Action on climate change and sustainable development together is the way forward for Africa. That is the top-line message that regional, public and private sector delegates will carry to international climate negotiations after a week of deliberations in the Kenyan capital.

Some 800 delegates from 59 countries, including ministers and other high-level government and international officials, together with non-state delegates, offered their insights into the challenges and possible responses to climate change, and harvested those insights for consideration in the official international climate negotiation process.

The collecting of views – under the banner of the year-long Talanoa Dialogue launched at negotiations in Bonn, Germany, in November 2017 – was a key part of Africa Climate Week that was concluded on Friday, April 13, 2018 in Nairobi.

At the first regional Talanoa event since the launch in Bonn, delegates distilled their deliberations into key messages:

• Finance – Public finance must be instrumental in unlocking private finance
• Markets – Carbon markets are about doing more together, and doing more with less
• Energy – Energy is a high priority, affecting everything. Financial instruments should be put in place to de-risk investment and enhance involvement in smaller and medium-sized enterprises
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Achieving the SDGs, including the climate one is the only way forward
• Technology – Businesses are ready to pick up new technology solutions, provided there is a good business case. The voice of the private sector is needed now more than ever.

The top-line message of delegates, that action on climate change is essential for sustainable development, was echoed in remarks by Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment, at the closing of the first Africa Climate Week, and of the Week’s cornerstone event, the 10thAfrica Carbon Forum.

“We are engaged across most of the Sustainable Development Goals and clearly focusing on how to create synergy between the different goals and especially with the climate goal, which is essential for achievement of all the other goals,” said Mr. Solheim.

The UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda details 17 global goals covering poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sanitation, energy, urbanisation, environment and social justice.

“Africa can, should and will be the leader of ambitious climate change action in the world,” said David On’are, a Director at Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), citing a key message coming out of regional ministerial discussions that took place this week in Nairobi. “There is the need to raise ambition, interest, innovation and mobilise the necessary means of implementation to address climate change.”

Countries agreed in Paris in December 2015 to limit global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius and work toward a safer 1.5-degree goal. In coming to their agreement in Paris, countries also recognised that success will require broad-based climate action by all sectors of society, both public and private, and by individuals.

“To achieve our goals, we need more ambition and action. Not just by national governments—they cannot do it on their own—but by all levels of government, business, investors and everyday people working together,” said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, UN Climate Change, at a high-level session on Thursday. “The good news is that momentum is picking up and we’re beginning to see the transformational shifts we need.”

Africa Climate Week, which held from Monday April 9 to Friday, April 13, was hosted and supported by the Government of Kenya and organised by the Nairobi Framework Partnership, together with NEMA. The Nairobi Framework Partnership (NFP) is celebrating this year its 10th anniversary, as is the Africa Carbon Forum, which was launched by NFP to spur investment in climate action through carbon markets, mechanisms and finance.

The NFP members include: the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Emissions Trading Association, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), UNEP DTU Partnership, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations Development Programme, UN Climate Change, and World Bank Group.

Cooperating organisations include: Africa Low Emission Development Partnership, Climate Markets and Investment Association, Development Bank of Latin America, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Inter-American Development Bank, Latin American Energy Organisation and West African Development Bank.

Al Hamdou Dorsouma, Manager for Climate and Green Growth Division, African Development Bank (AfDB), said: “The African Development Bank believes that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are an opportunity for African countries to put sustainability at the centre of their long-term development. The dialogue at this first Africa Climate Week demonstrated the ambition and determination by both state and non-state actors, as well as development partners, to push for expanding green and resilient investments, which enable Africa to leapfrog to high impact and clean technologies in productive sectors. The African Development Bank fully supports this ambition through its High 5 priorities, that, when fully implemented, will help Africa to achieve about 90% of its Sustainable Development Goals and 90% of its Agenda 2063.”

John Christensen, Director, UNEP DTU Partnership: “We have had very interesting three days in Nairobi. The 10th Africa Carbon Forum shows that countries in the region are moving forward on the implementation of the Paris Agreement in spite of the still limited international climate finance resources. No doubt this will be challenging and countries in the African region will while taking the lead need support from more developed countries and a private sector that takes part of the responsibility while ensuring it happens in effective and wealth generating ways.”

