The UN's climate chief has told politicians in Africa there is a “gold mine of human and economic benefits” awaiting them if they deliver on what was agreed at Cop28 in the UAE.
Simon Stiell said more jobs, better education, cheaper energy and healthier cooking could result from Africa's “greatest opportunity” to lift people out of poverty.
He blamed an “epidemic of underinvestment” for thwarting Africa's potential, as the world looks to Cop29 in Azerbaijan this year for a new deal on finance.
If global warming goes unchecked, Africa will be trapped in an “economic sinkhole” marked by famine, inflation and forced migration, he warned.
His speech to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, comes as the continent prepares to go into battle for more funding at Cop29.
Last year's Cop28 summit in Dubai ended with landmark agreements to move away from fossil fuels, treble the world's renewable energy firepower and double energy efficiency.
Some developing-country delegates had raised concerns that phasing out fossil fuels would stifle economic progress.
“I recognise these are big commitments, particularly in regions focused on development. But delivering on them will unlock a gold mine of human and economic benefits,” Mr Stiell said on Thursday.
“Cleaner, more reliable and affordable energy across Africa. More jobs, stronger local economies, underpinning more stability and opportunity, especially for women.
“Electrification and lighting at night in the home means kids can do homework, boosting education outcomes, with major flow-on productivity gains driving stronger economic growth.”
Fighting climate change with policies that also promote nature, biodiversity and land restoration will “drive progress” across the UN's 17 anti-poverty goals, he said.
He said going green “can and should be the single greatest opportunity for Africa, to lift up people, communities, and economies, after centuries of exploitation and neglect”.
Money shortage
However, the needs of developing countries are estimated at almost $6 trillion by 2030 and previous efforts to raise money have fallen short.
Negotiations on a new finance deal at Cop29, which begins in Baku on November 11, have been narrowed down to seven main options.
One would set rich countries the goal providing of $1.3 trillion by 2030, while another would insist on at least $440 billion in grants rather than loans. A third would expand the list of donors to polluters to outside the traditionally developed world, which could mean China.
African delegates should go to Cop29 with a focus on securing direct grants, said Josefa Sacko, an African Union commissioner for the environment, before the talks in Abidjan.
Climate change could knock five per cent a year off Africa's GDP, with “the poor, women, and the most vulnerable and marginalised populations” bearing the brunt, she said.
Figures from the International Energy Agency show Africa is set to invest just $43 billion in clean energy this year, a fraction of what is being spent in China, Europe and North America.
Mr Stiell said renewable energy investment “needs to grow at least fivefold” by 2030.
Africa also lacks funding to step up resilience against floods, droughts and other anticipated effects of global warming.
The World Meteorological Organisation warned this week that more than 100 million people already in extreme poverty will be exposed to droughts, floods or extreme heat within a few years.
It said African countries faced “disproportionate burdens” and were typically spending almost 10 per cent of their budgets to respond to climate extremes.
“African nations' vast potential to drive forward climate solutions is being thwarted by an epidemic of underinvestment,” Mr Stiell said.
“Cop29 in Baku must signal that the climate crisis is core business for every government, with finance solutions to match. Nations must agree a new international climate finance goal, and ensure that it is grounded in the needs of developing countries.”
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
