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African ministers need to speak in one voice on climate change: Creecy

Barbara Creecy
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Environment Minister, Barbara Creecy, has called on African Ministers to speak in one voice when negotiating at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain. She made the call at the African Ministers Conference on Environment on Sunday.

The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) is seeking special circumstance conditions to be considered for Africa that will ensure that the continent is provided with infrastructure and financial support in its fight against climate change.

Creecy says without these commitments from the developed world – it will be difficult to reach the carbon reduction targets in the Paris Agreement.

African Ministers of Environment are concerned that the Green Climate Fund isn’t being replenished adequately. This creates a challenge for developing countries to achieve their adaptation and mitigation targets.

AMCEN secretariat David Ombisi says there needs to be rapid action, ” We are on the brink of missing the opportunity to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Reflecting on the reports its evident that the incremental changes will not be enough and there is a need for rapid and transformational action.”

Central to their arguments and negotiating our stance is that Africa cannot afford to address the loss and damage caused by climate change from their developing economies. The AMCEN meeting agreed that it was imperative for Africans to send one unified message. The developed world must play it’s part responsibly in fighting climate change effects in the Global South.

Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s Environment Minister and President of AMCEN, says, ” The African continent wants a clear share of the proceeds from both articles 6.2 and 6.4 which we see going towards an adaptation fund. Lastly, we have stressed the importance of new additional predictable and adequate finance tech transfer and capacity building for the African continent whole and African countries individually.”

For South Africa, Creecy says the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy shouldn’t result in any job losses or industry collapse. She says it’s important that action plans to mitigate climate change doesn’t leave anyone behind.

In 2015 in Paris, the developed world had pledged to donate 100-billion US dollars towards the Green Climate Fund. But, currently – just 5-bn US dollars has been committed. Developing countries needing financial assistance are feeling the pinch.

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