COPing with Climate Change?

This past week’s United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban ended in a mix of relief, disappointment, and confusion. There was much excitement when, early on Sunday morning, negotiators finally reached a deal. “Listen up!” tweeted UNFCC chief, Christiana Figueres, “We have Kyoto CP2, path toward future with legal force for all, Green Climate Fund full implementation of Cancun package! #COP17” Similarly, the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, declared the deal a “coup for Africa”, while Chris Huhne, Energy and Climate Secretary for the United Kingdom, referred to it as “a significant step forward in curbing emissions to tackle global climate change”. Just a day before, it had seemed as though a deal would never be reached and that, like COP16 in Copenhagen, negotiators would leave with nothing to show for their efforts.

However, as things have become more clear – or rather, as they have become less clear – the Durban Package has been increasingly called into question. Media reports have surfaced throughout the week of the strained conditions under which decisions were made, the ambiguity of many of the texts, and the lack of concrete plans for how the Green Climate Fund would be structured and run. Figueres cautioned that the deal is “insufficient” and that we are “still far from [our] goal”. Sarah-Jayne Clifton, Climate Justice Coordinator of Friends of the Earth International, echoing a sentiment shared by more and more people around the world, argued that “ordinary people have once again been let down by our governments. Led by the US, developed nations have reneged on their promise, weakened the rules on climate action and strengthened those that allow their corporations to profit from the climate crisis.” In addition, Oxfam declared “the deal done in Durban is not good for the future of the planet, or the poorest and most vulnerable people. Negotiatiors have sent a message to the world’s hungry: Let them eat carbon.”

So what did Africa get out of Durban? What happened to the global climate negotiations expected “to write a global business plan for the planet” with a triple bottom line: mitigation, adaptation and poverty reduction? As many people and organisations have been debating for the past several weeks – if not months and years! – we have a moral and ethical responsibility to take substantial steps to tackle climate change now. Delays will and already have resulted in greater economic and social costs.

If big emitters do nothing but postpone the moments for concrete decision-making, there is no doubt that African populations will be terribly affected, disputes over water and other resource scarcity could exacerbate conflicts, and food security and livelihoods will be further threatened. African political leaders must amplify their voices and tell their stories and, critically, they must be aligned with the aspirations of their citizens.

In general, 2011 showed us that Africa is rising in a volatile and unpredictable world. This progress must be safeguarded and nurtured. For Africa now has a real opportunity to increasingly contribute towards the global economy, transform its development path, and strengthen its social and economic landscape.

Best wishes for 2012.