three pillars
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Ethiopia’s President Taye Atske Selassie outlined the three main pillars of the Addis Ababa Declaration – with the first being to accelerate the development of renewable energy to make Africa “a green industrial power”.
“First, we will put our future into motion. We are committed to accelerating the development of renewable energy and infrastructure. This will not only make energy accessible, but it will also position Africa as a green industrial power,” he said.
The second pillar is the forming of a coalition of countries possessing key minerals, in order to ensure greater transparency and a fair share of the benefits, while the third is the protection of natural heritage.
Debates at the summit focused on reforming global climate finance to better serve African needs. Panelists spoke about the urgency of moving from a system driven by the priorities of donors, to one that addresses the needs of those impacted by climate change.
The AU’s Bankoye Adeoye told RFI he felt proud of the outcomes of the summit, saying: “We did not shy away from difficult conversations.” According to him, the goal is to open a new chapter in climate negotiations at COP30 in Brazil.
Africa Climate Summit puts financing and resilience under the spotlight
$50 billion a year
Africa emits just 4 percent of greenhouse gases but suffers disproportionately from the impact of global warming, so is calling for more funding towards climate change adaptation – in the name of what Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chair of the AU Commission, called “climate justice”.
According to the Addis Ababa Declaration, Africa is aiming to secure $50 billion a year “to champion climate solutions”, with the establishment of the Africa Climate Innovation Compact and the African Climate Facility, sponsored by Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
Abiy said the initiative should aim to deliver 1,000 solutions to tackle climate challenges by 2030.
But according to Professor Carlos Lopes, the African continent’s representative at COP30, these plans lack focus.
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“In my opinion, it’s too broad. It covers too many topics that don’t have the same importance, and therefore it loses some of the will to influence and create the opportunity for a unified African voice,” he told RFI.
Africa Climate Summit 2023 ends on high, but huge challenges remain
‘Rich nations set the planet on fire’
According to a 2024 report by the World Meteorological Organisation, 48 of Africa’s 54 countries are at risk of flooding and 40 are at risk of drought, worsened by climate change. These hazards caused a loss of 2 to 5 percent of GDP each year.
Given that industrialised nations have polluted the planet for more than 150 years, the promised funds to help Africa adapt to the effects of this fall far short of the required amount, said AU Commission chair Youssouf in his opening remarks.
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“Today, the link between climate and underdevelopment is no longer in doubt,” he added. “Climate, rural exodus, migration and instability in all its forms are intertwined. The vulnerability of our member countries caused by climate change… must be redressed through climate justice… by providing financial resources, technology and expertise.”
“Rich polluting nations set the planet on fire, then sit back and send water droppers” to the developing world, Oxfam’s Africa director Fati N’Zi-Hassane echoed in a statement.
“They must take responsibility for the damage they are causing and adequately fund climate action in countries where climate change is wreaking havoc on communities that are least responsible for the crisis.”
(with newswires)
