Africa to COP 15

Preamble

Note from The Africa Climate Editor

“There should be less money pumped into climate discussions to cool the earth”

The discussions COP 15 on Climate change must shift from the financial and political questions to action. Climate change impacts do not respect the artificial North South divide that has been created by the economists and politicians, on the contrary they serve to enhance the complementarity of the two poles.

Under the prevailing economic, political, and environmental conditions the Global South (Developing) and the North (Developed) divide pales into oblivion.  Clearly the effects of the emerging and converging crisis will affect us all. Those in the South might be faced with challenges far removed from those in the North, similarly those in the North will be faced with challenges that might have their roots dating back to the start of industrial revolution.  The climate change impacts started manifesting themselves way back in time.   Some recent events such as the London smog of 1952, and Rachel Carson’s Silent spring of 1962 have brought into fore the impacts of industrial and agricultiural revolution on the environment; these two episodes represent a poignant moment in history and the realisation of natures vulnerability to human led activity. They also represent key milestones in the current global environmentalism.

Over time, humans have modified their ecosystems to serve them better, with each change, there has been a shift in the services that the environment freely offers to nature. These changes have become pronounced by the different development paths that the North and South have taken over the last 100 or so years. The disparities in the physical infrastructure and technological advances are intricately linked to the perceived environmental and ecological impacts. These differences are a mirror image of each other and represent environmental processes that go hand in glove. This correlation further goes to show the deep need for a new form of engagement between the North and the Global South. The two poles need each other more than ever before. Each has what the other needs; the global ecosystem.

The global ecosystem has been stretched to limits that call for action. To avert a global catastrophe, there is a need for a sober, creative and substantive committed action beyond 2012 at the COP 15.

Global action should  aim at creating a mass movement towards dealing with the causes of climate change and addressing the impacts.  This should be divorced from the financial mechanisms which have created a political impasse. The financial mechanisms must only take precedence where they are a must. Unfortunately, the financial mechanisms have been the dominating item in the deliberations surrounding Climate Change and especially focused on Carbon Dioxide. The conversion of carbon dioxide to a tradeable commodity has created and highly politicized environment. It has pitted the North against the North and now at the COP 15, it will be pitting the North versus the emerging economic giants in the South. The trade in Carbon is fully under the control of the North, the efficacy of the much publicised cap and trade has also been under scrutiny. The REDD mechanism is designed along the same principles. If the cap and trade is already facing pressure to show positive results, how successful will the REDD programmes become where the risks seem to overweight the environmental rewards?

Africa as a continent must accept the reality of dealing with climate change and not view it as yet another scheme or opportunity to make money for Governments, NGOs, Institutions, Civil Society bodies and private individuals. This is a poignant decisive moment where “the wealth” in culture and biodiversity, and a peoples dignity should manifest itself to create a buffer against the predicted impacts of climate change. On the same token, the North needs to acknowledge their role in the emerging crisis and seek for a real partnership with the Global South as worthy and equal partners. There is a need for asserting some ethical standards in this emerging partnership that will survive beyond the short term economic gains.

By engaging the COP 15 as equal partners within the current global economic and environmental crisis, Africa and the North can lay some new foundation based on mutual respect.  Africa must focus on making the environment work for its masses and not to grab the opportunity to create institutions that will further alienate the masses.   The North must owe up to its past environmental errors. COP 15 should be a time for change for Africa and for the world.

Introduction to COP 15
COP15 will be held in Copenhagen, Denmark and will last two weeks from 7 December to 18 December 2009.

The overall goal for the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference hosted by Denmark is to establish an ambitious global climate agreement for the period from 2012 when the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol expires.

It is expected that ministers and officials from 192 countries will take part. In addition, there will be participants from a large number of organisations. The conference is preceded by the Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions scientific conference in March, co-located in Copenhagen.

Africa at COP 15
What was included in the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol- specific to Africa?

What impact will the Global Economic Recession (slowdown) have towards the financial instruments designed to  supporting Climate mitigating action from the global South?  Should Africa focus on economic incentives on action that is targeted at dealing with the most pressing of issues; food, water, land, access to natural resources and dignity or focus on financial instruments that will forever undermine the dignity of the masses?

