The first African Climate Summit ended on Wednesday, September 6, in Nairobi, with a joint declaration by the heads of state setting out the continent's expectations of the major polluting countries, and its aspirations to become a major player in decarbonizing the global economy. It defines the common position to be defended by the continent's representatives in a busy international agenda – G20 this weekend in India, the UN General Assembly at the end of September, the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Marrakesh in October, and a new round of climate negotiations in the United Arab Emirates in November (COP28).
The eight-page text was the subject of intense discussion to achieve a balance satisfying all 54 states. It was a successful gamble for Kenyan President William Ruto, who led this meeting, described as "historic" by its participants, and established himself as the continent's voice. If Senegalese leader Macky Sall's suggestion is accepted, he could even be the only head of state to speak on behalf of the whole of Africa at COP28. A privilege that only former Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi (1991-2012) enjoyed at the 2009 World Climate Conference in Copenhagen.
For three days, Ruto's smile and pragmatism may have charmed and even reassured the Westerners invited to the event, but the consensus that emerged from Nairobi is not just a reminder of the broken promises, such as the creation of a $100 billion (€93 billion) annual fund.
Faced with the growing impacts of climate change and the need to build decarbonized economies, it calls for a paradigm shift through the introduction of a global tax on carbon emissions, "including a tax on fossil fuel trade, air and sea transport." This, along with a possible "tax on financial transactions," will "provide dedicated, affordable and accessible financing to invest in large-scale climate projects, without drawing on [domestic] resources and without being unduly influenced by geopolitical and national interests."
African leaders in Nairobi denounced the injustices of the global financial system and major institutions such as the IMF and World Bank (whose reform is currently under discussion). They are also calling for an increase in concessional loans – on very favorable financial terms – and debt relief measures.
On Tuesday, the Global Adaptation Centre, which supports the most vulnerable countries, announced that the continent's financial needs could amount to $100 billion a year. For Tanzania, for example, which will be submitting its adaptation plan to COP28 in order to mobilize international funding, this amounts to almost $10 billion, or 15% of its GDP.
Faced with these choices, Africa's leaders point to the need to ensure clean economic development for a continent whose population is set to double by 2050, and quadruple by 2100, to achieve global carbon neutrality by mid-century and contain temperature rises to below 1.5°C, or even 2°C. "We are committed to driving economic growth and job creation in Africa in a way that not only limits our emissions but contributes to global decarbonization efforts," they declared.
The ambition of the Nairobi summit is first and foremost to come up with a positive agenda. Ruto, drawing on the trajectory of Kenya, where almost 90% of electricity comes from renewable energies, constantly hammered home the point that the continent, with its renewable and non-renewable resources, can become a central player in the global energy transition, provided it reaps the right benefits. "Transforming the African economy through green growth is the fairest, most effective and most feasible way to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050," he claimed.
The declaration points out that while the continent has 40% of the world's renewable energy capacity, it still attracts only a marginal fraction of investment. At the same time, 600 million people are still deprived of access to electricity, and almost a billion people depend on forest and agricultural residues to cook their food. The text also underlines the role played by the forests of the Congo Basin in stabilizing the climate and biodiversity.
French negotiator for the Paris Agreement Laurence Tubiana, who was present in Nairobi, enthusiastically applauded this new commitment. "Africa is sending out a strong signal. It is showing the leadership needed to maintain our chances of staying below 1.5°C warming. Ambitious African voices show that Africa can take the lead in forging a new global social contract between African countries, rich in resources essential to the green transition, and developed countries, following the conditions and standards proposed by Africa. Europe must now listen to and support these voices to co-develop a green industrialization agenda, and break the taboos together of an unfair financial system."
The heads of state also decided to hold a climate summit every two years.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.