Growing debt burdens hinders the fiscal capabilities of developing countries for whom additional debt often means reduced government spending in the public sector. Read more.
Habiba Daggash argues that climate change is a threat multiplier which could disrupt all sectors of the African economy. Consequently, she says, ‘it is essential for all economic planning to consider climate change impacts so development strategies and infrastructure investment can be designed to be resilient to both climate impacts and socioeconomic consequences of climate action.’
Like all international climate summits, COP27 began with high hopes but will be remembered as the COP of unmet expectations. So, what’s next for the international climate community?
Though both COP26 and COP27 have seen various initiatives—from travel funds to mentorship networks to enhance women’s participation in climate action—overall progress remains inconsistent and slow as richer countries tend to fall short of their financial promises.
In 1972, pan-Africanist and Marxist thinker from Guyana, Walter Rodney, warned of ‘Wildlife Republics’, calling attention to wildlife conservation in Africa as a new form of imperialist and capitalist exploitation. Today, conservation is still a pretext to dispossess local communities for imperialist expansion and capitalist development.
While we urgently need to address the inefficiencies in Nigeria’s yam value chain to support the livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers and provide more affordable food to the country, it is essential to look beyond food security and apply a food sovereignty lens.
The solutions to African climate problems must be tailored to our unique circumstances, Vanessa Nakate argues ahead of COP27. She says, ‘We must make sure the solutions that are being funded are the ones that work for African people.’
Regardless of Egypt’s motivations or whether or not COP 27 is ‘African’, the vast majority of the consequences wrought by the climate crisis, are. Africa, therefore, needs to confront the crisis head-on.
Africa is an important voice in the climate debate, Abigael Kima argues ahead of COP27. ‘Because although we are only responsible for 0.5 per cent of historical emissions and less than 4 per cent of the global emissions at the moment, we are the most negatively impacted.’
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, more than 600,000 people have been displaced by recent flooding and more than 300 people have been killed this year due to the recent crisis. Read more.