BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - After the release of the latest climate related scientific report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in February, a team of experts and environmental technocrats from different countries are sitting in Bonn, Germany from June 6 to 16, to analyse the findings so as to advise policy-oriented needs during the forthcoming 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) in Egypt.
The Conference of Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that binds together 197 member countries also known as parties, which usually meet every year to discuss matters related to climate change, review the implementation of the Convention and any other legal instruments, adopts and take decisions necessary to promote the effective implementation of scientific findings.
During last year’s COP in Glasgow, Scotland, leaders from developing countries urged all nations to embrace such scientific evidence and urgently implement bold mitigation and adaptation measures to avert the looming climate catastrophes.
“Climate change poses an existential threat to most countries in the African continent,” said Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta noting that the country’s extreme weather events including floods and droughts, lead to losses of 3 – 5% annual Gross Domestic Product in his country.
Why hold expensive conferences to discuss climate change?
Nearly all scientists believe that the changes in climatic conditions being experienced all over the world such as storms, floods which lead to landslides, droughts, warming of oceans which lead to destruction of aquatic biodiversity, and even change of seasons have been caused by human activities.
According to a scientific journal – Nature Conservancy, humanity’s accelerated burning of fossil fuels and deforestation (forests are key parts of the planet’s natural carbon management systems) have led to rapid increases of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and global warming.
Since time immemorial, scientists have shown that greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane prevent a certain amount of heat radiation from escaping the earth’s atmosphere back to space, making the earth a warm place for life to thrive. To balance this, human beings and bacteria breathe in oxygen and carbon dioxide out, then plants do the opposite to consume the carbon produced by humans.
However, the more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer the earth gets. Burning more fossils therefore means more carbon in the atmosphere, and cutting down trees, means that there will be no plant to absorb the excess carbon dioxide, which makes the earth warmer than usual – a concept known as global warming.
The main threats of climate change, stemming from the rising temperature of Earth’s atmosphere include rising sea levels, ecosystem collapse and more frequent and severe weather.
It is therefore through such climate negotiations that parties (countries) meet under the UNFCCC to negotiate the best way possible to reduce further emission of greenhouse gases, how to contain the existing excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and how to help communities cope with disasters that have been caused and are still being caused by extreme weather conditions.
Gains of the COPs and bottlenecks so far
Experts and developing country representatives believe that the most important fact is that the discussions have started, and are ongoing. Though, despite the discussions having been held for more than two and a half decades now, some people argue that there has been no notable gain.
However, Africa’s civil society representatives think otherwise. “The gains may not be very visible, but with the establishment of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), it is a step forward for the developing and poor countries,” said Charles Mwangi, the Acting Executive Secretary at the Pan Africa Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), an umbrella of more than 1000 civil society organisations in Africa.
The GCF was established within the framework of the UNFCCC as an operating entity of the Financial Mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change.
The other financial facility is the Adaptation Fund, which is a financial instrument under the Kyoto Protocol (UNFCCC agreement in 1992 in Kyoto, Japan) and has been established to concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing country Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, in an effort to reduce the adverse effects of climate change facing communities, countries and sectors.
However, the biggest bottleneck, according to representatives from the developing world, is the means of accessing money from these climate finance facilities.
“Challenges remain in accessing GCF support due to a myriad of complexities surrounding the GCF NAP readiness Support Programme. Procedural complexities, unstandardised formats and long review processes of submitted proposals are but a few examples,” said said Munir Akram, the Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN and the current Chair of the 134 developing coutries who are members of the G-77 and China.
The hallmark of the entire climate negotiation process was the ratification of the Paris Agreement, which emanated from the 21st round of negotiations held in Paris, France in 2015.
The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C, and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries' ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts.
To facilitate this, developed countries agreed to mobilese at least $100 billion every year in support of the developing countries to adopt to climate change.
