Gabon: PACJA to be actively engaged at the Africa Climate Week 2022

28 August 2022 | 9 am to 4 pm, Libreville Time: Africa is a region with special needs and circumstances under international climate law[1]. The region suffers more server climate change impacts than most parts of the world mainly because it is exposed to unrivalled weather extremes; is heavily dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as rain-fed agriculture for economic services and livelihoods; and has the least capacity to respond adequately to climatic stresses due to chronic poverty. Because the continent is warming roughly 1.5 times faster than the global average, it is exposed to disproportionally severe impacts even at safe global warming thresholds of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.

Recognizing this exceptional blend of circumstances in international climate change negotiations is critical for raising climate action ambition, especially in prioritizing the financing of adaptation and loss and damage. Acknowledging Africa’s special needs and circumstances singles the continent out from other developing regions and positions it for climate action that responds directly to its unique challenges, including and exceeding those it shares with other developing regions[2].  

But efforts to implement this recognition have been unsuccessful despite the provisions of Article 4.1. (e) of the UNFCCC, which had been upheld in several COP decisions and reports until the Paris Agreement. In the meantime, Africa has suffered a heavy toll of impacts with loss and damage across communities and critical development sectors. With only 4% of global emissions, the continent least responsible for climate change is ironically the most affected by the climate crisis. Every future model forecasts “widespread and severe impacts” on the continent even with the best mitigation effort. Manifestations of climate change in health is increasingly becoming apparent and documented, but there is limited mobilization among health actors to strongly advance response actions.

Addressing the climate crisis can only succeed if the international community addresses the climate injustices faced by Africa. After the failures of previous COPs to truly address this concern, COP27 presents a unique opportunity to put Africa at the centre of negotiations and decisions. African civil society organizations are mobilizing to make COP27 the “African People’s COP”. An African people COP is one that truly takes on board African voices and needs, way beyond the hosting of the Conference on African soil.

The Africa Climate Week presents a unique opportunity for communicating the outcomes of the discussions to key regional decision-makers. Against this backdrop, PACJA is convening a High-Level Stakeholders’ Forum on 29 August 2022 in the prelude to the Africa Climate Week billed for Libreville, Gabon. The Forum shall bring together key stakeholders to continue the dialogue of shaping African needs and demands ahead of COP27. 

Among the many activities that PACJA will be involved in include the launch of the Climate Justice Torch Campaign in Gabon which will then be spread across 12 other African countries before landing in Egypt ahead of the COP27.

[1] UNFCCC Art 4.1 (e)

[2] Nicholas Chan. 2021. “Special Circumstances” and the Politics of Climate Vulnerability: African Agency in the UN Climate Change Negotiations, Africa Spectrum. Vol. 56(3) 314–332 DOI: 10.1177/0002039721991151

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