Delegates attending the Regional Summit on Health and Climate Change for the African Region have issued a resounding call for African leaders to unite and adopt a common African stance in addressing the adverse impacts of climate change on healthcare systems.
This call to action came on Wednesday, during a pivotal meeting held in Kenya, leading up to Africa Climate Week. Africa is gearing up to host Africa Climate Week in September, a significant event that aims to shape the agenda for addressing climate change challenges that are particularly pressing on the continent.
Scheduled to commence on September 4, Africa Climate Week 2023 will bring together climate change experts, environmental advocates, and senior government officials in Nairobi. The focus will be on fostering collaboration among African nations to identify and implement solutions to the climate change problems affecting the continent.
Kenya will also be hosting the Africa Climate Summit, which will run concurrently with Africa Climate Week and a pre-event, the 11th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-XI).
Organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on September 1 and 2, the Africa Climate Summit aims to generate the ‘Nairobi Declaration on Green Growth and Climate Finance.’
This declaration will serve as a catalyst for action among African Union member states and partners, leading up to the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 28) in November.
A key precursor to these events was a regional summit on health and climate change, held in Malawi, to address the profound effects of climate change on the healthcare systems of several African countries.
During this summit, Malawi’s Health Minister, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, emphasized the adverse impact of climate change on healthcare services and other sectors, highlighting the critical need for collaboration among member states to confront these pressing issues.
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Ishmael Nyasulu from the World Health Organization (WHO) also addressed summit delegates, emphasizing that climate change represents the single most significant health threat to humanity today.
He noted that it jeopardizes the essential elements of good health and has the potential to undo decades of progress in global health.
Nyasulu stressed that many developing countries, with their fragile healthcare systems, are ill-equipped to cope with the health effects of climate change without assistance.
Africa’s heightened vulnerability to climate change endangers sectors such as agriculture, food security, water resources, and ecosystems.
Experts caution that Africa’s rapid warming has the potential to render large portions of the continent uninhabitable. Recent research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change highlights that millions of Africans are already experiencing the effects of climate change, including heat stress, severe weather events, and the spread of diseases.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, African nations are grappling with the challenge of securing the necessary funding to address climate change issues.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, has stated that the continent requires $2.7 trillion by 2030 to tackle climate-related challenges.
However, Africa currently receives only 3% of global climate financing, with just 14% originating from the private sector.
Adesina emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action to increase private sector engagement in climate finance to address these pressing issues.
