COP29: Africa Demands Climate Finance to Avert Devastating Consequences
African leaders are sounding the alarm on the urgent need for climate finance, warning that the continent's future hangs in the balance.
Speaking for Africa's youth and Indigenous populations, Joshua Amponsem, co-founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization and co-director of the Youth Climate Justice Fund emphasized the dire consequences of inaction on climate finance.
"The 1.5-degree target isn't just a number for us; it's the difference between survival and irreversible catastrophe," Amponsem declared.
The call for climate finance comes as global leaders gather for COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Africa is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with millions already facing the daily realities of drought, floods, and extreme weather events.
Amponsem painted a vivid picture of the continent's struggles:"I see grandmothers who can no longer predict the planting seasons, children and women walking miles for water, and dreams withering like our drought-stricken crops.''
The lack of climate finance is exacerbating the crisis, with developing countries requiring $1.3 trillion annually to accelerate energy transitions, enhance resilience, and address loss and damage.
Amponsem urged leaders to prioritize grassroots funding: "We need clear, accessible climate finance mechanisms that reach the grassroots level. Every delay is another community lost to floods, another forest destroyed, another generation's future compromised."
The stakes are high, not just for Africa but for the entire global community. Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, warned that without universal action to cut emissions and build resilience, no economy will escape the impacts of global heating.
Source: Florence Kyei /Lead News Online