Moving towards COP 27 in November 2022
As we move towards COP 27, we call upon the developed countries to honor their pledges, we call on the available climate finance mechanisms to ease their proposal stringent rules to make more affected communities access the funds, and above all, we are joining the G – 77 and China in calling for a special dedicated finance facility for ‘Loss and Damage’,” said Mwangi.
African parties including the civil society are also looking forward to the negotiators according the continent special circumstances, given that it emits less than four percent of the total greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is the most impacted continent.
They are also calling for implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation, an often overlooked aspect of the Paris Agreement that was established to increase the status of – and financial flows to – countries' adaptation activities.
The 27th round of negotiations will take place in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt from November 7 to 18th this year.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (PAMACC News) - African Forest stakeholders have been urged to buckle down to work in readiness for the upcoming 27th Conference of Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Egypt.
As part of its policy to empower forest stakeholders and vulnerable communities in Africa to better confront the challenges of climate change, the African Forest Forum, AFF used the opportunity of the regional workshop organised from June 6 to 10, 2022 at Pacific Hotel, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to inform more participants from various government representatives, civil society organizations, private sector and development partners institutions on the key outcomes of the climate negotiations held in Glasgow last November and the high expectations of the COP 27 this year at their doorstep in Egypt.
Dr Marie-Louis Avana of AFF affirmed the determination of the African Forest Forum to work fully for the success of the different negotiations and the intentions of the different forest stakeholders that will be taking part.
According to Dr Avana, non-state actors including investors and businesses and civil society should have the ability to take far-reaching and ambitious climate action, supplementing and reinforcing the crucial climate plans of governments.
Experts say these actors should get set with action plans including identifying how to address existing and future climate challenges, shifting the narrative on climate losses, and mainstreaming climate resilience through deepening engagement with bankable projects.
“We are orienting stakeholders and delegates from Africa on how to better engage their negotiations during COP27. AFF is playing this role working with all forest stakeholders,” Marie Louis Afana said.
Talking about expectations at COP27, African Forest Forum officials said they expect to see the different countries mobilize efforts to meet up and respect their commitments and pledges especially those related to financing forest conservation in Africa.
“ We expect to see countries respect their financial commitments to boost forest conservation. Many pledges were made during COP 26 in Glasgow, we expect to see them realized,” Marie-Louis said.
As one of the regions most adversely affected by the impacts of climate change, Africa has been advocating for urgent and practical global, regional and national actions and enhanced ambition to combat climate change. African countries have stepped up to the challenge of contributing to addressing the global climate challenge that respects no borders, despite contributing the least to causing this existential crisis.
For Professor Martin Tchamba, “it is but fair justice that Africa that contributes least to the existing climate crisis gets compensated”.
He recalled that the Glasgow Climate Conference agreed to keep 1.5C in reach, including by a global transition to Clean Energy, provision of resources, declaration for the accelerating to low emitting transport systems, and the declaration on the use of forests and reversing deforestation by 2030.
“ We need to see this momentum maintained or even have more ambitious undertakings by the polluting countries in the upcoming COP27” Dr Martin Tchamba said.
Cecile Njdebet for her part called for a people-centred climate change solution. She saluted the gradual shift from a centralized and elitist forest management style that existed before in Africa to a more decentralized community forest policy.
“ Local communities are taking decision-making on forest management into their hands and this is already part of the solution,” Cecile Ndjebet said.
“ If you don’t take part in decision making, others will do it for you and it may not be of your interest”, she appealed to the local community forest stakeholders.
She emphasized the need to build a partnership which inevitably requires that all stakeholders take time to build trust and work in synergy for the interest of all, especially in protecting the most vulnerable groups.
“ Forest stakeholders need to build strong partnerships and work together for the interest of all,” Ndjebet said.
The African Forest Forum (AFF), also known as African Forestry Forum, is an association of individuals who are committed to advancing the sustainable management, use and conservation of the forest and tree resources of Africa for the socio-economic wellbeing of its peoples and for the stability and improvement of its environment.
