Africa and climate justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

Jhénelle Williams; Simon Chin-Yee; Mark Maslin; Jonathan Barnsley; Anthony Costello; John Lang; Jacqueline McGlade; Yacob Mulugetta; Richard Taylor; Matthew Winning; Priti Parikh

doi:10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000062

Africa and climate justice at COP27 and beyond: impacts and solutions through an interdisciplinary lens

UCL Open Environ. 2023 Aug 18:5:e062. doi: 10.14324/111.444/ucloe.000062. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Geography, North-West Wing, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
² Department of Political Science, The School of Public Policy, University College London, The Rubin Building, 29/31 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9QU, UK.
³ Institute for Global Health, Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
⁴ Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, 180 Borough High St, London SE1 1LB, UK.
⁵ Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, Maple House, 149 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T7NF, UK.
⁶ Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP), University College London, UK.
⁷ UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, 14 Upper Woburn Place, London WC1H 0NN, UK.
⁸ Engineering for International Development Centre, Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London WC1E 7HB, UK.

Abstract

Climate justice is not just a financial transaction to protect the environment. It needs to be seen as the protection of the most vulnerable in society after centuries of resource exploitation. African countries disproportionately face impacts of climate change on their environments, their economies, their resources and their infrastructure. This leads to greater vulnerability and increased exposure to the negative effects of a changing climate. In this article, we highlight the importance of climate justice and its role within the United Nations negotiations, and ultimately in concrete action. We discuss current climate impacts across key sectors in the African region, with a focus on health, infrastructure, food and water scarcity, energy and finance. All sectors are affected by climate change. They are interconnected and under threat. This triggers a ripple effect, where threats in one sector have a knock-on effect on other sectors. We find that the current set of intergovernmental institutions have failed to adequately address climate justice. We also contend that a siloed approach to climate action has proven to be ineffective. As we head towards the next set of negotiations (COP27), this paper argues that the economic and social conditions in Africa can be addressed through financial and collaborative support for adaptation and localised solutions, but that this will only be achieved if climate justice is prioritised by the decision makers. This needs to include a global-scale transition in how climate finance is assessed and accessed. Climate justice underpins real, effective and sustainable solutions for climate action in Africa.

Keywords: Africa; climate change; climate finance; climate justice; energy; environment; gender; health; policy; sustainable development.

Grants and funding

The authors would like to acknowledge University College London (UCL) for their support and the funding awarded through the UCL Grand Challenges project.