Tanguy Gahouma, president of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, on the eve of COP26, deplores the inaccuracy of the figures presented by the G20 on the financing of the fight against climate change.
The president of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, who will be present from November 1 in Glasgow for COP26, Tanguy Gahouma, called for a system to be put in place to track funding for the fight against climate change. The latter, promised by the G20, has still not reached its annual target of $ 100 billion. More serious still, the 20 largest economies in the world, responsible for more than 80% of greenhouse gas emissions, “Say they have reached maybe 70% of the goal. But we cannot see it, ”deplores Tanguy Gahouma.
The Gabonese official insists: "We must have a clear roadmap on how to know how they will put the 100 billion dollars a year on the table, and how we can follow that". “We have no time to waste and Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world,” concludes Gahouma.
The G20 commitment was adopted in 2009. It was for developed countries to raise $ 100 billion per year to help developing countries cope with the fallout from global warming. Why ? Simply because the most developed countries are also the world's leading polluters. "If someone is responsible for something, it is up to him to pay for it", summarizes Tanguy Gahouma.
However, if the amount of aid to fight against global warming has indeed increased, it is far from the amount promised, and the use of funds is not transparent.
Insufficient funds
The latest estimates from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that G20 funding reached $ 79,6 billion in 2019, just 2% more than in 2018. OECD data also show that Asian countries received an average of 43% of total climate finance for the period 2016-2019, while Africa received 26%. Gahouma says a more detailed shared system is needed to keep a clear view of each country's contribution and where it is going.
Temperatures in Africa are rising at a faster rate than the global average, according to the latest UN climate report. The United Nations predicts that further warming will lead to more extreme heat waves, severe coastal flooding and intense rainfall across the continent. If, in fact, African countries are engaged in a vital fight against global warming, through several initiatives such as national green economy projects, the fight against desertification, etc., African countries are not primarily responsible for the climate catastrophe.
Climate apartheid?
Moreover, according to the estimates of specialists, the 100 billion dollars are not enough to accomplish the ecological projects necessary for this fight. Even if the G20 fully paid the 100 billion promised, the figure would have to be multiplied by ten before 2030. “The figure of 100 billion dollars was a political commitment. It was not based on the real needs of developing countries to fight against climate change, ”says Gahouma.
The challenges are not lacking for Africa, therefore. But African countries are facing an additional challenge, just to give voice on the subject: the administrative obstacles to enter the United Kingdom, attend COP26, and travel during the Covid-19 pandemic are smaller delegations than usual may attend the event. “Limited delegations, with enormous work and limited time. It will be very difficult ”, summarizes, with annoyance, Gahouma.