The two-day-African Climate Justice Torch Launch conference closed in Lusaka, Friday with a call for leaders to domestic and rename the conference: “African COP27” to reverse and fulfill losses and damages suffered at the hands of global polluters spurred by lopsided policies.
Barely two-weeks before global leaders converge in Sharma Sheik, Egypt’s shore city for a postmortem of how the globe, chiefly Africa has endured the effects of climate change heightened by unprecedented degree of pollution with global temperatures rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius, the stakeholders want real returns and ensure the continent’s concerns are urgently redressed.
A communiqué by anti-climate change campaigners and availed to FRA notes Africa’s long term exposure to unabated pollution of the environment-dwarfing the economic capacity of the continent. They want the COP 27 to be torch bearer for change and ‘African Image’ and its growth aspirations.
The Pan African Climate Change Justice Alliance (PACJA), a consortium of over 25 Non Governmental Organisations drawn from across Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Botwana, Angola, among other member countries and housed in Kenya is demanding developed countries-key polluters to be accountable for their actions and ensure climatic justice is attained for affected countries.
The campaigners’ demand that next month’s conference to be a turning point for Africa’s transformation by domesticating the COP 27. The Glasgow’s COP 26 failed the test failed to fulfill Africa’s desires to redress the loss and damage caused to the continent despite its potential, yet polluters fail to remit climate finances in excess of US$100 billion+.
Domesticating the COP 27 as “Africa’s home grown solutions to climatic change adaption and mitigation policies is desirous of the campaigners. They reiterate their call for key polluters-the developed countries to honor their financial pledges for Africa to patch up losses and damages and regain its agricultural and other potential endowed with.
PACJA chairperson, Charles Mwangi, whose lobby group launched the torch in Zambia indicating ‘hope for Africa’s action at COP27’ despite previous shortcomings by developed wants Africa to be compensated for damages.
This is chiefly applicable to communities at the frontline of climate change of climate crisis, youths women, indigenous people , pastoralists, fisherfolks who should participate in the design, implementation, monitoring, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of climate action interventions at all levels.
It urges African leaders to demand from their northern counterparts’ commitment to undertake deep emission reductions commensurate with the Paris Agreement foal of limiting global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius and in proportion to the historical and current emissions.
Mitigation goal to envisage in the Paris Agreement ought to enable African countries to be paid for the lost opportunity of not following business as usual development in the coming decades.
This should not result in the exploitation of fossil and fuel energy sources and increase access to sustainable energy sources as their contributions to the 1.5 degrees Celsius, among other proposals outlined.
And AGN reiterates its desire to be the torch bearer for Africa during the COP27. It calls for a united voice during the meeting for global leaders and other developed nations to appreciate Africa’s precarious situation, according to Ephraim Shitima, the chairperson.
And Worldwide Fund for Nature-Zambia Country Director Nachilala Nkombo regretted the immense suffering imposed on Africa which has affected people of various abilities and shortcomings and called for all to adapt and build own resilience to the climate crisis to provide habitable environment for all.
Nkombo urged campaigners to embrace the youths and other physically challenged people in their fight for climate justice for a fair and habitable place to call home . She challenged youths not to relent and not backdown in fighting climate change but continue demanding for the transparency and accountability they deserve.
\She commended PACJA for launching the torch in Zambia as one of the countries on the continent and being the COP 27 AGN voice for Africa and hoped it will be a symbol of solidarity to the dire effects of climate change faced by the people and the hope expected to be restored in embracing locally co-created solutions to climate change.
“As Zambia chairs Africa to the COP may we grant the Government the much needed support in this important negotiation towards the solution of the crisis to the civil society organisations planning for the COP, may we be an impactful voice that will represent the under-represented and vulnerable communities that are central to this climate justice torch campaign” she said.
Nkombo urges Africa to desist from looking outside for financial and material assistance to redress effects of climate change and maximize nature based solutions (NBS) I redressing challenges.
“Nature based solutions too should be topical discussions as we discuss climate solutions for Africa towards this year’s COP as NBS is scaled up, this will reduce the vulnerability and increase the resilience of our communities, reduce the likelihood and impact of natural hazards and reduce exposure to natural hazard events,”
And Lusaka Mayor Chilando Chitangala commended the organizers of the African Torch for the awareness on the need to redress climate change effects noting that Lusaka and Zambia was not an exception and all, she urged all, should stand in solidarity to fight for a common cause.
The Civic leader, one of the delegates expected at the COP 27 pledged to join lobbyists and ensure that the outstanding and excess US$100 billion + is secured from global polluters for ‘disfiguring the continent with emissions’ that have redressed all the gains made in recent years. leaving the continent bleeding with hunger and soil infertility.
