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COP29 aims to get developed countries to agree to greater financial support for poor climate-vulnerable nations

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) is to be held from 11 to 22 November in Baku, Azerbaijan. The main goal of the conference is for countries to agree on a new climate finance target through which wealthy countries will pay to help poorer and climate-vulnerable nations to cope with climate change. On this occasion, ChinAfrica talked to Chukwumerije Okereke, director of the Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Alex-Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike in Nigeria and also a partner of Allied for Climate Transformation by 2025 (ACT2025), to seek his views on Africa’s and China’s efforts on combating climate change.

ChinAfrica: How do you view the achievements of COP28? What are the highlights of COP28? 

Chukwumerije Okereke: COP28 in 2023 resulted in some productive outcomes, including a truth-telling Global Stocktake (GST) – a report card assessing global climate action and support. The GST unveils a stark reality: Progress lags significantly behind the goals of the Paris Agreement, and time is slipping away. To this end, the GST makes it clear that the world must transition away from fossil fuels, and puts in place new global goals to complement the transition, including tripling renewable energy, doubling energy efficiency, and halting deforestation.

However, a GST outcome that merely recognises challenges without support to address those challenges hardly offers much hope. Studies estimate that developing countries will need trillions of US dollars of public and private funding for climate action by 2030. Climate-vulnerable nations are also disappointed by the insufficient response to climate-related disasters. They have stressed that more progress is urgently needed to align with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree-Celsius target.

What is your comment on China’s efforts on combating climate change? 

China has already taken notable steps to green its overseas investments and contribute to global climate efforts. China is the world’s largest solar generator. Looking ahead, China can enhance ambition and lead by aligning its actions with the demands of climate-vulnerable nations. This includes supporting adaptation through knowledge sharing, and accelerating its own just transition towards carbon neutrality.

Expectations are high for all G7 and G20 countries; they must send a loud and clear signal for reducing emissions this year to solidify 2025 as the year of increased ambition. In practice, this means that G7 and G20 countries must strengthen their national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions or NDCs) consistent with 1.5-degree-Celsius pathways and in line with GST learnings. These NDCs, expected well in advance of COP30 in 2025, should indicate economy-wide absolute emissions reduction targets, covering all sectors.

What is your comment on China-Africa partnership on the fight against climate change? 

China is an important trading partner of Africa and one of its biggest sources of foreign aid and investment. China is also home to more than 80 percent of the world’s renewable energy manufacturing. All these make China uniquely well positioned to support clean energy expansion and access in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The outcomes of the recently held Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation reflect the importance of China-Africa cooperation in shaping a sustainable and equitable climate future. We also see indicators here of China taking steps to green its overseas investments and advance climate action and justice for other parts of the world.

What are the challenges and opportunities faced by China and African countries in combating climate change?  

China and Africa need to ensure China’s clean energy investment is directed where it can have the most positive impact. Considering that distributed renewable energy is primarily needed in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, this presents various challenges of access and scale. As such, it is important that local contexts, including terrain and cultural dynamics, dictate how to successfully design and execute projects.

More generally, it can be said that both China and Africa are attempting to strike a balance between climate action, energy security, and long-term economic competitiveness. Both require risk analysis, scenario planning, and common sense based on observable trends.

What role China could play in uniting developing countries to jointly combat climate change? 

Given that China’s leadership is crucial to achieving global climate goals, China is well primed to serve as a catalyst for global unity. China has a unique role to play in fostering unity and driving global progress towards a sustainable and equitable future through its support for climate-vulnerable nations. By fostering cooperation among the Global South, China can enhance its support for inclusive and people-centred development that drives global climate action towards a clean and beautiful world.

Indeed, China has consistently been a strong voice for climate justice, particularly through its pivotal role in supporting the G77 to call for the establishment of a loss and damage fund at COP27.

What are your expectations for this year’s COP29? 

As we look ahead to COP29, the ACT2025 consortium has outlined four key priorities in our Call to Action, which are critical to building a more inclusive and sustainable future for all. These priorities speak to the financial and climate justice needs of vulnerable nations:

Ambitious climate finance is non-negotiable: COP29 must deliver the New Collective Qualified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance that aligns with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree-Celsius target and reflects the real financial needs of vulnerable nations. The NCQG must cover mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage.

Scaling up adaptation efforts: COP28’s outcomes fell short of addressing the urgency of the adaptation crisis. COP29 presents a critical opportunity to fill these gaps, not only ensuring that adaptation plans and their implementation are robust, inclusive, and effective, but also that there are sufficient resources available to do so.

Responding to loss and damage with sufficient action and support: The new Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage must be sufficiently funded and fully operational by COP29. The new fund is meaningless if it does not result in accessible finance at scale to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable developing countries and communities in responding to loss and damage, without imposing further burdens such as debt.

Accelerating mitigation ambition and implementation: With 2025 rapidly approaching, countries need clear, people-centred pathways to phase out fossil fuels and a just transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

The Society for Planet and Prosperity (SPP), in close collaboration with the Department of Climate Change (DCC) of the Federal Ministry of Environment in Abuja, has announced plans to officially launch the rating and ranking of the climate governance performance of Nigeria’s 36 states in July 2024.

