Kenyan graffiti artist Kevin Agwona, popularly known as “Bankslave”, stands in front of his mural advocating for clean air, during the sixth UN Environment Assembly, in Nairobi, Kenya, on February 29. Photo: EPA-EFE
Opinion
Mohamed El-Bendary
Mohamed El-Bendary
Rich world must follow China’s lead and support Africa’s green revolution
Rising temperatures and falling agricultural productivity are not just harming food security but exacerbating human displacement and the potential for conflict
Africa needs wealthy nations to join China in funding its climate fight and supporting its push for green mobility
Human-caused climate change is having a compounding impact on Africa and holding back the continent’s growth. In my two decades of residency in Cairo, Egypt, I have never witnessed a winter as warm as the one this year.
Last year was the hottest that the land of the Nile has witnessed, with Egyptians sweltering in summer heat in October and November. Many other African countries – from Somalia and Senegal to Libya and South Africa – also experienced unprecedented heat.
Climate change and extreme weather are having a destructive impact on African countries. Parts of Africa are becoming drier and hotter, and others are experiencing an increase in rainfall which has caused devastating floods and led to the displacement of many people.
Heatwaves and prolonged summers and droughts – particularly in the Horn of Africa – are damaging the growth of crops, leading to lower harvests, which is harming food security for the entire continent. This is damaging African countries’ economies and posing a serious threat to endeavours aimed at reducing poverty, with more than 200 million of the continent’s 1.4 billion population facing extreme hunger.
Africa produces only a fraction of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, yet it is one of the hardest-hit continents and suffers disproportionately from climate change. Although Africa has roughly 17 per cent of the world’s population, it contributes only 4 per cent of global carbon emissions. Putting it more bluntly, rich countries’ profit is poor countries’ loss.
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Cop28 prepares temperature check on climate at Dubai meeting
Cop28 prepares temperature check on climate at Dubai meeting
As a result, African officials and intellectuals are closely monitoring global climate conferences such as the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) which concluded its five-day session in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 1. The UNEA-6 passed several resolutions, including enhancing air quality worldwide, proper management of chemicals and waste, boosting effective water policies for agriculture, and eliminating highly hazardous pests.
Rising temperatures and falling agricultural productivity are not just harming food security but also exacerbating human displacement and the potential for conflicts. Climate change is increasing political instability in African regions such as the Sahel, Lake Chad Basin, Great Lakes and East Africa, along with Mozambique and the Central African Republic.
Soaring food prices are slowly pushing millions of people into food insecurity and presenting a hazard to their well-being. Thus, the impacts of climate change are exacerbating poverty in Africa amid the growing climate nightmare.
While climate change is damaging nature in wealthy nations, it also poses a threat to the lives of millions of Africans. The effects of climate change on health are heavier on Africans, simply because many lack the resources to tackle them. Warmer temperatures and a surge in severe weather have led to an increase in sandflies and mosquitoes, which transmit contagious diseases such as malaria.
A child receives an oral malaria vaccine at the Chileka Health Centre in Lilongwe, Malawi. Rising temperatures as a result of climate change are chasing disease-carrying pests such as mosquitoes and sandflies into new habitats, putting the health of more people at risk. Photo: Handout
To reduce poverty and mitigate the effects of climate change on the health of its citizens, Africa needs to adopt climate initiatives and implement prevention measures which require the possession of effective foreign technology. It needs assistance to manufacture vaccines to defeat the contagious diseases killing its citizens.
China is helping Africans mitigate climate change through several Sino-African projects, including cooperation on renewables and clean energy. Beijing has supported African countries in their adaptation to electric vehicles such as buses and reducing their carbon footprint, a process which preserves the ecosystem and safeguards human health.
China was applauded by African officials during the UNEA-6 summit for its role in Africa’s transition towards green mobility. As Kenya’s special climate envoy Ali Mohamed said: “We seek partnership to help achieve our e-mobility aspirations, and China has come on board as a crucial partner.”
Beijing is also fostering African efforts to implement and sustain green financing mechanisms. It has played a pivotal role in structuring Africa’s road maps for energy transformation and the modernisation of agriculture – issues that will lead to a reduction in reliance on coal power and an expansion of clean energy use.
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Chinese cash funds African coal plants despite environmental concerns
Chinese cash funds African coal plants despite environmental concerns
The Global Development Initiative, for example – launched by Beijing in 2021 – could help improve Africa’s capacity for green development, with projects to combat desertification and utilise water resources as well as prevent droughts, disasters and land degradation. Enhancing Africa’s ecology and delivering a green industrial revolution amid rising climate change risks would require more collaboration between the developed and developing worlds.
Finding solutions to climate change in Africa requires multilateral efforts and the creation of a more cooperative world, one in which wealthy nations play a more supportive role by devoting themselves to recycling, embracing a zero-waste approach and becoming circular economy societies, something a recent UN Environment Programme report strongly recommended.
Bolstering Africa’s climate fight and building climate-smart economies can also help Africans avoid conflict and fight hunger. Wealthy nations have a moral duty in an increasingly multipolar world to help Africans deal with climate-sensitive diseases since Africa’s health crisis should also be viewed as a climate disaster.
To prioritise climate justice and support Africa’s move towards green mobility, wealthy nations should invest in this overlooked continent through funding programmes to boost climate governance measures. It is in the world’s best interests that Africa rise from this climate nightmare.
Mohamed El-Bendary is a freelance writer based in Egypt and the author of The “Ugly American” in the Arab Mind: Why Do Arabs Resent America?
