COP 22 Starts in Marakeshby | 08-11-2016 01:24 |
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The 22nd session of the Conference of Parties started today in Marrakesh, Morocco with thousands of delegates, observers and participants accredited for the event. The COP22 follows the historic Paris agreement which was reached at the extra day of the COP21 in France last December. That agreement went into force on November 4th, 2016 setting the stage perfectly for further discussions on climate action. However, the main focus of COP22, for many, is climate finance. Since the announcement of a $100 billion climate finance mechanism to majorly support countries of the Global South affected by climate change, not even one-tenth of that amount have been contributed and to put it in better perspective, the $100 billion is grossly inadequate to address problems as huge as the effects of climate change. Nigeria alone is suffering parts of the many effects of the shrinking of Lake Chad from 25,000 square kilometers to about 2500 square kilometers and a rough estimate of the remedial actions sits at $16 billion which is more than 15 percent of this green climate fund. More so, the importance of supporting developing countries with emerging markets cannot be overemphasized. If big emitter cannot accept the responsibility of paying for the damage they have done to our planet, the developing countries may have no option than to emit their way to the top too using the fossil resource they often have in abundance. The best way to convince these nations to keep their fossil resources on the ground is to increase the funding of the climate finance and raise the target for funds. This is the main issue expected to be addressed by the COP22 in Marrakesh which is hosting this conference for the second time in her history. Again, the switch to a green economy is rapidly spreading and nations are increasingly seeking to invest in clean energy as well as creating well-paying green jobs. A lot of discussion may be focused here as nations seek to promote use of solar energy and effective recycling of resources. It is important to note that Morocco is building the largest solar plant in the world and is already doing the second phase of the project having completed the first one known as Noor 1. The Noor 2 will be ready in 2017 and will export energy to neighboring countries including ones in Europe. The site of the project in Rabat is one that will be much visited and will be a huge reference point for discussion in this area. Though COP22 is not expected to be a 'history making' COP like the one in Paris last year, it will however be key in shaping the implementation of the Paris agreement and how climate action develops in the next years. I hope for the best and will probably be joining green fellows in Marrakesh by the end of this week for the second week of COP22. The events starts on the 7th and ends on 18th November, 2016. You can follow events live on UNFCCC. Welcome to my continent, welcome to Morocco and enjoy the beauty that only exists in Africa. Photo by: UNFCCC  |
