Tag: C40 Voices

I was recently part of a C40 delegation participating in Abu Dhabi Ascent, a high-level UN meeting, which brought together more than 1,000 participants, including 70 government ministers to prepare for the Climate Summit to be held on 23 September in New York.

This month has seen two extensive reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) covering, in turn, the topics of climate change adaptation and mitigation. Those who argue against action to reduce our dependency on hydro-carbons have fuelled the perception in the popular press that we can choose between these two spheres of action – preventing climate change through carbon emissions reductions on the one hand, or adapting to its impacts on the other.

Last week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its Working Group III report on mitigation, the product of more than six years of research and input from hundreds of scientists. Two key findings stand out. The first is that we have only 15 years left to start making the changes required to limit the catastrophic consequences of a global temperature increase above 2 degrees. Second, the issue of climate change is a global commons problem so unparalleled in history that it can only be addressed through unprecedented global cooperation.

In this post, Hastings Chikoko draws on lessons from Brazil and C40 research efforts to discuss the importance of clear frameworks for coordination between African national and local governments on reducing emissions and climate risks.

Africa’s story is slowly changing from a region of poverty and disease to one with a proven track record of economic progress. It has been widely reported that 7 of the 10 fastest growing economies in the world come from Africa. The 2012 Annual Development Effectiveness Report by the African Development Bank indicates that a third of Africa’s countries have recorded a GDP growth of more than 6%, and the percentage of the population living below poverty line dropped to 39% in 2012 from 51% in 2005.