REMARKS BY AMB. IMMANUEL MWENDWA KIILU, TUNZA  ECO – GENERATION AMBASSADOR TO AFRICA, AT THE 27^TH   CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION   ON CLIMATE CHANGE (COP27) Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

THE JUXTAPOSITION BETWEEN THE EXISTING CLIMATE CRISIS AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF CLIMATE JUSTICE

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to allude to the words of Greta Thunberg who said, “To all of you who choose to look the other way every day because you seem more frightened of the changes that can prevent catastrophic climate change than the catastrophic climate change itself. Your silence is worst of all.” We come together for the 27th annual climate meeting, 30 years after the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992, 25 years since we adopted the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and 7 years following yet another historic milestone: the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015. When the Convention was adopted in 1992, global emissions were approximately 27 gigatons annually. This has risen to about 40 gigatons, while carbon dioxide accumulation in the atmosphere has also steadily increased. For the past eight consecutive years, documented by the United Nations (UN) to be the hottest years in recorded history, each New Year has been hotter than the previous year.

Extreme temperatures, floods, hurricanes, storms, forest fires, and melting ice. These are the headlines that come to our minds when we hear or think about “Climate change”. We have only one planet to live on, at least for the present. So, we don’t have an option but to reverse the conditions. Now the questions arise, “what can we do to prevent climate change?” To get an answer to this question we need to brainstorm over, “what causes climate change?” and “Can we eliminate those causes?”

In recent studies, it is projected that Africa is warming up faster than any other continent in the world at the moment, and this is due to the poor and less developed agricultural production systems in Africa. There is also the issue of over-dependency on the ecosystems for the livelihoods of the common habitants of the different countries in Africa. Major climate hazards in Africa currently include droughts and floods, which could be more intense due to the less unpredictable rainfall.

The United Nations conference of parties is majorly important as it seeks to achieve its aim of fighting climate change and ensuring that there is an appreciation of climate justice in Africa. This conference is majorly used to catalyze climate finance and investment flows towards building climate resilience in Africa and fulfilling their 2030 standard development goals. In light of COP27, I would like the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) to call for action and use and implement the Post-2015 Development Agenda, which presented five goals for big transformation shifts in socio-economic development: leave no one behind, put sustainable development at the core, transform economies for jobs and inclusive growth, build peace and effectively open and accountable institutions for all, and forge a new global partnership. These goals must be considered in the clarification and implementation of the SDGs and also of the Paris Accord since the goals are interconnected with climate change mitigation and adaptation.

I am expected to urge the developed countries to increase their provisions of financial support for adaptation in the pre-2020 period and to better address the immediate needs of vulnerable African states. It also needs to be ensured that unnecessary bureaucracy within the operations of intermediaries, such as the implementing agencies and entities, is removed. The continent of Africa needs direct access to any new funds with minimal management by intermediaries. This would shift the responsibility of decision-making to national governments, which aligns with the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness. Moreover, research on climate change in Africa would need to involve more African scientists who could contribute to and model recommendations based on their own experiences anchored in the African political and administrative ecology. Therefore, considerations to set up a climate change research hub in Africa led by recognized African scientists should be another important focus of Africa in Marrakech.

To the African Head of States, I would inspire you to embrace the spirit of Pan-Africanism whereby the idea that people of African descent have common interests and should be unified. Your excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, we should also engage all citizens in the fight towards achieving climate justice.  We all care for the items and people we love, similarly, the Presidents should advocate for the embracing of climate justice by the people of their nation which shall indeed bring about a change in how climate justice is viewed. The youth have also taken charge in being at the forefront and spearheading discussions concerning the increasing demand for climate action through social media platforms by writing articles and shooting videos that educate the vast public on the need and the importance of achieving climate justice as a whole in order to achieve the 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

In as much as we have this awesome discussion on climate justice, we should face the animal in the room. At the ongoing Cop-27, 2022, there has been a major uproar from the youths on matters concerning our actions as leaders. The plea has been that we should act with emergency and address the issue on climate change as an issue that deserves our immediate attention, otherwise our future generations will suffer devastating challenges. Many of the world class leaders have come to an agreement that there has been loss and damage as an outcome of the increased climate crisis, however it has been evident that many of those leaders and their countries are not ready to donate funds to the countries that have been severely affected by climate crisis. Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen, we should keep in mind that we do not want to be remembered as the leaders who did a lot of nothing while in power, and therefore change the scenario that is evident at Cop-27. Remember that our children will carry on the legacy of our earth and we need to act in accordance as early as now.

Finally, we should educate all Africans on the issues concerning climate change which shall lead to achieving climate justice not only in Africa but also in the world at large. It is not too late; we can undo the damages that have been caused by climate change. Plus, only human activities can make sure that life exists on earth in the future because those are dominantly responsible for climate change. Nature has a simple rule- “Give protection, take protection”. Mia Armstrong once said, “Although the magnitude of climate change may make individuals feel helpless, individual action is critical for meaningful change.” 

We should all endeavor to achieve climate justice. I would like to thank the African political leadership that has recognized the importance and timeliness for Africa to actively engage in Climate Diplomacy through a coordinated common position and to design robust policy approaches for a collective effort in confronting complex climate change challenges.

We Demand Climate Justice!

Thank you!