African Union leaders on Sunday urged a massive increase in climate finance, calling for US $1.3 trillion annually.
According to Winston Mwale’s report in Africa Brief & Distory, the summit held at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto was held ahead of upcoming global climate negotiations underscored the vast gap between developed nations’ commitments and Africa’s actual needs in the fight against climate change.
“Africa presented a unified voice at COP29, with strong participation from African leaders,” Kenyan president Ruto said.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi emphasized the need for continental unity on climate issues.
South African Minister Dion George lauded South Africa’s contribution to global climate change efforts taking the upcoming G20 presidency as a crucial opportunity.
The gathering concluded with a unanimous commitment to develop a comprehensive climate finance plan before the COP30 conference in Brazil.
Meanwhile, as per the AFP report in The Peninsula, the world’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) that comprise 39 states with roughly 65 million people on Monday blamed wealthy countries for their misfortune at a meeting of SIDS conference in Antigua and Barbuda.
The most pressing crisis is a worsening climate catastrophe as the world nears global warming of 1.5C, the upper threshold set in the Paris climate accord.
Caught between rising debts and rising oceans, from the Caribbean to Africa to the Pacific, many SIDS share characteristics that make them especially vulnerable to external shocks: small landmasses home to scattered and isolated populations, with import dependent, non-diversified economies.
According to the UN Development Program, some US $4.7-7.3 billion in financing is needed per year just for climate adaptation measures in SIDS countries.
