Vulnerability to climate change
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I guys, Africa accounts for approximately 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes just 1.9% of global emissions, with South Africa alone responsible for 1.3%. The remaining 48 countries combined contribute only 0.6% consistent with the UNFCCC and UNEP.
Moreover, According to the Global Center on Adaptation (2024), Africa receives only 20% of global adaptation finance flows (about $13 billion annually) and just 18% of the funding needed for climate change mitigation, despite being one of the regions most severely affected.
In the context of shrinking global climate finance, how can African countries—who contribute the least to global emissions but bear the highest climate-related costs—secure the necessary resources for natural resource management and adaptation, especially given the failure of the 'polluter-pays' principle in practice?
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SOUMTANG BIME Valentine, Cameroon, DES-P Thanks for raising this, timely and painfully familiar.
Africa contributes just 3.8% of global emissions (because we haven’t had the luxury of over-industrializing), yet we catch the worst of climate change—droughts, floods, food insecurity and receive only 20% of adaptation finance. That math isn’t mathing.
From my work in development finance, I’ve seen how climate shocks quietly bankrupt growth damaging roads, crops, and people’s health. And without urgent investment, we’ll be paying more to fix than to prevent. As Africa develops, emissions will rise. That’s normal. The goal isn’t to stay poor and low-carbon but it’s to grow climate-smart.
ECA can help by: Turning strategies into fundable, data-driven projects, and Backing Africa’s collective push for fairer climate finance and tracking were these money goes.
The polluter didn’t pay. They never do. So now, let’s build our own receipt, strategic, green, and loud enough to be funded.
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SOUMTANG BIME Valentine, Cameroon, DES-P Before addressing how African nations—minimal contributors to global emissions yet disproportionately burdened by climate costs—can secure resources for natural resource management and adaptation (especially given the de facto collapse of the polluter-pays principle), I propose we first establish a critical assessment of carbon inequality—a core focus of my current research. The literature exposes severe imbalances in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions distribution across and within nations, documented globally (Duro & Padilla, 2006), regionally (Han et al., 2020), sub-nationally (Chen et al., 2019), sectorally (Du et al., 2020), and at household levels (Jia et al., 2022). While cross-country disparities modestly declined post-1990, intra-national inequalities intensified sharply (UN, 2020), creating a critical policy challenge.
The concentration of emissions is extreme: the wealthiest 1% emit 30 times more than the poorest 50% (Oxfam, 2015). These disparities stem not only from income but high-consumption lifestyles—frequent air travel, meat-rich diets, and energy-intensive habits (Barros Wilk, 2021)—contrasting with the minimal footprint of low-income groups reliant on traditional fuels (e.g., firewood). This demands a climate justice recalibration: mitigation responsibilities cannot rely on national averages alone. Scholars (Chancel & Piketty, 2015; Ivanova et al., 2020) advocate for within-country differentiated accountability, grounded in distributive and restorative justice principles.
Collectively, this evidence necessitates a paradigm shift: from state-centric approaches to multi-level analyses integrating socioeconomic and behavioral dimensions. Recent scholarship positions inequality not merely as an outcome but as a strategic lever for decarbonization urging policies that mobilize middle/low-income groups through transparent, equitable transitions. This reframing is essential to address Africa’s dual challenge of securing climate resources while confronting emission injustices rooted in global and local inequality.
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SOUMTANG BIME Valentine, Cameroon, DES-P said in Vulnerability to climate change:
I guys, Africa accounts for approximately 3.8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sub-Saharan Africa contributes just 1.9% of global emissions, with South Africa alone responsible for 1.3%. The remaining 48 countries combined contribute only 0.6% consistent with the UNFCCC and UNEP.
Moreover, According to the Global Center on Adaptation (2024), Africa receives only 20% of global adaptation finance flows (about $13 billion annually) and just 18% of the funding needed for climate change mitigation, despite being one of the regions most severely affected.
In the context of shrinking global climate finance, how can African countries—who contribute the least to global emissions but bear the highest climate-related costs—secure the necessary resources for natural resource management and adaptation, especially given the failure of the 'polluter-pays' principle in practice?
African governments can enhance domestic resource mobilization by integrating climate priorities into national and subnational budgets, ensuring funds are allocated for adaptation and resilience. Issuing green bonds can attract investors seeking environmentally responsible opportunities, financing renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and infrastructure projects. Implementing carbon pricing mechanisms, such as taxes or cap-and-trade systems, can generate revenue while incentivizing lower emissions. Strengthening fiscal policies to align with climate goals ensures long-term sustainability. Regional initiatives like the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) offer platforms for pooled funding and shared expertise. Together, these strategies reduce reliance on uncertain external financing and build climate resilience from within.
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In light of the current global trade dynamics, particularly the ongoing trade wars, it is essential to have such conversation and thank you SOUMTANG BIME Valentine, Cameroon, DES-P for bringing it up to discussion. I highly agree with BANENGAI KOYAMA Torcia Chanelle,Central African Republic,MFGD that domestic resource mobilization could play a crucial role in ensuring reliable and sustainable funding for climate action. African member states need to explore innovative financing mechanisms such as Public-Private Partnerships to help bridge the funding gap. However, to ensure private sector active participation and investment, it is crucial to create an enabling environment that offers attractive incentives and reduces potential risks.
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Thank you LOMPO Aguima Aime Bernard,Burkina Faso,SPORD I understand and agree with you. International disparities can be exacerbated by intra-African disparities.
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BANENGAI KOYAMA Torcia Chanelle,Central African Republic,MFGD Thank you for sharing your point of view. It's true that we need to find alternative sources of financing and improve the mobilization of domestic income.
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Oh yeah.. you are right GULE Thandile Tanzile,Eswatini,CFND
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I agree with your observation and everyone else's. While we focus on the macro level analyses, my input would be to suggest at also looking at the micro level analyses - to improve mitigation. By doing this, this shoulders the problem of corruption in Africa- where regardless of climate finance that could be made available, the vulnerable rarely benefit from this (ofcourse while bearing the burden of debt repayment arising from climate finance). In my research, i focus on the micro-level, local factors - factors within the reach of the person living under $1.90 a day- that could mitigate the impact of climate shocks toward household level welfare. for example, interested in looking at how incidence and intensity of social networks (relationships within a community) in a rural economy would cushion the impacts of climate shocks on Migration (whether Migration is or is not a problem, is a different issue, for now :) )