Venkata Ramana Putti, Programme Manager, Carbon Markets and Innovation, World Bank: “Carbon markets and pricing has huge potential to help tackling climate change, and contributing to sustainable development, hence the need to give it attention through a strong collaboration at domestic and regional levels.”

Dirk Forrister, CEO, IETA: “The strength of Africa’s response to the climate challenge is rooted in how well African business can become a partner in the effort. Many African businesses are interested in how the market incentives of regional cooperation can unleash important new climate business potential in the region.

“Once again, ACF explored this market growth potential and the innovative policy ideas for accelerating climate action.”

Jukka Uosukainen, Director, Climate Technology and Network Centre (CTCN): “Since the Paris climate Agreement in France in 2016, African governments have started asking for technological support in tackling climate that adversely affects the continent.  By serving as a bridge between developing countries’ technology needs and the proven expertise of finance, private sector and research experts from around the world, the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) builds partnerships that achieve countries’ climate and development objectives. This forum was a great opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned in Africa.”

Tony Simon, Director General of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF): “As a Climate Technology Centre and Network founding consortium partner, ICRAF has contributed to knowledge resources of CTCN.  Through new challenges like climate change and CTCN demands and your own wishes and needs we have seen that knowledge services that we offer is what CTCN is all about. The food system is under pressure from climate change.

“Locally-relevant options that enhance agricultural productivity, climate change adaptation and mitigation need to be adopted. Explore innovative finance instruments. Private equity offers a huge amount of money. Use the money from CTCN and other sources to pull in other funds and use that as an opportunity to blend financing for climate change initiatives.”

Climate change is a grave threat to Africa and any development gains the continent has made, but ambitious action and investment in response could hold tremendous opportunities.

This is the message heard at the High-level session of Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, Kenya, where African policymakers, climate change officials and a broad swath of private and public sector representatives are gathered to address climate change.

“Nations are far away from the level of commitment needed to achieve the Paris Agreement‘s goal of limiting temperature rise to 2 degree Celsius, let alone 1.5 degrees, and countries in Africa are among the hardest hit,” said UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa. “We need to invest in ambitious, integrated strategies and programmes in all sectors to turn Africa’s grave threat into a sustainable development opportunity.”

Nations agreed in Paris, France, in 2015 to limit global temperature rise to 2 degree Celsius and strive for a safer 1.5-degree limit. However, commitments made to date, described in countries’ nationally determined contributions, are far from the 2-degree target.

“Africa sees and is sadly witnessing the grave danger posed by climate change,” said Keriako Tobiko, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Kenya. “We can’t be scared into inaction, but must rally with investment, ideas and ambition that can turn calamity into development opportunities.”

The meetings, workshops and networking of private and public sector actors and high-level policymakers at the at the first Africa Climate Week are intended to spur climate action on the ground in key sectors, for example energy, agriculture and human settlements.

How to mobilise the vast investment needed to tackle climate change, through market-based approaches and targeted finance, will receive special attention in Climate Week’s cornerstone event, the 10th Africa Carbon Forum.

Another important outcome of Africa Climate Week will be its harvesting of views for consideration in the official climate negotiation process, as part of the year-long Talanoa Dialogue launched at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, last November.

“Countries made an historic agreement in Paris in 2015. The work now is on implementation, to limit warming, foster climate resilience, and align global finance flows with a pathway towards climate-neutral, sustainable development,” said Tomasz Chruszczow, a Champion of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action and Special Envoy for Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, Poland, in urging participants at Africa Climate Week to grasp the opportunity offered by the Talanoa Dialogue to inform and shape the international response to climate change.

Africa Climate Week is hosted and supported by the Government of Kenya and organised by the Nairobi Framework Partnership, together with Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority.

A team of scientists from the Kenya Markets Trust (KMT) on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 shared all the key research findings of four different thematic studies conducted in Kenya under the Pathways to Resilience in Semi-Arid Economies (PRISE) project.