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (PAMACC News) - Forest experts in Africa have reiterated the need to reinforce efforts in sustainable land use and forest management in the continent to secure a better future. The experts were speaking at a workshop organised by African Forest Forum (AFF) from June 6 to 10, 2022 at Pacific Hotel, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The regional workshop according to AFF was to share the conclusions and recommendations of studies conducted over the past three years as part of two funded projects, one by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the other by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Held under the theme “state of the African forest,” experts exchanged and shared information on the state of the African forest, the challenges and potential solutions.
According to Maries Louis Avana-Tientcheu of AFF, “the lives of many Africans depend on forest resources and therefore ensuring its sustainable management is guaranteeing the future of the population and especially those who directly survive from it.”
According to the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), over two-thirds of Africa's 600 million people rely directly and indirectly on forests for their livelihoods, including food security, thus the need to protect and preserve the continent's rich forest resources.
Coming on the heels of the 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) known as COP27 in Egypt, the experts agreed it was time for forest stakeholders in Africa to be abreast with the intricacies of land use and forest management in order to find lasting solutions that will improve the livelihood of the population and especially those who depend on the forest for survival.
African Forest Forum is sensitizing its members and other forest stakeholders on the stakes of the upcoming COP27 in Egypt.
“This is very important for us because it is taking place in Africa and it is an opportunity for forest stakeholders in the continent to make maximum benefits of the COP27,” says Maries Louis Avana-Tientcheu
According to statistics from CIFOR, Africa has an estimated 624 million ha of forest, 98 .8 per cent of which are natural forests. Forests types and cover include rainforests and other humid forests; dryland forests; savannahs and woodlands; mountain forests; mangrove forests; and plantations.
Unfortunately, Africa’s forest sector is, however, faced with many challenges that constrain its capacity to provide meaningful and sustainable ecosystem services including contributing to socio-economic development.
The continent’s forest area declined by 2 .8 million ha per year between 2010 and 2019, a much higher rate than anywhere else in the world, the CIFOR report says.
Environment experts have therefore not ceased reiterating the need for restraint in land and forest use by governments and other stakeholders.
Cameroon for example counts about 22.5 million hectares of humid forests with deforestation of over 0.8% per year between 2000 and 20016, according to statistics from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife.
Forest experts say in a fragmented context where forestry policies compete with other development sectors' policies whose implementation involves deforestation or forest degradation, a better understanding of the socio-economic importance of forests and their effective incorporation in national accounts are key pieces of information in determining policy options on land use allocation.
“ Forest Stakeholders need to understand the socio-economic importance of the forest to guide their decision making and policy formulation,” says Achile Baudelaire Momo, Consultant at World Resource Institute, Yaounde.
“There is a need for win-win solutions which we can and must scale up, to feed the world without destroying our forests,” he noted.
At the XV World Forestry Congress last month in Seoul, Korea, forest experts emphasized the need for stakeholders to overcome setbacks and drive solution-oriented policies to protect forest resources.
“No matter which crises we are facing – a pandemic, conflicts, climate change – and their resulting economic recession and food insecurity, we must consider our forests and our natural resources as part of the solution and integrate them into recovery plans and strategies.” Says Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO.
The African Forest Forum (AFF), also known as African Forestry Forum, it should be recalled, is an association of individuals who are committed to advancing the sustainable management, use and conservation of the forest and tree resources of Africa for the socio-economic wellbeing of its peoples and for the stability and improvement of its environment.
The purpose of the forum is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy and advice on relevant policy and technical issues.
The goal is to galvanize the African voice and opinion and mobilize resources on forestry and related issues that cut across countries and regions with a view of enhancing the relevance and contribution of forestry to the people of Africa and their environment.
