Africa sshould reaffirm commitment to climate change agenda by going green

As curtains close on the Marrakech climate conference, I admit I was green behind the ears about global narratives on climate. Last week, I wrote about the adverse effects of climate change in Africa, and the heavy price we pay for environmental pollution by industrialised nations. Global attention has shifted from governance and trade issues, to climate change. Every country wants to be in and the stakeholders are many.

But effects of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions are now pretty evident. Global temperatures are expected to be up by some four degrees Celsius. For Africa, it is already up by three degrees, compared to 1950, and is set to get worse. The cost of adaptation in Africa is estimated to be over $10 billion annually. For coastal cities, a one-metre rise in the ocean is already displacing 30 million people. By 2050, environmental immigrants are likely to be around one billion, according to researchers, who insist that carbon emissions must be reduced by at least 80 per cent by 2050 or else we sink.