COP30 should enable Africa beat climate crisis

Brazil's Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara (C) speaks next to Brazil's Minister of Environment Marina Silva (C L) during the so-called "Great People's March" in the sidelines of the COP30 UN Climate Change Conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil on November 15, 2025.[AFP] An ugly bloody incident occurred in Belem, Brazil, this week, as protesters breached security and forced themselves into the priority Blue Zone at the COP30 venue, prompting a rebut from security personnel, some also injured in the fracas. They might have been irked by the happenings around forests, including promotion of carbon markets as a means to solve the climate crisis, considering the visible presence of indigenous people dressed in traditional regalia. Whether there could have been more than meets the eye, the fact is the daring act is a testament that people's patience is running out. Even as delegates and observers try to ensure a successful COP, for the indigenous communities, and many others on the front-line of the climate problem, this is a matter of life and death. Annoying indeed is the now habit of fossil fuels companies' huge representation at the COPs, with the number increasing every year. Through the now transparent figures showing representation at the COPs, this particular one has shown that the fossil fuel industry is represented by more than 1,600 delegates, more than any single country's at the event, except for the host Brazil. As reported, one in every 25 delegates is at the COP30 to represent a fossil fuel entity. Yet the climate emergency is not a story, it is a reality whose cause has been linked to other causes, one major player being the fossil fuel industry. The big push for the achievement, implementation of the Global Goal on Adaptation is not mere theatrics, but one to ensure the survival of the vulnerable families in the Global South, where the problem was not manufactured. In Africa, this problem is a daily reality. In Kenya, for instance, floods have displaced communities in the Rift Valley, some as a result of lakes' back-flow, and others, some killed, as landslides swept them down the valley in a night of horror. In the North, in Marsabit, families are starving following a prolonged dry spell, and unbearable heat. All these cases are linked to many causes, with climate change as a catalyst. In such instances, the brittleness of infrastructure in Africa is more pronounced. Besides, communities have little shock absorbers, if any, and a prolonged dry season almost always becomes a profound hunger crisis, with millions of people at risk of diseases and disasters. These issues are not unique to Kenya. They are a stark reminder that adaptation can no longer wait, because it is Africa's main means to survival. Already, what Africa is allocated as Adaptation funds is inadequate. In 2023, for instance, the continent only got $26 billion. A 2025 UNEP Adaptation Gap Report shows developing nations will require $310 billion annually by 2035. This is a huge difference. This is a matter of justice, considering the millions of lives and tens of economies stagnating because their basic earning and sometimes loans go to tackling problems that could have been prevented. This is the more reason why the push for grants rather than loans to deal with the climate problems must be harder. As a loan, any adaptation fund will only worsen a nation's problems, and maybe push it to borrowing even more. Civil society are essential in tracing these happenings and putting their governments to task whenever unnecessary borrowing happens, or very expensive loans are opted for. They must not be silenced, criminalised, or smartly silenced by restricting access to some key zones. We need them to speak for the people, demand scaling up of the adaptation finance and grant-based funds, not loans, because Africa must cope. The writer is a contributing editor at Mongabay. lynet@mongabay.com

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