A Bonn, les négociateurs commencent à faire le point, après une semaine de négociations. Résultat, rien de substantiel, selon eux, surtout sur les pertes et dommages, sinon, la volonté des pays riches de ne pas être flexible sur le financement de la mise en œuvre de ce volet du réchauffement climatique. Et en plus, s’ajoute la délivrance du visa d’entrée en Allemagne à compte-goutte et selon certains négociateurs, à la tête du client. Ils sont, par conséquent, vent debout contre les pays riches, dont-ils voient leurs mains derrière ce type de comportement. Ils sont montés au créneau pour faire éclater leur colère. Le point avec Didier Hubert MADAFIME, envoyé spécial PAMACC, à Bonn
Ça commence par faire beaucoup. Ils sont certains, à ne pas pouvoir contempler, cette fois-ci, le ciel de Bonn, n’ont pas, qu’ils ne sont pas attendus mais tout simplement parce qu’on a opposé un refus catégorique à leur demande de visa.
Ce refus, pour ceux qui y sont, s’apparente à une tactique des pays riches pour éviter à avoir à faire à un grand nombre de négociateurs.
« Nous considérons le refus et le retard des visas pour l'Allemagne pour de nombreux négociateurs des pays en développement comme faisant partie des manœuvres visant à empêcher des discussions sur le mécanisme de facilité financière pour les pertes et dommages », a déclaré Charles Mwangi, secrétaire exécutif par intérim de l'Alliance panafricaine pour la justice climatique (PACJA).
Le refus ou le retard dans la délivrance des visas est l'un des défis auxquels nous sommes confrontés, ici, en tant que négociateurs », a déclaré Ephraim Mwepya Shitima de Zambie. Shitima, qui dirige le Groupe africain des négociateurs (AGN).
« Des délégations entières sont absentes aux pourparlers de Bonn, en raison de problèmes de visa. Le groupe a dû envoyer une plainte officielle à la direction de la Convention Cadre de Nations Unies sur les Changements Climatiques (CCNUCC), et des mesures sont prises à cet égard. »
L'AGN comprend des coordonnateurs thématiques principaux et des conseillers stratégiques des gouvernements des États membres africains. Créé lors de la COP1 à Berlin, en Allemagne, en 1995 pour unifier et représenter les intérêts de la région dans les négociations internationales sur le changement climatique, l'AGN travaille sous la direction du Comité des Chefs d'État et de gouvernement africain sur le changement climatique (CAHOSCC) et de la Conférence ministérielle africaine sur l'environnement et les ressources naturelles (AMCEN).
Pays riches : Faire un peu, preuve de bonne foi
"Les tactiques dilatoires que les pays riches emploient à travers des clauses et des terminologies, évacuent le sens de ce processus de négociation mettant davantage en danger la vie des femmes africaines, les premières victimes des catastrophes climatiques", a déclaré Priscilla Achakpa du Women Environmental Program (WEP).
Muawia Shaddad de la Société soudanaise de l'environnement et de la conservation, membre de l'Alliance panafricaine pour la justice climatique (PACJA) estime que les progrès sont entravés par la demande de financement pour les pertes et dommages par les pays développés, car les pays riches sont convaincus que cela pourrait conduire à leur statut juridique de responsable des impacts du changement climatique.
Il y a eu promesses sur promesses, et nous savons que les promesses ne peuvent pas sortir les victimes du changement climatique des catastrophes - seules les actions et les promesses financières le peuvent. Au fait, où sont les 100 milliards de dollars par an promis par les pays riches ? s’interroge Shaddad.
On se souvient qu’en 2009, les pays riches ont promis 100 milliards de dollars par an pour appuyer le « financement climatique », pour aider les nations les plus pauvres à réduire leurs émissions grâce à des choses comme les énergies renouvelables et l'agriculture durable. Cette promesse n'a pas encore été entièrement tenue car chaque pays détermine sa propre contribution.
Un rapport publié par l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE) en octobre 2021 affirme que les 100 milliards de dollars annuels de financement climatique que les pays à revenu élevé ont promis aux pays à faible revenu du monde pour aider à faire face aux effets d'un réchauffement planète ne sera pas disponible avant au moins 2023.
