Egypt meet great for Africa: Expert
Zablon Ogolla(left),the founder plogging Kenya, Rebecca Bor(centre),Chairperson for cycling to Cop27 and Daniel Helmer,the Global march for planet Co-ordinator during a media briefing at Ceder close in Nairobi on September 15,2022 on the planned Cop27 meeting in Egypt where they said that a group of young people in Kenya joining other youthsin Africa will be walking from 21st September as they head to COP 27 in Egypt, raising awareness on the global climate change cries.
Between November 6 and 18, policymakers from around the world will gather in Egypt for COP27 — the 27th gathering of the Conference of Parties in the United Nations Climate Change Conference.
This will be the second time a COP gathering is happening in Africa after 2016 when it was held in Marrakech, Morocco.
Discussing climate change while in Africa presents an immense opportunity for the continent, according to Ms Katie Hill, who is a Partner and Associate Director for Climate at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
BCG was in August named the exclusive consulting partner of COP27.
Sustainability
Ms Hill said it is a great opportunity for Africa for many reasons.
“Hosting the conference in Africa will help focus minds on finding climate and sustainability solutions that work for all nations,” she said.
“Historically, COPs have been oriented around climate mitigation and driving down emissions from wealthy countries. Hosting a COP in Africa, the most vulnerable region to climate change, allows a magnified focus on climate justice,” added Ms Hill.
In light of the drought in various parts of the continent, Ms Hill also asked Africa governments to invest in more resilient food systems.
“The impacts of climate change on Africa’s food security are accelerating and further exacerbated by the acute grain and fertiliser shortage which is in part caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” she said.
Added Ms Hill: “Kenya is already experiencing major impacts of climate change in the form of drought and unpredictable weather patterns that could result in major food shortages and does not have the capital or resources to adequately fund large-scale adaptation and resilience projects.”
