African Heads of State and Governments have called for collective global action to mobilize funding for climate action under the Nairobi Declaration.
The Nairobi declaration focused majorly on several demands by the African leaders to have polluters commit more resources for climate action in developing countries.
Through declaration which summed up the three-day Africa Climate Summit 2023 held in Nairobi; the African leaders proposed new global taxes to fund climate change action.
Moreover, African Countries will carry the proposals highlighted in the declaration to the United Nations Climate Conference and COP28 summit set for November in the UAE.
In the declaration, the leaders urged fellow world leaders to support the proposal for a global carbon taxation regime like carbon tax on fossil fuel trade.
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Nairobi Declaration and Funding Promises
The African leaders called on the global community to act with urgency in reducing emissions, fulfilling its obligations, keeping past promises, and supporting the continent in addressing climate change.
They want the global community to:
- Fast-track all efforts to reduce emissions to align with goals set forth in the Paris Agreement
- Fulfill their commitment to provide $100 billion in annual climate finance, as promised 14 years ago at the Copenhagen conference.
- Uphold their commitments to a fair and accelerated process of phasing down coal, and abolishment of all fossil fuel subsidies.
Moreover, the African Heads of State in the declaration called for climate-positive investments that catalyze a growth trajectory, to enable African countries achieve stable middle-income status by 2050.
African Leaders Observation
The African leaders expressed concern that several countries within the continent suffer disproportionate burden and risks arising from climate change like unpredictable weather events and patterns, including prolonged droughts, devastating floods, and wild/forest fires.
Moreover, the leaders acknowledged the need for urgent action globally to lower emissions and reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
The Nairobi Declaration also recognized that despite Africa not historically being responsible for global warming, it also endures the most of its effect, impacting lives, livelihoods, and economies.
Furthermore, the leaders observed that only $60 billion renewable energy investments have come to Africa despite Africa having an estimated 40 percent of the world’s renewable energy resources in the last decade.
They also echoed Africa’s readiness to create an enabling environment, enact policies and facilitate investments necessary to unlock resources to contribute meaningfully to decarbonization of the global economy.
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African Leaders Declaration
Nonetheless, in the Nairobi Declaration, the African Heads of State committed to developing and implementing policies, regulations, and incentives to attract local, regional and global investment in green growth.
They committed to propelling Africa’s economic growth and job creation in a manner that aids global decarbonization efforts.
Also, the leaders declared to focus economic development plans on climate-positive growth.
In the Nairobi Declaration, they vowed to strengthen actions to stop and reverse biodiversity loss, deforestation, desertification, as well to restore degraded lands to achieve land degradation neutrality.
Further, the leaders committed to improving efforts to boost agricultural yields through sustainable agricultural practices, to enhance food security while minimizing negative environmental impacts.
