African Climate Campaigners in Egypt to plot for effective CSO COP 27 participation

By Rosemary Munala

Disappointed by the outcomes of the 26th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) held in Glasgow, UK last November, the African civil society groups who champion clamour for just climate regimes for Africa meet this week in Sharma El Sheikh, Egypt to review the Glasgow Climate Pact in the context of the continent.

In addition, the meeting is to plot for better results for Africa in the 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change (COP27) set for Egypt in 2022.

According to Mithika Mwenda, the Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), Africa was and remains disappointed by the outcomes of COP 26 which was viewed as ‘make or break’ gathering.

He said parties failed to live up to the expectations, especially for the African people.

“Many Africans expected to see consensus in some contentious yet very critical issues such as recognition of Africa as a ‘special needs and circumstances region’ based on the compelling Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report of last August, enhance ambition to lowering greenhouse gas emissions, a commitment to loss and damage and additional climate finance. These were either expunged or watered down. The risk of Africa hosting another talking shop in COP27 is real and high,” he said.

Mithika noted that the upcoming 27th Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change presents a good opportunity for African CSOs to engage.

“Our future as a continent will literally be in our hands at COP 27 and Africa must not lose this opportunity to unlock key negotiation items that have derailed substantive response to climate crisis and particularly on climate finance especially in reference to loss and damage,” said Augustine Ndjamnshi, Chair, Political and Technical Committee at PACJA.

***Members of African CSOs gathered in Egypt***

Ndjamnshi said PACJA is looking at the COP27 event as a golden opportunity for Africa to set the pace and steer the climate negotiation.

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) and its national platform in Egypt, Youth Love Egypt have thus embarked on a move meant to strategise on how best African civil society groups will capitalize on the COP that is coming to Africa.

According to recent IPCC reports, projections under medium scenarios indicate that extensive areas of Africa will exceed 2°C by the last 2 decades of this century.

The reports further indicated that it is likely that land temperatures over Africa will rise faster than the global land average, particularly in the more arid regions, and that the rate of increase in minimum temperatures will exceed that of maximum temperature.