The Africa We Want
By Abdel Monem Fawzi
We still live in economic and social turmoil and I think that the most significant disruptions may be yet to come.
That’s not only because the Covid-19 crisis, but also of hitherto unseen climate change and biodiversity loss.
It can, moreover, be argued that the climate emergency demands a more comprehensive and bolder response than the global response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many erroneously perceive the climate crisis as distinct from the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic, yet the three crises and their solutions are interconnected. Covid-19 is merely the latest manifestation of a planet profoundly out of sync with its natural world. The pandemic has highlighted the centrality of nature to development, revealing the systemic nature of risk and the cascading impact of disasters across all three dimensions of sustainable development. Covid-19, a disease originating from animals, has emerged, at least in part, because of the pressures exerted by human development on the natural environment. Both the 2020 high-level political forum on sustainable development and the sixth session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development underscored that societies must take into account the crucial role played by natural capital, including biodiversity assets, in order to establish sustainable economies and build long-term resilience. Indeed, the natural environment is humanity’s first line of defence against numerous hazards. Our exploitation of the planet continues unabated and in many cases is outpacing natural systems’ regenerative capacity. For example, with 3.9 million hectares of forests lost each year, Africa experienced a higher annual rate of net forest loss than any other continent between 2010 and 2020. Indeed, Africa is the only continent that has seen forest loss increase in each of the three decades since 1990.
The problem is that the planet is broken and that humanity is waging a suicidal war on the natural world, the Secretary-General of the United Nations said recently, calling for radical change before it is too late. This merely underscores the urgent need for pressing and ambitious climate action as future shocks will, in all likelihood, far outweigh the pandemic in terms of their long-term impact. For Africa, crucially, climate change poses an existential threat, jeopardising the attainment of the continent’s development agenda. Annually, climate change typically costs African countries between 2 and 5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) but may sometimes reduce GDP by as must as 15 per cent. Although African nations must now address the serious economic and health repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial that climate action does not fall victim to the colossal economic damage wrought by the disease. The pandemic has brought biodiversity, climate and economic imperatives into closer alignment than ever before: a healthy planet is a prerequisite for healthy people and the foundation of a healthy economy. Building forward better will require the accelerated implementation of the 2030 Agenda and concerted efforts to strengthen the capacity of Africa to respond to shocks such as Covid-19, climate change and biodiversity loss. By so doing, African countries can shift the trajectory of development back on track towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the goals, aspirations and targets of Agenda 2063, while also strengthening implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The Economic Commission for Africa launched the Building Forward for an African Green Recovery report which highlights the continent’s bold post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery strategy.
The report seeks to bolster the continent’s valiant quest for the realisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), attainment of the Paris Agreement’s climate change targets and achievement of the prosperity objectives articulated in Africa’s Agenda 2063.
The Building Forward for an African Green Recovery will contribute significantly towards achieving and enhancing sustainable trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) over the next decade.
The report shows the African region faces its first recession in 25 years with output losses due to Covid-19 estimated to be $99 billion. This is compounded by climate impacts on economic output projected to cause annual losses of between 3-5 per cent of GDP by 2030 in a business-as-usual scenario. In some cases, this will be as much as 15 per cent of GDP. With reliable data available on the impact of climate change, the ECA Building Forward for an African Green Recovery makes a case for Africa to make informed assessments and take knowledgeable decisions. The report calls for the uptake of nature-based solutions at national, regional and continental levels to inspire policies that preserve the global commons.
ECA has been at the forefront of supporting transitions in African countries towards sustainable development pathways illustrated on Green or Blue Economy pillars, which endorse climate-smart agricultural approaches, sustainable fisheries, ecotourism and adoption of cleaner energy sources including solar, tidal, wind and geothermal sources.
“For us to build back better we need a lot of energy. The conversation in Africa is about substituting expensive bad fossil fuels with something that is cleaner and cheaper,” said UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the ECA, Vera Songwe. “We have to replace fuel-based energies with green and sustainable ones.”
This report seeks to galvanise support for Africa’s Green and Blue Economy strategies and mobilise resources to bolster the continent’s climate adaptation and mitigation measures. It summarises the continental outlook of how collaborative partnerships bringing together development partners, multilateral agencies, private sector, international and non-governmental organisations can boost Africa’s green and blue livelihoods recovery programme.
Ms Songwe noted that with the impact of Covid-19 and its associated economic contractions coupled with the debilitating impact of the climate crisis, Africa’s focus on recovery was even more essential. According to the ECA Chief, there is an urgent need to roll-out financial aid packages, investments in sustainable infrastructure and structure fiscal stimuli to cushion the expected transition into the green and blue economy.
