Climate actions urgently needed in the drought-stricken Horn of Africa

Recently, the local media in Hong Kong have widely reported the heat wave and drought in the Mainland China and Europe, mainly because it directly affects our food and product supply, and also affects the overall economy. On the other side of the globe, countries in East Africa are experiencing their worst drought in 40 years, and this year will be the fifth year in a row of "dry" rain seasons that have affected millions of people. However, local media and international relief organizations have not followed up as they did at the beginning of this year, presumably because the multi-year disaster seems to have lost the interest of the media and the public, and no one cares.

In fact, drought is one of the most destructive natural disasters, destroying food production, depleting livestock resources, disrupting agricultural and pastoral markets and, in the most extreme cases, causing widespread human and animal mortality. Droughts can also lead to large rural-urban migrations and reduced food production. Pastoralists are often forced to find alternative sources of food and water for their animals, resulting in inter-communal and inter-tribal conflicts over limited resources.

East Africa's drought triggers severe ecological and humanitarian disaster, aid is only a drop in the bucket

As of early May this year, rainfall in East Africa was already low, and it was also the fourth consecutive below-average rainy season in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, which seriously affected food security. In July 2022, the Intergovernmental Organization for Development (IGAD), a group of eight East African countries, and local humanitarian aid organizations warned that more than 50 million people will suffer a severe food crisis this year. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 16.7 million people are currently in crisis due to droughts in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia alone. About 3 million livestock have died in the semi-arid regions of southern Ethiopia and Kenya, while in Somalia, as many as 30 percent of household livestock have died since mid-2021. According to forecasts, the rainy season in the second half of the year will also be delayed in most of East Africa.

In addition to the major impact on food production, extreme weather also brings ecological disaster. In 2020, the FAO noted that East Africa has witnessed the worst desert locust infestation on record due to repeated extreme droughts and rainfall. Desert locusts are one of the most destructive pests worldwide, posing a huge threat to food security and livelihoods due to their massive damage to crops and livestock. By the end of 2021, the situation appeared to be under control. But a return of drought could also revive the infestation. Drought and famine, rising global food prices, combined with regional military conflicts, have seen large numbers of refugees fleeing their homes and displaced in East Africa, and the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains, leaving millions suffering from chronic agricultural livelihoods and food crises. However, the city closure measures caused by the new crown epidemic have further weakened the logistics and rescue capabilities of international organizations.

In recent years, the United Nations has started from various aspects to reduce disasters. For example, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Food Programme (WFP) jointly appealed for US$266 million in global donations last year, and this year FAO also hopes to raise US$172 million, not counting the cash, human and material support of other international and local humanitarian aid organizations . The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has launched a new $5.2 million project to assist countries in the region to strengthen hydrometeorological and early warning services (EWS) systems, with the hope of reducing negative impacts. In addition, despite an unprecedented campaign supported by FAO and partners, more than 1.3 million hectares of locust infestations were tackled in ten countries. But compared with the scale of the disaster, these international aid still looks like a drop in the bucket.

(Image credit: EU Office for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO); Image used under license: CC BY-ND 2.0)

International climate negotiations need to face up to the "loss and damage" mechanism to deal with disasters in the long run

Last week (August 29), the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held the African Climate Week in Libreville, the capital of the West African country, Gabon, which can be said to be the prelude to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) hosted by Egypt this year. Leaders from the United Nations and related agencies, African governments, provincial, municipal and local governments, corporate investors, financial institutions and civil society gathered in Gabon to discuss how Africa can withstand climate disasters, make a just transition to a low-emission economy, and jointly deal with the climate crisis. One of the themes is how to strengthen the climate adaptation and resilience of African countries, and promote the establishment of a Loss and Damage financial mechanism, initiated by developing regions and international organizations, to compensate for losses caused by climate disasters. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pointed out that the African region is more active than many other developed regions in promoting measures to combat climate change. They make the following observations:

1. African countries' climate commitments are higher than the global average

UNDP’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) Quality Assurance Checklist assesses the quality of NDCs submitted by countries based on three dimensions, including robustness, feasibility, and national commitment and inclusion. African countries scored higher than the global average on all three dimensions. The overwhelming majority (89%) of NDC proposals from Africa submitted were strong and demonstrated commitment and inclusion (87%). Although African countries are the weakest in terms of feasibility of implementation (42%), their scores are still higher than the global average (33%).

2. African nations are tackling climate change like never before

The vast majority of countries in Africa are well aware that the risks posed by climate change could negate years of aid development gains, and so have expanded existing sectors or added sectors for adaptation action in their NDCs. 92% of respondents also have more explicit adaptation goals and/or indicators than in previous NDC submissions. In addition, 95% of countries are committed to enhancing the alignment of NDCs with National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The development of the NAP is an important process that enables governments to analyse current and future climate risks and prioritize medium- and long-term adaptation options.

3. Transparency of climate-related data across African countries is increasing

Most African countries are improving the availability and quality of climate-related data. Improved data quality and availability will enhance transparency, such as supporting climate decision-making and attracting new climate funding, as countries will be better able to track progress towards climate commitments. Fifteen countries are currently establishing and updating monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) mechanisms, and ten of them are strengthening monitoring to integrate gender into climate action strategies, such as integrating gender-sensitive indicators.

4. Getting funding to fight climate change

African countries are vigorously mobilizing resources to tackle climate change. About two dozen African countries have developed climate finance strategies or investment plans, and six are strengthening business engagement. Meanwhile, a recent UNDP survey on the need for NDC implementation revealed that nearly half of Africa's climate-supported countries need to raise funds for NDC implementation.

From the above analysis, it can be seen that African countries are generally struggling to meet the requirements of the Paris climate agreement under the lack of financial resources, and at the same time require the support of developed regions. On the contrary, the developed regions have not done their best to avoid the continuous occurrence of climate disasters even with sufficient financial resources. Developed regions must realize that only long-term, rather than one-off, climate financial mechanisms for most developing African countries have the opportunity to respond to climate disasters in these regions, and the Loss and Damage Mechanism responds to this requirement. In a wealthier Hong Kong, what you need is not an indulgence for everyone, and then you don't have to do anything else, but to support African countries in their respective positions, reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions, and improve their financial and technical capabilities to deal with climate disasters.

Additionally, we encourage our readers to donate to disaster victims in East Africa through channels you trust.

References:

Carman, R. and Lisa Baumgartner, "Regional Snapshot: Africa," UNDP Climate Promise, June 2022.

Climate Champions, "Africa Climate Week: Putting gender considerations front and centre of climate finance," United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change （UNFCCC）, 29 August 2022.

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), "Factsheet: Desert locusts in Eastern Africa," ECHO, 2022.

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), “Drought in the Horn of Africa: FAO appeals for $172 million to help avert famine and humanitarian catastrophe,” FAO, 27 June 2022.

Mukarakate, D., “In the race against climate change, there’s still hope for Africa – here are 5 reasons why,” UNDP Climate Promise, 18 August 2022.

United Nations (UN), “Desert Locust ‘re-invasion’ threatens millions across Horn of Africa,” UN, 16 December 2020.

UN, “UN agencies appeal for $266 million to feed refugees in eastern Africa,” UN, 2 March 2021.

UN, “WMO: Greater Horn of Africa drought forecast to continue for fifth year,” UN, 26 August 2022.

UN, “Worsening drought in Horn of Africa puts up to 20 million at risk: WFP,” UN, 19 April 2022.