Africa needs more cash to fight climate change

FARA participated at the International solidarity conference on climate change pacts and advanced climate change strategies for the African and Mediterranean regions TUNIS, 18 - 20 November 2007.


This conference of scientists, researchers and regional bodies from Africa and Mediterranean countries called in a so-called Tunis Declaration for donors to make it easier for African countries to access financing for climate change preparedness.

The latest report by the U.N. climate panel says that between 75 and 250 million people in Africa are projected to face increased water stress by 2020.

In some African countries, it says yields from rain-fed farming could be cut by up to 50 percent by 2020. Africa is expected to be hit hardest by global warming blamed on carbon dioxide emissions from industry, transport and modern lifestyles in rich countries.It is also the continent least ready to cope with the droughts, floods and extreme weather predicted by scientists.

Experts say big developing countries, such as China and India, have won far more funds than Africa from rich nations to help cut greenhouse gases, for instance by investing in wind farms, hydropower dams or in cleaning up industrial emissions.
Read more on Reuters.

See also :
a) Climate Ark Climate Change and Global Warming Portal

b) Summary for Policymakers of the Synthesis Report of the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report
DRAFT COPY 16 NOVEMBER 2007 (23 p.)

c) The 2831st Council meeting on General Affairs and External Relations held in Brussels on 19-20 November 2007 adopted conclusions on a communication from the Commission on the building of a "global climate change alliance" between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing states.

d) "Fighting climate change can't be the frosting on the cake of development, it needs to be baked into the recipe," said World Bank President Robert Zoellick in the European Parliament on 20th November.