The 2023/2024 El Niño-induced drought in Southern Africa exacerbated food and water insecurity, livelihood reductions, and gender-based violence, highlighting the urgent need for climate solutions. Women environmental human rights defenders in Africa face violence for addressing environmental crises. The Belém Gender Action Plan, adopted at COP30, aims to promote gender equality in climate action through capacity building, gender balance, coherence, implementation, and monitoring. This plan supports national gender and climate focal points, gender-responsive budgeting, and climate finance, emphasizing the integration of gender equality across all aspects of climate action. Adequate financing and meaningful collaboration are essential for the success of gender-responsive climate action, as emphasized by African feminist researcher Chido Nyaruwata and her Flames and Lilies Climate Initiative.
Tag: Africa
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Waya Electric Motorcycles’ Daily Use In Kenya’s Tsavo Conservation Area Takes E-Mobility To Where It Is Needed Most
Kenya's electric motorcycle sector has experienced significant growth, particularly in the context of the motorcycle taxi industry. Companies like Waya Electric have entered the market with a focus on heavy-duty, rural, and B2B applications, designing motorcycles to handle tough conditions like long distances, heat, and steep terrain. These electric motorcycles are being utilized in wildlife conservation areas like the Tsavo Conservation Area, demonstrating their versatility and effectiveness in various applications. The use of electric motorcycles in remote and challenging terrains is proving to be reliable and relevant, showing the potential for electric mobility in similar areas across Africa. Solar-powered charging solutions for electric motorcycles are highlighted as a key innovation to address the unique challenges faced in African markets.
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Johannesburg Accelerates Net-Zero Vision through C40 Cities’ CAI Africa Programme
The City of Johannesburg is making significant progress in implementing its Climate Action Plan towards achieving net-zero emissions and climate resilience by 2050. Key achievements include advancements in the Energy and Waste sectors, financial integration of the CAP, and institutional alignment for integrated climate considerations. The city aims to divert 100% garden waste from landfill sites by 2040, reduce CO2eq emissions, create jobs, and drive community engagement through micro-grids in informal settlements. The UCAP CAI programme in Joburg is serving as a model for replicable, scalable solutions with real impact, inspiring progress in cities across Africa and beyond. Strong engagement with young people, funding strategies for scaling successful pilots, and the urgent need for accelerated and collaborative climate action are also highlighted as COP30 approaches.
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COP30 Newsletter – PACJA – Panafrican Climate Justice Alliance
The Pre-COP30 event brought together Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Africa and the Global South to advocate for adaptation finance as a matter of survival, focusing on achieving the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) with locally-rooted indicators. Discussions highlighted the urgent need for financial support, technology transfer, and international cooperation to address the impacts of climate change in these regions. Other key issues raised included ensuring housing and fair compensation for communities affected by green projects, funding for young Black people in climate economies, and recognition of food sovereignty and security in climate policy.
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Crocodile Economics Comes to Africa: Trade, Solar, and the New Energy Map
The global economy is showing signs of decoupling economic growth from emissions, with many countries experiencing a decrease in emissions while GDP rises. China is on the verge of shifting to absolute decoupling, with African countries importing solar hardware on an unprecedented scale. Chinese companies are investing in onshore capacity for solar panels and battery packs in Africa, following the model of industrial migration seen in East Asia. The development of grid-detached microgrids using Chinese solar panels and batteries is accelerating in sub-Saharan Africa, alongside plans for a high-voltage direct-current super-grid to meet the region's growing electricity demand with interconnected renewable grids. Overall, clean-energy investment and the African Continental Free Trade Area are building markets that reward predictability, transparency, and stability, positioning Africa as a more unified major economy on the global stage.
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Air con leads surge in energy use as world heats up – but most new demand is being powered by solar
The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts a surge in electricity demand driven by air conditioning due to climate-driven heatwaves and rising temperatures, but renewable energy generation, particularly in solar investment, is also on the rise. Overshooting the 1.5 °C temperature target is now inevitable, but there is potential to meet cooling needs with solar energy in regions like India, Indonesia, the Middle East, and Africa. The World Energy Outlook outlines scenarios for future energy demand and generation mix, with the Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario aiming to limit warming to below 1.5°C by 2100 through widespread deployment of CO2 removal technologies. Renewable energy, especially solar PV, is driving global growth towards a more efficient and secure energy system, urging fossil fuel importing countries to transition faster to avoid raising global temperatures and increasing energy demand through inefficient fossil fuel use.
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What do African countries want from COP30?
African government negotiators at COP30 are prioritizing fair sharing of the bill for climate change, seeking finance solutions to help them become more resilient to climate disasters and transition to cleaner energy without adding to their debt loads. Several African countries have lowered emissions cutting ambitions in their latest national climate plans due to lack of funding. The goal is to ensure practical solutions are recognized for African countries experiencing global warming, with a focus on debt-free finance and increased provision of climate cash from public and private sources. African negotiators are pushing for $1.3 trillion in annual financial support by 2035, with the majority being grant-based resources to avoid increasing the continent's debt burden. Africa's total external debt has risen to $1.15 trillion by the end of 2023, with debt servicing reaching $163 billion in 2024. African negotiators are aiming to unlock cash to implement national adaptation plans and adopt metrics tailored to Africa's circumstances. Discussions are ongoing to finalize a set of around 100 indicators for adaptation progress. African countries are eager to see national adaptation plans become a reality on the ground, with a focus on building resilience and capacity for emergency response. The Congo Basin is receiving limited international forest-related financing, and African delegates are interested in the Tropical Forest Forever Facility launched by Brazil at COP30. African civil society groups are calling for COP30 to recognize the Congo Basin as a vital global climate asset and ensure equitable finance flows for its protection. They also want support for Africa-led initiatives like the Great Green Wall and AFR100 to strengthen nature-based solutions. Activists are pushing for a Just Transition Work Programme to ensure social justice and equity in job creation and finance during the global shift to cleaner energy sources. African countries are also advocating for discussions at COP30 on critical minerals to focus on powering Africa's transition and supporting their development. Loss and damage costs in Africa due to climate impacts are estimated to be between $280 billion-$440 billion a year from 2020 to 2030. Africa is facing "irreplaceable loss" due to climate change impacts, including damage to cultural heritage sites, shrinking farmlands, and worsening health. The country is calling for international support to cope with these challenges. At COP30, African civil society groups are advocating for the new global Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) to provide grants for climate-vulnerable nations in Africa. The fund should offer assistance for both sudden and slow-onset crises, such as losses from rising seas or desertification. Africa's COP30 envoy emphasizes the need for an efficient fund that can address loss and damage on an emergency basis, criticizing the slow progress and lack of significant donations to the FRLD.
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2025/11/10/what-do-african-countries-want-from-cop30/