Africa seeks $12.5B from world to tackle climate

SCOTLAND: The head of the African Union says the international community must support the continent’s efforts to adapt to climate change, including a program that requires $25 billion over five years.

Speaking on Tuesday at the UN climate conference in Glasgow, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo said the continent needs the world to raise $12.5 billion, with the balance coming from the African Development Bank.

In his remarks before a meeting of world leaders, Tshisekedi noted that the global effort on climate change “can’t be won unless it is won in Africa.” He said he hopes the money will be raised before the next climate conference.

“It is a starting point rather than a ceiling, and it will contribute to building trust and confidence,” he said.

The continent of 1.3 billion people contributes least to climate change but will suffer most from its effects, according to experts. African leaders and climate campaigners have long called for technology transfers and substantial cash donations to help the continent build resilience.

Meanwhile, Greenland has lost 3.5 trillion tonnes of ice over the past decade, increasing the global sea level by one centimetre and heightening the risk of flooding worldwide, according to a study published on Monday.

The international team of researchers made use of measurements from the European Space Agency (ESA)’s CryoSat-2 satellite mission, using estimates of surface elevation change over time.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, is the first to use satellite data to detect this phenomenon — known as ice sheet runoff — from space.

“Observations show that extreme melt events in Greenland have become more frequent and more intense — as well as more erratic — which is a global problem,” said study co-author Lin Gilbert from University College London (UCL) in the UK.

– THE PIONEER