“The Kenya government is now focusing on the “Big Four” agenda aimed at improving livelihoods, creating jobs and growing the economy by focusing on critical areas of the economy in the next five years,” noted Kamau Kuria, the head of KMT.

“It is noteworthy that part of the PRISE study, which aimed at strengthening the understanding and knowledge of decision makers on the threats and opportunities that semi-arid economies face in relation to climate change, will go a long way in helping unlock the potential of semi-arid lands in Kenya and thus enhance  their contribution to the national agenda,” he told delegates drawn from Kenya, Senegal, International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Overseas Development Institute (ODI) during the event to disseminate key research findings in a Nairobi Hotel.

The study, which was commissioned by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Canada and the UK based Department for International Development (DFID) aims at supporting climate resilient economic development in partner countries by identifying opportunities for adaptation that are also opportunities for investment by the public and private sectors.

“These findings from Kenya will help change the narrative in semi-arid areas,” said Dr Eva Ludifrom the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), which is coordinating the PRISE project at a global level.

According to Dr Evans Kitui of IDRC, direct involvement of government officials both at the county and the national level is a pointer towards implementation of policies that will emanate from the four studies. “In the past, research has not been well appreciated. But now, we can see a lot of government participation,” he said.

One of the studies found that, in the past 50 years, temperatures have risen in all the 21 semi-arid counties in Kenya, with five of them recording an increase of more than 1.5^oC increase. They include Turkana (1.8^oC), West Pokot, ElgeyoMarakwet (1.91^oC), Baringo (1.8^oC), Laikipia (1.59^oC) and Narok (1.75^oC).

This, according to Dr Mohammed Said, one of the lead researchers, has impacted greatly on livestock survival, on one hand presenting a disaster, and on the other hand providing an opportunity that can be exploited.

“There were winners and losers,” he told delegates at the forum. “Generally, cattle do  not survive the higher temperatures, while at the same time, sheep and goat population increased exponentially,” said Dr Said.

According to the study, whose theme was to harness opportunities for climate-resilient economic development in semi-arid lands and identifying the potential for economic transformation and diversification in semi-arid lands especially in the beef value chain, the overall population of cattle in all the semi-arid counties reduced by more than 26% between the year 1977 and 2016.

However, the study also reveals that goats and sheep population increased tremendously by 76% in the same period, with camels’ population increased by 14%. “This shows that goats, sheep and camels enjoyed the higher temperatures while cattle could not survive the stress,” said Dr Said.

“We’ve seen great potential for implementing some of the adaptation options and I call upon the stakeholders gathered here today, to pull together so we can build resilience and open up the ASALs for trade, investments and better livelihoods,” said Kuria of KMT.

In Nyeri County for example, Dr James Gakuo began with buying severely emaciated cattle for fattening at his farm in Kiganjo through intensive system of beef production that focuses on feeding cattle for 90 days on concentrate feeds till they reach the desired weight for the market, thereby creating a market for such animals that would otherwise have died.

In just two years, 14 other farmers have followed into his footsteps, and are in the business of fattening emaciated cattle thus providing more market to pastoralists who are hardly hit by tough climatic conditions.

Another study looked at the land tenure with special focus on Maasai pastoralist community in Kajiado County.

The study found out that 64 percent of the entire Kajiado County is now private land that is not open for grazing. “Though this has provided opportunity because privatisation can always lead to greater investment opportunities for those who can secure land, it marginalizes the poor and particularly women in the process,” said Dr Stephen Moiko, one of the lead researchers.

According to Dr Eva Ludi of ODI, these findings will be presented at the Talanoa Dialogue in Bonn, Germany come May 2018.

The purpose of the Talanoa Dialogue is for parties to share climate change related stories, build empathy and to make wise decisions for the collective good.

According to Dr Said, county governments should also take advantage of the research findings and scenario projections to develop their spatial plans.

“These findings will be important in formulation of new policies and strategies such as the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP 2018-2022), the National Wildlife Conservation and Management Strategy, and the County Development Integrated Plans (CIDPs),” said Joseph Muhwanga, the PRISE project National Coordinator in Kenya.

Courtesy: PAMACC News Agency