Developed economies are urged to uphold their pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support vulnerable nations efforts to transition towards green energy.
The call was made on the opening day of a three-day African Regional Roundtable on Climate Initiatives on Wednesday.
Twenty countries are responsible for 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and Africa accounts for only 2 to 3%.
With business as usual, reports say, as developing countries prosper their per capita emissions will climb, and this, together with likely population increases will further aggravate the global problem.
Ethiopia’s Green initiative
Addressing the regional forum Wednesday, Finance Minister of Ethiopia Ahmed Shide said his country currently generates more than 90% of its modern electricity from clean and green sources, including hydropower generated by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Despite having a high energy producing capacity, the minister said Ethiopia still has the second-largest and third-largest energy access deficits in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Ahmed was among several African finance and trade ministers, as well as representatives of international organizations attending the discussion, being held under a theme: ‘Towards COP27: African Regional Forum on Climate Initiatives to Finance Climate Action and the SDGs’,
Finance Minister Ahmed further emphasized how vulnerable nations are bearing the burden of the climate crisis despite their modest contribution to global warming and aspirational climate goals.
He urged rich nations to uphold their promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to provide funding to the most vulnerable economies so they can transition to low emission growth trajectories as well as adapt to the effects of climate change.
The ongoing discussion in Addis Ababa aims at spurring climate finance and investment flows in order to boost Africa’s climate resilience ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) which will be held in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh, in November 2022.
