In Nairobi, Africa’s heads of government and thousands of delegates are looking for solutions to Africa’s climate problems. With a declaration they then want to make themselves heard at the UN climate summit in Dubai.
Kenya’s President William Ruto sent a signal right at the beginning of the summit in Nairobi. Instead of driving a large sedan, he drove to the conference site in a small electric car. The message: Kenya wants to lead the way in climate protection. The East African country is playing a pioneering role in the expansion of renewable energies. By 2030, all demand from wind power, solar energy and, above all, geothermal energy should be covered.
And what Kenya can do, other African countries can do, said Ruto in his opening speech: “We have great potential with renewable energies. Not only to cover our own needs, but also to contribute to the green transition worldwide. That means billions at the same time Investment opportunities for Africa and the rest of the world.”
So far, however, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Only around two percent of global investments in renewable energies go to Africa.
discussion about emission rights
Another topic is trading in emission rights. On the continent, there are more and more projects for the preservation of rainforests or for reforestation, with which companies around the world are compensating for the emission of gases that are harmful to the climate. Kenya’s president would also like to expand these projects: “They have the potential to absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year. That means the equivalent of billions of dollars. If we lived in a fair world, it could be a better life for millions of people mean to the continent.”
Critics say that Africa is not there to ease the consciences of the big industrialized countries. They insist on compensation payments from a fund that was actually decided at the last climate summit in Egypt. The Global South should be compensated for the damage caused by climate change. However, the details for this fund are still unclear.
Make your voice heard with the Nairobi Declaration
The topic is now to be discussed again at the end of the year at the next UN climate summit, said Parliamentary State Secretary in the German Development Ministry, Bärbel Kofler, in Nairobi. For the summit now, she points to other priorities.
“The topic of debt conversion plays a very important role here. But the question of the World Bank reform and the reform of the development banks also plays a role, which broadens the access of African countries to financing options. Finding approaches and solutions for this is crucial and that I expect here from this conference.”
At the end of the three-day meeting there should be a Nairobi declaration. The African states want to make themselves heard at the UN climate summit.