Mais de nombreux pays pauvres disent que le financement n'aide pas à faire face aux impacts climatiques qu'ils subissent déjà, c'est pourquoi un fonds séparé pour les pertes et dommages est nécessaire.
Pertes de dommages : le jeu double des pays riches
En 2020, on estimait que les catastrophes naturelles avaient causé 210 milliards de dollars de dégâts dans le monde.
Les rapports du Groupe d'experts intergouvernemental sur l'évolution du climat (GIEC), parmi d'autres rapports fondés sur des données probantes des Nations-Unies, indiquent que les pays riches, comme les États-Unis d'Amérique et ceux de l'Union européenne, sont responsables de la plupart des émissions piégeant la chaleur émise dans l'atmosphère depuis la révolution industrielle.
Tandis que les pays pauvres, avec leurs émissions plus faibles, subissent toujours le poids d'un climat plus chaud à travers des vagues de chaleur plus sévères, des inondations et des sécheresses.
Pour aider à compenser ces pertes, les pays pauvres demandent aux plus riches de contribuer à un fonds pour les pertes et dommages. L'argent pourrait offrir un paiement pour des choses qui sont irrévocablement perdues, comme des vies ou l'extinction d'espèces.
Cela pourrait également aider les pays à assumer le coût de la reconstruction après les tempêtes, du remplacement des cultures endommagées ou de la relocalisation de communautés entières à risque.
Militante pour le climat et fondatrice du mouvement Rise Up, en Ouganda, Vanessa Nakate affirme que de nombreuses personnes sur le continent africain subissent certains des pires impacts du changement climatique.
Pour cette raison, a-t-elle poursuivi, « les côtes disparaissent, les îles disparaissent de la vue, les espèces disparaissent, les cultures disparaissent et l'histoire disparaît. Nous avons besoin d'un mécanisme de facilité de financière pour les pertes et dommages à la COP 27, et c'est notre engagement inébranlable. Il y a eu beaucoup de conversations avec beaucoup de discussions mais moins d'action et nous en avons besoin maintenant. »
« Plus il y a de retard dans l'action, plus les gens continueront à souffrir. Nous savons que les pollueurs sont dans cet espace, et nous savons aussi qu'ils bloquent les progrès, mais nous devons mettre les populations au cœur des discussions parce que, finalement, ce sont elles qui souffrent ; comment allons-nous les aider ? Cela devrait être la conversation que nous devrions avoir maintenant, » a ajouté Nakate.
Et pourtant la situation se complique de jour en jour
Alors que la première semaine cruciale de négociations touche à sa fin, lors des pourparlers sur le climat de Bonn en 2022, les groupes verts commencent à lever des drapeaux rouges sur le manque apparent de progrès sur les points de l'ordre du jour de la réunion.
Les militants accusent les négociateurs des pays riches et développés de bloquer toute avancée réelle sur la question du financement des pertes et dommages, mise au premier plan des négociations par les pays pauvres.
Les pertes et dommages peuvent être considérés comme des réparations climatiques - un soutien financier accordé aux communautés vivant avec les effets destructeurs de la crise climatique, soit par le déplacement, soit par la destruction de leurs moyens de subsistance.
BONN, Germany (PAMACC News) - As the first crucial week of negotiations come to a close at the 2022 midyear Bonn climate talks, green groups are beginning to raise red flags on the seeming lack of progress on agenda items for the meeting, amid important delegates being denied entry visa.
The campaigners are accusing negotiators from rich and developed countries of blocking real progress on the issue of financing for loss and damage, put on the front burner of the negotiations by poor countries.
Loss and Damage can be regarded as climate reparations – financial support given to communities living with the destructive effects of the climate crisis either through displacement or destruction of their livelihoods.
Charles Mwangi, the Acting Executive Secretary at the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) revealed that progress on loss and damage finance is being blocked by rich countries on many fronts. Some of these, according to him, "range from outright visa denials for negotiators from Africa, to needless delay tactics in the negotiations."