The statement was made on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at the inaugural coordination meeting of climate change desk officers from Nigerian states, which was convened by the DCC.

SPP President, Prof Chukwumerije Okereke, while presenting the state of play of the rating and ranking project, said the project builds on the mapping of the climate change impact, policy, and action of the states, which was executed by the team last year in collaboration with the DCC and the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).

He said the current project would provide a single rating and ranking report of the performance of the 36 states of Nigeria.

Professor Okereke said the rating and ranking were done based on five governance criteria, namely, (i) climate change governance administrative structure, (ii) presence or absence of climate policy and action plan, (iii) extent of climate change project implementation; (iv) extent of incorporation of climate finance in state budgets; and (v) online visibility of state’ climate activities.

Professor Okereke said the ranking and rating exercise is based on the responses provided by States Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, and Climate Desk Officers across the 36 states, as well as extensive independent verification done by the research team and the Department of Climate Change staff.

Professor Okereke said he was confident that this rating and ranking exercise would raise awareness of climate in the states and create an atmosphere of positive competition and a race to the top among the states, consistent with what he has seen in other countries where such projects have been done.

Professor Okereke stated that the states with the highest-ranking scores would be recognised during the report’s launch, which is expected to be held in the last week of July.

During his keynote address, Mahmud Adam Kambari, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, expressed his delight at the official launch of the Subnational Coordination Meeting on Climate Change, stating that climate change is a major emergency and one of the most pressing issues of our time.

He underlined the fact that the purpose of the coordination conference is to strengthen the synergy between national and subnational actors in order to achieve better climate governance in the country in line with the Presidential Transformative Agenda of the President.

The Permanent Secretary described subnational climate change officers as key personnel in the fight against climate change, given their role in translating global climate goals into concrete actions and policies that resonate at the local level.

Dr. Iniobong Abiola-Awe, Director of the DCC, while presenting the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the subnational coordination meeting, highlighted the key objectives of the meeting to include improving collaboration and knowledge sharing among Subnational Climate Change Desk Officers, promoting effective climate change action at the subnational level, and targeted training and capacity building of the desk officers.

Dr. Abiola-Awe urged climate change desk officers to be responsive and on time at all meetings, as they are expected to attend and offer updates on climate change initiatives, successes, problems, and lessons learnt in their respective regions during the monthly sessions.

In closing, Prof Okereke congratulated the DCC Team on the successful coordination meeting of Climate Change Desk Officers from Nigeria’s 36 states, which he said will have a massive impact in helping to align state climate action with national climate priorities and objectives.

By Wole Adegbule, Society for Planet and Prosperity

International climate expert and leading advocate for climate action in Nigeria, Professor Chukwumerije Okereke has organized a climate education and tree planting exercise in Enugu State.

The state tree planting exercise is one of the programmes mapped out for the implementation of the International Visitors’ Leadership Programme (IVLP) impact award given to Prof.l Chukwumerije Okereke by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.Nigeria

The exercise involved the planting of 35 ornamental trees along the road from P&T Bus Stop towards Ziks Avenue in a bid to raise awareness about the dangers of climate change and urban air pollution and the positive role of urban greening in combating both challenges.

The state tree planting exercise was flagged off by the Hon. Commissioner for Environment Enugu state who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of State Ministry of Environment Mr. Albert Obiora Ekete.

The flag-off was witnessed by 24 young leaders present, staff of the state ministry of Environment, CEO of Eco-cyclers, Ms Oge Nwonye, a Member of the State Government Palliative Team, Mr. Basil Ojengwa, and many other volunteers who joined the exercise.

The young leaders had been selected from over 4,000 applications to be trained on the fundamentals of climate change science, urban air pollution, and climate advocacy to equip them to become more active citizens and more effective in spreading the message of climate action.

A total of 35 ornamental trees (Green Ficus) were planted by the participants with help and support from the staff of the State Ministry of Environment that came with the Permanent Secretary.

Each of the participants present planted a tree after the flag-off was done by the Permanent Secretary. The campaign also involved an arrangement with the State Ministry of Environment to water and care for the trees to ensure they survive and flourish.

He said that trees symbolize a profound commitment to addressing the pressing challenges of air pollution and climate change that have been plaguing the state.

He said that trees stand as silent sentinels, poised to purify the air, mitigate the effects of climate change, and restore the balance of the local ecosystem.

Professor Okereke thanked the Hon Commissioner for Environment, Prof Sam Ugwu, the Permanent Secretary Albert Obiora Ekete, and the entire staff of the State Ministry of Environment for supporting the exercise.

He thanked the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and their implementing partner Meridian International for giving him the opportunity, to contribute to climate awareness, leadership training, and the sustainable development of Enugu State through the IVLP impact program.

He assured them that he is committed to working with them to empower more young leaders in the state and beyond to become active citizens in promoting stronger climate and environmental action in the state.

The young leaders were informed that the next activity will be the school visit to educate the students on Urban greening and tree planting.

For the organization and implementation of the programme, Professor Okereke was actively supported by Eco-cyclers, the Center for Climate Change and Development, and the Society for Planet and Prosperity.