Author: THINKTEAM Support

Rating Africa Right – The Climate Finance Dilemma

A recent push by the African Union might see an African Credit Rating Agency established by early next year. Will this be enough to overcome the credit ratings challenges that have undermined the ability of African countries to access affordable climate finance?

Climate Finance

Climate Change is Fuelling Extremism in West African Youth

The loss of agricultural land, reduced water resources, and extreme weather events, among other factors, are creating fertile conditions for youth radicalisation in west Africa. Terrorist groups are exploiting these risk multipliers, often recruiting in the most vulnerable, impoverished, and marginalised areas. Following recurring military coups, ECOWAS is also unstable, lacking the authority, legitimacy and ability to support national climate responses. We spoke with Yero Sarr, a Senegalese climate activist to learn more.

African Climate Policy

Climate Change: a Curve Ball in SADC’s Quest for Industrialisation?

At the 44th SADC Summit, the bloc grappled with how it would achieve its industrialisation goals whilst responding to climate change and related energy woes. Newly appointed SADC Chair, Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, underscored the centrality of renewable energy in this process, as the region looks to unlock opportunities in agro-processing and minerals beneficiation.

Climate Finance

Zimbabwe Seeks to Calm Carbon Market Waters

Zimbabwe is at pains to repair the investor and carbon market damage wrought by last year’s statements, through the introduction of an Article 6 Strategy and Climate Change Management Bill.

African Climate Policy

African Countries Should Stop Developing Pointless Climate Technology Plans

Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs) are the primary instruments of the technology transfer process under the Paris Agreement. But a total of 21 funded projects over 15 years is reason enough to abandon these archaic assessments. The focus should instead be on the development and dissemination of technologies we already know are in high demand. We should also be having a broader conversation about the wider trade, regulatory and economic environment that undermines technology transfer.

African Climate Policy

South Africa Finally Gets its Climate Change Act

The long awaited Climate Change Act charts a course for the government to implement decade’s old climate policy, and signals to the international community the nation’s commitment to its emissions trajectory and adaptation ambitions.

Adaptation

Tapping Into The Growing Global ESG Bonds Market – Nigeria Punching Below its Weight

Given the US$ 1.2 billion chasm between the expectations of advanced and developing countries, Africa must find innovative ways to secure the necessary finance for climate action and development. Green bonds offer one means to do so. Nigeria is on a path to expanding its use of green bonds; however, it needs to do a lot more to increase the scale and success of these instruments.

Climate Finance

People’s Climate vote calls for greater action on Climate Change

With 19 African countries due to hold general or presidential elections this year, the People’s Vote on Climate Change highlights key priorities that citizens are looking for their governments to address. There is broad support for a transition away from fossil fuels in African countries, and most wanted greater action to avoid extreme weather events.

African Climate Policy

Getting the Global Goal on Adaptation up and Running

The global goal on adaptation it is wide reaching but disappointingly vague. Recently, countries met to flesh out indicators to measure it, creating an opportunity to craft something more meaningful and useful, that can spur action and channel climate finance where it is needed most.

Adaptation

Making the African Group of Negotiators an agenda setter

The African Group of Negotiators (AGN) can better position itself among agenda setters by investing its technical resources and diplomatic capital in influencing the climate regime’s institutional features. It should be challenging the system that penalises geographic and economic vulnerability, and should play a leading role in the intersection of human rights and climate change responses. By strengthening ties with the emerging economic powers of the Global South it can advance its agency in the negotiations.

African Climate Policy