"We consider the denial and delay of visas to Germany for many negotiators from developing countries as part of the grand plan to whittle down the glamour for a financing facility for loss and damage," Mwangi says.
The denial or delay in visa issuance is one of the challenges we are facing here as negotiators," Ephraim Mwepya Shitima from Zambia said.
Shitima, who heads the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), confirmed that with some whole country delegations missing the talks due to visa challenges, the group had to submit a formal complaint letter to the UNFCCC leadership, and action is being taken in that regards.
The AGN comprises lead thematic coordinators and strategic advisors from governments of African member states. Established at COP1 in Berlin, Germany, in 1995 to unify and represent the interests of the region in the international climate change negotiations, the AGN works under the guidance of the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) and the African Ministerial Conference on Environment and Natural Resources (AMCEN)
"The delay tactics rich countries employ through clauses and terminologies that attempt to evacuate meaning in this negotiation process further endanger the lives of African women who are first-line victims of climate disasters," Priscilla Achakpa of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP) said.
Muawia Shaddad of the Sudanese Environment and Conservation Society, a member of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), believes progress is hindered by the demand for loss and damage finance by developed countries because rich countries are convinced it could lead to their being legally liable for the impacts of climate change.
We have seen promises upon promises, and we know that promises cannot lift victims of climate change out of disasters – only action on financial promises can. By the way, where is the $100 billion per year promised by rich countries? Shaddad wondered.
It would be recalled that in 2009, rich countries promised $100 billion per year in "climate finance" to help poorer nations reduce their emissions through things like renewable energy and sustainable agriculture. That promise is yet to be fully delivered as each country determines its own contribution.
A report released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in October 2021 asserts that the annual $100 billion in climate finance that high-income nations promised to the world's lower-income countries to help deal with the effects of a warming planet will not be delivered until at least 2023.
But many poor countries say that funding doesn't help with the climate impacts they're already experiencing, which is why a separate loss and damage fund is needed. In 2020, it was estimated that natural disasters caused $210 billion in damage across the world.
Reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) among other UN evidence-based reports indicate that rich countries, like the United States of America and those in the European Union, are responsible for most of the heat-trapping emissions pumped into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution.
While poor countries, with their lower emissions, are still bearing the brunt of a hotter climate through more severe heat waves, floods and droughts.
To help compensate for these losses, poor countries are asking richer ones to contribute to a loss and damage fund. The money could offer payment for things that are irrevocably lost, like lives or the extinction of species. It could also help countries with the cost of rebuilding after storms, replacing damaged crops, or relocating entire communities at risk.
Climate activist and founder of the Rise Up Movement, Uganda, Vanessa Nakate says many people on the African continent suffer some of the worst impacts of climate change. Because of this, she continued, "coastlines are disappearing, islands are vanishing from sight, species are fading, cultures are becoming extinct, and history is disappearing. We need a finance facility for loss and damage at COP 27, and this is our unwavering demand."
"There's been a lot of conversation with a lot of talking but less action and we need that right now. The more there is a delay in action; the more people will continue to suffer. We know that the polluters are in this space, and we also know that they are blocking progress, but we must put people on the agenda on the agenda because, in the end, it's people that are suffering; how are we going to help them? That should be the conversation we should be having now, Nakate added.
S’il y a un sujet, qui ait mobilisé autant d’attentions, depuis les premières heures des discussions sur les changements climatiques, c’est celui-là, l’adaptation au changement de climat. Que l’on soit, riche ou pauvre, la compréhension de la thématique, diffère, en temps normal, d’un individu à un autre. C’est pratiquement, la même chose, lorsqu’on ramène le concept dans un contexte de changement climatique. Elle n’est rien d’autre, que la capacité d’un individu, d’un organisme ou d’une institution à subir un choc, qu’il soit environnemental, climatique ou autres, à élaborer des stratégies et des moyens pour y faire face. C’est le quotidien de tout être vivant. Les changements climatiques, y ont ajouté une épreuve supplémentaire avec des responsables bien définis. Des décennies de discussions, malheureusement, n’ont pas poussé ces derniers à solder la facture, en guise de compensation et de solidarité pour les pays victimes des effets des changements climatiques. Voyage dans les couloirs de discussions à Bonn. Didier Hubert MADAFIME, Envoyé spécial du PAMACC à Bonn, dresse le tableau en cours.
