The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) has said that urgently accelerating the implementation of adaptation for African countries during the decade is a key priority for the continent in the outcome of the Global Stocktake.
The AGN stated this at the 58th session of the United Nations Subsidiary Bodies (SB58), which ended on Friday in Bonn, Germany.
AGN Lead Coordinator for the Global Goal on Adaptation, Kulthoum Omari, said, “We are already feeling the impacts from climate change, even below 1.5-degree global warming. Currently, we are at 1.15 degrees of global warming and according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Africa has warmed faster than the global average since pre-industrial times. This emphasises the urgency of accelerating the implementation of adaptation in Africa during this decade.”
Chairman, AGN, Ephraim Mwepya Shitima, had, during the closing session of the technical dialogue of the Global Stocktake (GST), said developing countries’ efforts and commitment by mobilizing domestic resources for adaptation even without adequate international support must be recognised in the outcome of the GST.
“We reiterate the need for an additional message in the GST on the recognition of adaptation efforts of developing countries, which is a strong demonstration of commitment by vulnerable countries in the face of inadequate international support.
“We also look forward to guidance on how we will deliver on the clear mandate in respect of assessing the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA).
“We cannot over-emphasise the importance of balance between the various thematic areas and addressing them in a comprehensive manner. We reiterate the call for a standalone reflection on loss and damage and response measures in the Factual Synthesis Report. We trust that our concerns on adaptation and the means of implementation sections will also be addressed in the next iteration of our work,” Shitima said.
With the changes in the global average temperature leading to extreme weather events, Africa has had its share of climate disasters, requiring adaptation resources at scale.
Already, many nations and communities are taking steps to build resilient societies and economies. The AGN said that despite this, greater action and ambition is needed to cost-effectively manage the risks, both now and in the future.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) WGII report, through the Africa Chapter, which provides information on the impacts of climate change to date, has said that agricultural productivity growth in Africa have reduced by 34 percent since 1961 due to climate change, more than any other region.
IPCC further predicts that most African countries will enter unprecedented high temperature climates earlier in this century than generally wealthier, higher latitude countries, emphasising the urgency of accelerating implementation of adaptation in Africa during this decade.
This underlies the African Group insistence on a comprehensive approach and action-oriented content of the Factual Synthesis Report (FSR), presenting clear findings on the required efforts, current levels of efforts and gaps, and implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) cycle and raising of ambition in parties’ undertakings and international cooperation based on equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) principle.
According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), adaptation refers to adjustments in ecological, social or economic systems in response to actual or expected climatic incentives and their effects. It refers to changes in processes, practices and structures to moderate potential damages or to benefit from opportunities associated with climate change.
Parties to the UNFCCC and its Paris Agreement recognise that adaptation is a global challenge, which requires country-driven, gender-responsive, participatory and fully transparent approaches, considering vulnerable groups, communities and ecosystems, and guided by the best available science.
The UNFCCC has set up constituted bodies and work-streams relevant to progressing adaptation responses and enhancing societal and environmental resilience. Most recently, the work programme on the Global Goal on Adaptation, launched in 2021 at COP 26, maps out the way for the world to enhance adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerabilities associated with climate change.
This report is produced in fulfilment of UNESCO and CIJ London Climate Change in News Media project facilitated by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development.
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