Africa Climate Caravans to COP 27
22.12.2022
By Oxfam Denmark
Oxfam Denmark supports the vulnerable populations in Africa, who are directly affected by climate change, in getting a voice at the big COP27 climate conference in Egypt.
We have teamed up with 150 organizations in Africa on a "Climate Caravan" project. It starts locally in 27 different African countries, where poor and vulnerable groups elect a representative for COP27, and culminates with a physical presence at the climate summit in November 2022 as the last stop on the caravan route. Here they will participate in side events, lobby activities, network meetings with civil society from other parts of the world, etc.
Along the way, the caravans also pass by Dakar for a large "Climate chance" seminar on climate and sustainability. Here, the participants will, among other things, meet a number of climate experts in preparation for the climate summit. At the summit itself, together with a large number of NGOs and popular organizations, they are fighting for the international community to recognize and value the losses and damage that climate change has created for the poor and vulnerable populations in Africa and the rest of the world. And at the same time, of course , to get financial support from the rich countries to repair the damage. Their demands are supported by reports from both Oxfam Denmark and the Oxfam Federation which can be found here.
FACTS
- Climate change is caused by the rich countries' historically high emissions of greenhouse gases. Oxfam reports show that from 1990-2015, the world's richest 1% emitted twice as much CO2 into the atmosphere as the poorest half of the world's population
- 3.3 billion people live in countries that are extra vulnerable to climate change. Of which 97.6 million people were affected by climate disasters in 2019
- With the Paris Agreement, the rich countries commit to provide USD 100 millionannually to poor countries from 2020 onwards for climate adaptation and reduction of CO2 emissions. In reality, however, the rich countries only managed to reach around EUR 28 billion
- On the other hand, there is no global agreement on compensation for poor countries for the losses and damage they suffer as a result of climate-related weather disasters and the like. This is despite the fact that the problem has exploded in recent years, for example with the floods in Pakistan
- Out of all the UN's appeals for emergency aid, as many as 78% of these were related to extreme weather in 2021 compared to 36% in the year 2000
- Yet the rich countries have so far blocked an agreement on compensation. Maybe because the bill will be huge – figures from Oxfam Denmark estimate 3. DKK 380 billion in 2030. For Denmark, the bill in 2030 would be DKK 27 billion