|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Omboki Monayo
Nairobi, Kenya: Africa’s urgent call for a just transition to green energy is being stifled by a paralyzing debt crisis and funding systems that fail to reach the continent’s most vulnerable communities.
This warning was issued during a recent COP30 recap webinar. Harry Simatala, Legal and Development Manager at Zambia’s LATU Foundation, demanded a new, collective financing architecture for the Global South, arguing these nations bear the brunt of climate impacts while being least equipped to respond.
“For a long time, we have relied on funding from the United States,” Simatala said, referencing recent cuts that threaten up to 20 percent of climate budgets. “We need to speed up the process to set up a Global South financing architecture because these countries are the hardest hit.”
Simatala emphasized that climate change is magnifying existing vulnerabilities. “We haven’t had systems that can integrate climate change and health to address the critical issues affecting the people we serve,” he noted, stressing that funding must directly target those most affected rather than being absorbed by top-level administration.
He voiced strong support for a just transition, critiquing current efforts that often benefit international consultancies more than local communities. Examples abound: in Kenya and South Africa, the majority of just transition grants have flowed to global firms like Deloitte and PWC, while reforms in Nigeria and solar projects in Morocco see similar dominance by foreign companies.
“We need a transition that is just, considering the unique challenges of the Global South,” Simatala stated. “How do countries like Zambia meet climate financing obligations when they are grappling with debt?”
He warned against poorly planned transitions, such as interrupting fossil-fuel power without affordable alternatives, which can disrupt vital healthcare services. “We must strike a balance between transitioning to green energy and providing vital health services,” he cautioned.
The link between climate and health was a central theme. Simatala explained how climate-driven displacement cuts off access to essential services like sexual and reproductive healthcare. He praised the Belém pledge of USD 300 million for SRH services as a breakthrough, calling it “one of the first global plans looking into the nexus between climate change and health.”
He urged for climate change to be mainstreamed into national health budgets and resilience plans. “We need to integrate climate into the mainstream of the health sector so it can be sustained during climate shocks,” he said.
However, the path forward is blocked by debt. Simatala lamented that nations like Zambia are trapped in debt servicing, stifling their capacity to fund climate programs. “Most African countries are trapped in a debt problem that affects the finances that can be targeted at climate action,” he pointed out.
Calling for a fundamental shift in how climate negotiations are conducted, Simatala argued for greater inclusion of vulnerable voices from the Global South. “We need to see where vulnerable voices are permitted to speak, as opposed to a few key players who are also behind major fossil fuel industries dictating terms,” he said.
His message was clear: the era of empty pledges must end. “The promises are very loud, but what is now needed is a significant shift from talk to action,” Simatala asserted. “Philanthropists pledging millions should follow up with solid commitments to disburse funds as soon as possible.”
Echoing the need for concrete action, Dr. Mweetwa Mudenda, a public health expert from Lusaka’s Apex University, highlighted a tangible outcome from COP30: a commitment to clean cooking solutions for 140 million people annually. This aims to reduce household air pollution and respiratory illnesses. Dr. Mudenda revealed that health experts are now being called upon to help design these clean cooking policies and technologies.
The Belém summit, attended by 195 parties, resulted in the “Belém Package”—29 decisions, including a commitment to scale climate finance to USD 1.3 trillion annually by 2035. Yet, for African nations drowning in debt and watching funds bypass their communities, the test will be whether these resolutions move from paper to practice, ensuring a transition that is truly just and transformative.
