The discussions at the 33rd Summit of African Heads of State, held from the 9th to the 11th of February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, were marked, inter alia, by concerns about climate change. Concerns were also raised by the NGO Greenpeace Africa, which promotes environmental protection and defends indigenous peoples.
Speaking mainly to South African President Cyril Mamaphosa, who is also the new chair of the African Union (AU), Greenpeace called for a pan-African response to climate change. To this end, the NGO has proposed the African Union’s 2063 agenda as a guide. This vision of the continent for the year 2063, adopted on the 31st of January 2015 at the 24th Ordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa, foresees in its objective n0 7 “the promotion of environmentally sustainable and climate resilient economies and communities”.
Africa suffers a climate injustice
Greenpeace justified its request to the Heads of State and Government of the AU by the recent climatic disasters that have hit several African countries. In 2019, the passage of tropical cyclones Idai and Kenneth caused significant damage in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, killing more than 1,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands in need of humanitarian assistance and causing significant loss of infrastructure. Read more…
