COP27- Time to Come Together; Sharm el-Sheikh Egypt 2022

COP27 is bringing together world leaders and other stakeholders to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. Science has evolved rapidly and we are undeniably able to see, feel and understand the impact of climate change.

The world is under greater urgency to provide the necessary and rightfully deserved justice to nature. Response from nature is a turnaround kickback of our actions that we have no option but to neutralize this crisis by taking the needful steps, especially in lowering greenhouse gas emissions and objectively finding answers on new mechanisms of adapting to the negative impacts of climate change prioritizing those in vulnerable situations.

This is a golden opportunity for all stakeholders to raise to the occasion and demonstrate implementation of commitments and fulfilling the pledges they have been previously making regarding mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to climate change.

Areas of Critical Focus for actions.

The goal of the conference is to prioritize mitigation, adaptation, financing, and collaboration as a way forward in reversing the climate change crisis. 

Enhancing the delivery of the principles of transparency and accountability throughout the climate change process would go a long way in cementing the practicability of climate change commitments and actions.

Climate Change Impacts Snapshot

Different parts of the world have been affected differently by the twists of climate change. Drought, temperature rise,  floods, landslides, and raise in sea levels to mention a few. Most of these impacts are attributed to pollution.

Africa contributes less than 3% of the total pollution responsible for global climate change but faces the severe page of the impacts.

East Africa is one of the regions that has been adversely hit by the ever-increasing temperatures and drought this year, amid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic impacts. Some parts of the member countries have not received rainfall for a period of more than 2 years.

Kenya for instance has experienced the worst prolonged drought after a period of over 40 years with incidences of crop failure and reduced food supply leading to increased prices of limited food in supply. 

Noticeably, hunger episodes have disrupted socio-economic productivity. 

“Due to drought, many children have dropped out of school.” President Dr. William Ruto mentioned as the demand for food has overwhelmed the distribution capacity.

Future generation prosperity is already being tempered.

What is the way forward?

COP26 established the Glasgow Dialogue to formulate funding for measures to prevent, mitigate and remedy losses associated with climate change. The milestone is yet to be achieved.

COP27 is here. It is time to make difficult but necessary decisions and transform our daily operations to rehabilitate climate disasters. Lame or no action is a dangerous route to take.

We need to move from negotiations to implementing words by translating them into action. 

This means keeping the promises tied to our words through our actions in mobilizing and increasing financial flow to those most affected, especially in Africa. 

Increasing tree cover from the current 12.13% to 30% in the next 10 years by the Kenyan government as President Dr. William Ruto puts it, is a positive gesture of climate revitalization.

Carbon financing is the next significant approach that is aimed at benefiting communities that adopt carbon-friendly practices aimed at direct carbon sequestration.

Adopting clean and renewable energy is the way to go. Anyone can do this, limit food waste, have responsible waste management, control irrigation, and minimize water wastage. 

These are small actions points to take at an individual level to contribute to a healthy and clean planet.

FSPN Africa Commitment

Science indicates that we have limited time to catch up with implementation and again work with speed within the available limited time.

 FSPN Africa is working collaboratively with small-scale and indigenous farmers by empowering them to shift their routines, take informed responsibility and adopt practices that lower carbon footprints from Agriculture. Farmers are, yes, part of the contributors to carbon emissions accounting for approximately 24%, and sadly by numbers, they are the most affected by climate change. We have a huge duty to scale down this percentage. Through climate-smart farming, they are the biggest shareholders with the unquestionable capacity to reverse climate deterioration.

We are ensuring farmers across Africa have access to information and technologies that will guide them in adopting carbon-friendly practices that lower carbon footprint and improve soil health, and yields, and provide alternative income sources from carbon financing.

FSPN Africa jointly with partners is working on the development and testing of key indicators and management strategies for carbon sequestration especially in rural Africa for data-driven adjustments on climate change as it relates to agriculture.  

We are also committed to improving and strengthening food distribution channels from production to consumption aimed at limiting food loss and waste. Together with other food system actors, we endeavor to promote and adopt food distribution practices that cut down on unforeseen emissions from irresponsible distribution  and consumption patterns 

Take Home Points from COP27

  • Conflicts such as the war in Ukraine have exposed our addiction to world fossil energy which is backsliding our efforts toward the adoption of clean energy. We need to take tough measures to self-defeat this addiction.
  • The time to shift the ‘will’ to the rapid implementation of concrete actions is NOW. Climate changes all of us, especially how we live. Images speak it loud.
  • It is time to work together as the UN Secretary-General told over 100 world leaders, “ Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact or a Collective Suicide Pact,”
  • Food security is greatly disrupted by negative climate shifts that have, in recent times and now, immensely caused human suffering, economic breakdown, psychosocial crisis escalation, and malnutrition.

It is time to shift resources and focus to the implementation of Climate Rehabilitation. Let us take action not just for us but also for the future generation.