Ministre délégué à l’environnement à l’époque, Hakimi El Haité, dont le pays avait succédé, à la France dans le cadre de l’organisation de la COP22, avait organisé à Paris, pendant la COP21 une conférence de presse, autour des 100 milliards promis par les pays développés, lors de la COP15 à Copenhague, pour aider les pays pauvres à s’adapter aux effets des changements climatiques.
Autant de questions sans réponse ont été posées au cours de ce rendez-vous. Comment partager les 100 milliards, sachant que le continent africain, compte à lui seul 56 pays, et il y a aussi les autres, pays pauvres, qui ont un grand besoin de moyens pour leur adaptation aux effets du climat. Combien recevront chaque pays et qui seront les premiers à être satisfaits.
Le prix du carbone contre la main tendue
La meilleure option, selon Madame Hakimi, c’est d’acheter le carbone à son meilleur prix. Cela va générer énormément d’argent pour permettre à chaque pays d’élaborer des stratégies d’adaptation et les moyens pour les mettre en œuvre.
Malheureusement, le prix du carbone s’est effondré dans le temps et les pays africains victimes des changements climatiques ne savaient plus à quels saints se voués, les pays développés ayant choisi de ne pas sortir le chéquier.
Comme on le voit, la bataille entre pays riches et pauvres vulnérables, ne date pas d’aujourd’hui et bute très souvent sur les questions financières. Pour sortir de l’étau climatique, les pays vulnérables ont un grand besoin d’argent, pendant que les riches usent de subterfuges et affichent leurs mauvaises volontés.
Adaptation, une priorité pour les négociateurs africains
Le sujet, une fois encore, est sur la table des négociations à Bonn. A la question de l’envoyé spécial du PAMACC, celle de savoir, comment évoluent les négociations sur les questions d’adaptation ? C’est si complexe, reconnait Madeleine Sarr, Présidente des PMA, entendez, les pays les moins avancés.
« Des finances adéquates constituent notre priorité parce que les besoins d’adaptation sont importants pour nos communautés. Tout le monde est d’accord pour l’adaptation, mais, c’est la procédure pour y arriver qu’on cherche actuellement, » ajoute Madame Sarr.
« Il faut pour chaque pays, un Plan National d’Action pour l’Adaptation, et qu’il soit de la même formule que celle des PNA, les Plans Nationaux d’adaptation. Le financement pour sa mise en œuvre fait l’objet d’âpres discussions. Ensuite, il faut aller plus loin, c’est la raison d’être du GGA, the Global Goal on adaptation, » souligne la Présidente des PMA.
« Cela nous permet d’avoir une feuille de route claire, étapes par étapes, en fonction des problèmes de l’heure, à savoir l’augmentation des émissions, le coût de l’adaptation. Elle est certaine qu’à Bonn, tout ne sera pas gagner mais il faut aller jusqu’au bout. » Elle n’a pas le temps de finir, « il y a une autre réunion qui va commencer, » souligne Madame Sarr, d’un air déterminé.
C’est à ce rythme que se construit la route de la COP27 à Bonn. Mais il arrive dès fois, que le sens de l’adaptation échappe à certaine personne. Elle n’est, toutefois, pas compliquée à expliquer.
Ce que nous mangeons aujourd’hui, si on prend l’exemple de l’alimentation, peut ne pas exister demain. Il faut donc trouver autre chose pour le remplacer. Cela exige une certaine habilité, une certaine capacité à inventer, une créativité et une imagination, des vertus à développer pour minimiser l’influence des changements climatiques sur chacun de nos vies.
