As negotiations begin at COP27, climate activists deliver solution documents to African delegates

As the actual negotiations begin this week at the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, a civil society organisation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and a host of climate justice groups, have shared their recommendations with African delegations at the negotiations including Nigeria and Cameroon.

This is in continuation of efforts to align the climate ambitions of African countries with the demands of frontline communities.

Other groups that shared their reports include Gender CC South Africa, Friends of the Earth Togo, Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), ONG 350 Cote d’ Ivoire, Connected Advocacy, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), and US-based Corporate Accountability among others.

In a statement, Philip Jakpor, Director of Programmes at CAPPA, said that the reports include ‘Impacts of Climate Change in Frontline Communities in Africa: Case Study of Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, and South Africa’, ‘Assessing Climate Change, COP26 Commitments in Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda’, and an ‘African brief on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.’

He said, “Impacts of Climate Change in Frontline Communities in Africa: Case Study of Nigeria, Cameroon, Togo, and South Africa was written by CAPPA, Friends of the Earth Togo, Africa Centre for Advocacy (ACA) and Gender CC South Africa.

“The Assessing Climate Change, COP27 Commitments in Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda report was written by the Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AFIEGO) in Uganda, the South Africa Climate Action Network (SACAN) and CAPPA, while the African brief on Article 6 written by CAPPA and the Corporate Accountability Africa Regional Director, Neima Hellen.”

Delegations that received the reports are those from Nigeria, South Africa, Cote d Ívoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). Togo, Namibia, and Uganda. The African Union (AU) representatives also received the reports.

Jakpor explained that the thrust of the research which culminated in the reports is to get those who can advance policy recommendations to address the climate crisis in Africa the requisite resources and facts that can aid their work at the COP27.

He said, “While the frontline communities report reinforces the fact that Africa is not immune to climate impacts despite contributing the least to climate change, the assessment report identifies barriers to a just energy transition in Africa and makes recommendations on how to address them.”

The climate activist added that “In the recommendations, CAPPA and its allies are demanding that African governments leverage green economic opportunities including increased demand for electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, and so on, which are produced with critical minerals some of which are sourced from Africa. This puts Africa at a vantage point to renegotiate its position on the global stage while stimulating inclusive economic growth.

“They are also encouraged to remove barriers to renewable energy technologies in Africa such as import tariffs to make renewable energy accessible and affordable to most of the energy-poor African population. “They must also withdraw support for heavy-carbon projects such as the Dangote refineries and petrochemicals and Uganda’s East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) which will lock Africa into a fossil fuel trap, among others.

“The reports also demand that Big Polluters and countries of the Global North pay the debt owed to developing countries and commit to no further infractions by cutting emissions at source.”

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As negotiations begin at COP27, climate activists deliver solution documents to African delegates