African Climate Summit Ignites Hope for Sustainable Solutions in a Changing World

We are just hours away from the world's first African Climate Summit, hosted by Kenya and organized by the African Union, taking place from September 4th to 6th, 2023. 

This summit occurs at a challenging time when the world is grappling with worsening climate change, especially forest fires that have ignited in most forests worldwide, resulting in numerous human casualties and staggering economic losses that continue to mount.

The African Climate Summit, called for by Kenyan President William Ruto and organized in cooperation with the African Union Commission, aims to address climate-related commitments, challenges, and efforts made by countries. The summit seeks to launch a new ambition for Africa and invites global partnerships to achieve this goal. 

It will serve as a platform to showcase progress, exchange views, and align on common priorities during global events such as the United Nations General Assembly meetings, the G20, the World Bank Group, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP 28.

Furthermore, the African Climate Summit will explore innovative ideas, share knowledge, and stimulate tangible actions that will have a real impact on the planet. It also aims to set the climate agenda for Africa and prepare for the upcoming climate conference.

Expectations for this summit are high, with deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars anticipated to be signed by its conclusion. By the end of the conference, African governments are expected to sign the Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change, which includes numerous commitments for renewable energy development, sustainable agriculture, and forest conservation.

The focus of discussions during the summit will revolve around financing environmental priorities and shifting Africa's narrative away from being solely a victim of floods and disasters. Activists, however, resist plans to expand carbon markets for funding, as reported by Reuters.

The agency noted that market-based financing mechanisms like carbon credits (biomass from trees) that allow environmental polluters to offset emissions by funding activities like tree planting and renewable energy production will be among the financing options discussed at the summit. Additionally, governments have expressed interest in the concept of debt-for-nature swaps, with Gabon recently signing the first-of-its-kind deal in Africa.

It's worth noting that the approach the summit aims to adopt regarding climate finance has faced criticism from civil society organizations. Over 500 of them accused summit organizers in an open letter of prioritizing Western interests over Africa's, arguing that such methods could encourage wealthy nations and major corporations to continue polluting the world, causing significant harm to the continent.

Kenya, which claims to represent a quarter of Africa's carbon stocks, hopes to become a model for the continent in the carbon market. The country has enacted legislation to attract investments and, in June of the previous year, hosted an auction where Saudi companies purchased over 2.2 million tons of carbon credits.

This summit follows the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative at COP 27 held in Egypt the previous year, with the goal of increasing Africa's carbon stocks from 16 million in 2020 to 300 million by 2030 and 1.5 billion by 2050.

It's noteworthy that African countries contribute only about 3% of global carbon emissions, according to United Nations figures. Nevertheless, they are increasingly experiencing the consequences of extreme weather linked to climate change, including the worst drought in decades in the Horn of Africa.

Leaders from African nations, alongside leaders from other countries and influential international figures concerned with climate change, are expected to participate in the summit to address climate challenges and advance sustainable solutions in Africa, as announced by Ambassador Joseph Sako, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment at the African Union, during the press briefing.