Moving away from Carbon economies in the Global South, the economic trap
In the face of the Global Economic Slowdown, most of the global south governments will have reservations or will doublespeak about their commitment to dealing with climate change.  Just like in the North, they will not be ready by Cop 15 to shift their “oil dependent” economies to the more expensive green energy path without a guarantee of a hefty investment from the North.  By 2010, the world will still be very far from the total economic recovery.  Unfortunately, economic prosperity has been the major yardstick in the design of the existing climate mechanisms and have underpinned the negotiations.  This being both an economic and political question, the framework will remain the single most important factor determining how the beyond COP 15 commitments will be shaped.  Unfortunately, even tools like the REDD framework are now at a very delicate position just like the idea of cap and trade.

1.0 Climate Change and Health in Africa- moving away from the economics and politics
Through changing weather patterns, humans are exposed to climate change (IPCC).  There is emerging evidence that shows;

• Altered distribution of some infectious diseases
• altered distribution of some natural allergenic compounds

Water borne and water related diseases might also be on the increase in areas that will be exposed to floods, while malnutrition related illnesses might be elevated in countries exposed to water scarcity and prolonged droughts.

Low income countries will be in particular vulnerable and especially the urban poor, the elderly and children.

The cost of dealing with the emerging crisis on a mass scale is undoubtedly “overwhelming” if viewed from an economic point of view.  The failure to act is even worse.  The economic cost and burden creates an imperative; alternatives must be sought away from the mainstream.

1.1 The role of indigenous knowledge in dealing with the health questions in Africa

Alternative healing practices and medicine should provide one of the rapid responses to the projected impact of climate change on human health.

At COP 15, the role of indigenous knowledge as a tool to mitigate the impacts of climate change must be integrated and supported as part of the evolving National Action Plans to Adaptation (NAPA). This will require less financial intervention as compared to promoting the modern medicine on a global scale. The role of Indigenous knowledge in dealing with climate related changes was heavily underplayed in the 4th IPCC report.

2.0 Soils in Africa: The Role of Soil in food security and climate change management (food security and conflict mitigation)

Soils are a massive carbon reservoir, not only in Africa but across the globe. In Europe the soils are holding between 73 and 79 billion tonnes of carbon around half of which is stored in the peat bogs of Sweden, Finland, Britain and Ireland. Just 0.1% of this carbon released into the atmosphere through poor soil management would be equivalent to an extra 100 million cars on the road – 50% of the vehicles in Europe.  Land holds three times as much carbon as the atmosphere does (≈1,600 billion tons in the soil and 540-610 billion tons in living vegetation).

The best way to ensure the carbon stays in the soil – and that soil captures as much extra carbon is possible – is to protect and manage the soil. Carbon is lost from soil when native ecosystems are destroyed to be replaced by cropland. The decrease of organic matter in topsoils can have dramatic negative effects on water holding capacity of the soil, on structure stability and compactness, nutrient storage and supply and on soil biological life such as mycorrhizas and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (M Henry et al 2009).  The current trend of soil degradation needs to be reversed, and soil management practices must be improved if a high rate of soil carbon sequestration is to be achieved (EU ClimSoil Report, 2008).

2.1 Status of Soils in Africa
Landuse change is responsible for the global 20% anthropogenic C released to the atmosphere, and the primary net C release from Africa; much of it from burning of forests (IPCC, Henry et al 2009). The typical slush and burn activity has a negligible impact on the released carbon from the soil to the atmosphere unless there is over exploitation due to other factors.

Soil fertility in Africa is under pressure and heavily depleted of their Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) (Smaling et al 1996). It is also estimated that topsoils have lost between 20-50% of their original C content. However, data on the status of soils in Africa is scattered and there exists few comprehensive soil maps to support accurate data about SOC.

Baseline information is needed not only to support the question of potential for sequestration of Carbon, but as an indicator for strategic interventions linked to food security in the future.  The question of SOC should be divorced from the politics of Carbon Financing and climate change and focus on the food needs of the continent.

The solution to soil fertility lies on the small scale farmers and their soil management practices.  The role of Indigenous knowledge systems yet again has a great role to play in this sector.

2.2 Existing Local Knowledge or Indigenous Inventions
There exist different mechanisms that can be used to improve soil fertility, however, improving SOC involves an integrated approach to land use management.

2.3 Soils in Sub Sahara Africa and potential for Carbon Storage

The agriculture sector dominates the economies of most sub-Saharan countries, contributing about one-third of the region’s GDP, accounting for forty percent of the export, and employing about two-thirds of the economically active population. Moreover, some soils in sub-Saharan Africa could, by providing sinks for carbon sequestration, play an important role in managing global climate change. Improvements in agricultural techniques and land use practices could lead to higher agricultural productivity and accumulate soil carbon. Hence, soil carbon sequestration could produce local economic income as well as social and other benefits in Africa.

How is this related to the CDM process and the Kyoto?