�Climate Justice in the Global South: ��African perspective��

Melvine A. Otieno

09.06.2023

(SOPHEA Summer School Webinar series 2023)

What does Climate Justice mean to Africa?

“Climate justice means that the high-income countries responsible for this crisis finally deliver on their promises. They must provide the financial resources we need to adapt and transition to a green economy with sustainable livelihoods. Climate justice means that policymakers fully recognise that climate impacts exceed the capacity of many communities to adapt – and show real solidarity by ensuring that funding flows to communities like mine.”

Abigael Hawi, climate activist in Kenya

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The African continent needs to prioritise planetary health

• Africa is disproportionately the most vulnerable region in the world, affected by climate change.
• This is due to lack of resources for adequate mitigation and adaptation.
• In these settings, the poor are disproportionately affected by climate change effects.
• Despite this reality, Africa contributes to global initiatives and commitments for climate action.

Loss and damage: Extreme heat waves

1. Extreme heat waves:

• Unusually extreme heat events are projected to increase rapidly, becoming the “new normal” by 2100 in a 4˚C world.
• At around 1.5°C about 25% of Africa’s land area is projected to experience unusual heat extremes in summer, and this rises quickly, exceeding 45% in a 2°C world and 85% in a 4°C world.
• In central Africa, however, already in a 2°C world such heat extremes would prevail in 60-80% of the summer months.

https://archive.uneca.org/publications/loss-and-damage-africa

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Loss and damage:

2. Rise in sea level:

• By 2100 sea-level rise along Africa’s coastlines is projected to be approximately 10% higher than the global mean. In a 4°C world and assuming no adaptation.
• Egypt, Mozambique, Nigeria: most affected by floods annually
• Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and the Gambia: the largest share of population would be at risk of being flooded annually in with up to 10% of their population
• Water level rise in Lakes in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi

https://archive.uneca.org/publications/loss-and-damage-africa

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Loss and damage: ocean acidification

3. Ocean acidification and rising temperatures:

• Have severe consequences for coral reefs and ocean ecosystems.
• Most coral reefs are projected to be extinct long before 4°C warming is reached, resulting in loss of associated marine fisheries, tourism, and coastal protection against sea-level rise and storm surges.
• Increases in coral bleaching may be limited if warming is held to 1.5°C, but would be very substantial even in a 2°C world, posing significant risks to the ongoing survival of reefs in the region.

https://archive.uneca.org/publications/loss-and-damage-africa

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Loss and damage: Undernourishment

4. Undernourishment:

• About 350 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, or one out of every four, do not have enough food to live a life that is active and healthy, and rising food prices and drought are forcing even more people into poverty and famine.
• Rates of undernourishment in the Sub-Saharan African population are projected to increase by 25-90% compared to the present at a warming of ~ 1.5°C by 2050
• The negative impacts of climate change on nutrition are projected to increase the proportion of children severely stunted by 50% compared to a future without human-induced climate change. (Lloyd, Kovats, & Chalabi, 2011)

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Call for action by climate activist Venessa Nakate

• Ugandan Climate change Activist at UN Environment Assembly event & #COP26
• Key takeaway:
• She emphasised that we can not continuously adapt to the effects of climate change.

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Watch her full speech at COP 26 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeLWEbvXzSA

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“We can’t adapt to loss and damages”�Venessa Nakate

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“Humanity will not be saved by promises”�_Venessa Nakate

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Call for action by climate activist Elizabeth Wathuti

• Kenyan Climate change Activist at #COP26:

“The real to act must come from deep within. The heartbreak and the injustice is hard to bare. Sub-Saharan Africa, are responsible for just half percent for historical emissions. The children are responsible for none but baring the brands.”

Elizabeth Wathuti

• Key takeaway
• She narrated a story of climate change faced by Kenya and other Sub-Saharan African countries and urged for action.

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Watch her full speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMvzJu79WG0

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Climate justice demands

• Changes at global, regional and national levels: We need a paradigm shift from energy systems based on fossil fuels to more sustainable and renewable energies such as wind and solar power.
• Those responsible for causing the crisis be held accountable: And those most affected must get adequate support to adapt to the problems and mitigate them.
• A worker-led justice transition: Rewiring our system in a way that addresses injustices, poverty and inequalities.
• Reparations and redistribution to indigenous communities and the Global South: Indigenous Peoples, frontline communities and the Global South cannot continue to pay the price for the climate crisis while the Global North profits – in fact the loss and damage must be compensated

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Africa Climate Summit 2023

Planetary Health Eastern Africa Hub (PHA)

• Goals: Aim to stimulate regional community building, provide education for transformative action and push for strategic policy-making in the face of the greatest planetary health emergency of our time.
• Vision: A region in which everyone prospers through engagement and empowerment to address climate change and planetary health issues by safeguarding human health and restoring the Earth's ecosystem resources for the upcoming generations.
• Mission: To advance, advocate and create awareness in the field of planetary health in the Eastern African region through education, empowerment and research.�The shift of acquired knowledge to transformative action in order to enhance long lasting solutions by engaging a diverse group of educators, students from diverse disciplines, policy makers, researchers, artists, journalists and local communities.

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Community voices matter!

There’s power in engaging the (indigenous) communities, youth, women, students, artists, policy makers, business people, health practitioners to tackle climate change!

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Planetary health awareness and practices for transformative action (developing approaches to climate change action through dance and expressive arts).

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Watch documentary here: https://www.Youtube.Com/watch?V=7lofhzsaqfw&t=72s

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Action points

• It's crucial for us to understand that, despite the fact that more work needs to be done to ensure climate justice for Africa, we can all #ActNow by pooling our resources, efforts, knowledge, and time to lessen the distress of Africa's most vulnerable communities.
• There’s need for amplifying and bringing together African and other Global South voices in support of the most vulnerable groups' capacity to defend and realize their human rights and live decent and dignified lives in a healthy and sustainable environment, within the context of the climate emergency. These groups include women, youth, and local indigenous communities in the target countries and beyond.

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Questions or comments?

Thanks for your attention.