The 26th United Nations Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP26) kicks off in Glasgow, Scotland, the UK, on October 31 (XINHUA)

Like any other part of the world, Africa has witnessed the devastating impact of climate change. The effect has been felt even more in Africa because of the continent’s relatively poor infrastructure and large agricultural economy.

As recent as June this year, floods believed to have been driven by climate change devastated parts of Kenya. They killed people, destroyed crops and threatened food security in the East African nation.

This forced the Kenyan Government to move affected people to higher ground after they were submerged in the water. More than 1,619 hectares of land was reportedly swept over in the districts of Busia, Migori and Kisumu.

“There is evidence that climate change has negatively affected the continent, which is agriculture-based. The unpredictability of the weather has negatively affected the continent. But that’s not unique to Africa. The extent to which climate change affects a continent depends on its level of development. We are affected because we don’t have infrastructure. We are affected because we are not in control of our own technologies. We have been underdeveloped for a long period of time,” said Chris Malikane, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

Malikane said climate change wreaks more havoc in Africa largely due to poor infrastructure than the forces of nature themselves.

“Even the most advanced economy on the continent fails to do the elementary things like cleaning the water pipes in the cities and unblocking them. When climate change happens, we see flooding in the cities, and we say climate change is wreaking havoc in Africa; [but the reality is] that it’s because of lack of infrastructure. If we had infrastructure, the impact of climate change would not be great. It would be similar to what you find in Europe,” he added.

A worldwide concern

The impact of climate change, and how to reduce emissions, again came under the spotlight at the recently concluded 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the UK. After intensive and protracted discussions on how best to tackle climate change and who must fund such programs, more than 200 countries reached an agreement which urged “developed countries to at least double their collective climate finance for adaptation in developing countries from 2019 levels by 2025, to ensure a balance between adaptation and mitigation.”

To preserve a livable climate, greenhouse-gas emissions must be reduced to net zero by 2050, according to the United Nations. In his closing remarks, UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “The outcome of COP26 is a compromise. It reflects the interests, the contradictions and the state of political will in the world today. It is an important step, but it is not enough.”

A classic example of the COP26 contradictions Guterres is referring to is the $8.5-billion finance deal South Africa signed with Western powers aimed at speeding up its move away from coal-fired power stations.

According to the deal, the U.S., the UK, France and Germany would mobilize the funds over a period of up to five years through a combination of grants and concessional financing.

For its part, South Africa would push through its revised goal of reducing domestic carbon emissions to between 350-420 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, in line with the Paris Agreement goals.

South Africa’s Dilemma

However, the deal seems to be skewed in favor of Western powers whose economies are not dependent on coal supply.

South Africa is one of the biggest coal producing countries whose economy and industrialization are anchored around fossil fuels. Mining is one of the biggest job creators and contributors to the country’s gross domestic product. In addition, South Africa has the lowest carbon emission compared to the four Western powers.

As Malikane put it, “South Africa is one of the biggest coal producers in the world. You have got towns built around coal. Our power system is coal-based. We are very much dependent on coal. We have just built power stations now - Kusile and Medupi - which are coal-based power stations.

“In short, this agreement … has basically compromised the country’s capacity or ability to use its natural resources for its own development. And it has compromised our ability to industrialize.

Malikane maintained that while China and India owned some of the renewable energy technology, the majority of it was controlled by Western powers. This meant that the $8.5-billion deal would end up benefiting Western multinationals.

South Africa’s COP26 deal further appears to disregard the principles of just transitioning from fossil fuels and climate change. It also flies in the face of the country’s own 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2019) which includes coal, solar and nuclear, among others.

Under the plan signed by South African Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe in October 2019, the country would pursue a “diversified energy mix” with coal playing a central role.

“Beyond Medupi and Kusile, coal will continue to play a significant role in electricity generation in South Africa in the foreseeable future as it is the largest base of the installed generation capacity and it makes up the largest share of energy generated. Due to the design life of the existing coal fleet and the abundance of coal resources, new investments will need to be made in more efficient coal technologies to comply with climate and environmental requirements,” the IRP2019 states.

Common but differentiated responsibility

Like many other deals struck at COP26, South Africa’s agreement with Western powers has raised more questions than answers. Given what its own IRP2019 envisages, what changed between 2019 and now? Why suddenly move to renewable energy after investing billions in Medupi and others? What’s the agenda of the developed countries that made the pledge? How many people are employed by renewable energy companies compared to coal mines? Who will build and operate solar energy plants?

In the spirit of just transition and shared responsibility, the developed countries and the developing countries should have common but differentiated responsibilities. Western powers like the U.S., the UK, Germany and France should fund the emission reduction efforts of less developed countries like South Africa.

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