As the 28th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) approaches, African climate negotiators are gearing up to prioritize enhanced action on adaptation and resilience against the impacts of climate change.
Scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023, at Expo City, Dubai, this year’s conference aims to address critical climate priorities and challenges, particularly focusing on the continent’s vulnerabilities.
Madam Patience Thelma Melfah Damptey, Lead Coordinator and Negotiator for Africa on Climate Adaptation outlined Africa’s stance at a pre-COP 28 meeting in Accra.
The negotiators are set to push for the adoption of a concrete, science-based framework to achieve adaptation goals and elevate efforts in the face of limited adaptive capacity and potential threats to decades of development gains.
“Climate change can undermine the achievement of our sustainable development efforts without adequate adaptation responses,” warned Madam Damptey, highlighting the economic costs and social disruptions imposed by climate change.
She emphasized that adaptation alone is projected to cost the continent at least $50 billion annually by 2050.
The 2023 UN Adaptation Gap Report indicates a widening finance gap for climate adaptation, currently standing between US$194 billion and US$366 billion per year.
Mr. Hebert Krapa, Deputy Minister for Energy, called for increased investment in research and innovation to advance Ghana’s climate adaptation policy.
He stressed the importance of collaboration between scientists, policymakers, and communities to align policies with scientific evidence and address specific community needs.
Professor Marian Dorcas-Quain, Deputy Director-General at CSIR, emphasized the vital role of protecting water bodies to mitigate climate change’s adverse impacts. “Climate change is water, and whatever we do to our water will affect climate change,” she noted.
The COP28 in the UAE presents a significant opportunity for the global community to collaborate, course-correct, and drive progress.
This year’s conference will underscore a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to climate action.
The outcomes of the meeting will guide Ghana’s negotiations at COP28, according to Dr. Portia Adade Williams, a Research Scientist at CSIR-STEPRI.
