Rich nations must do more to help Africa mitigate the devastating impacts of global warming and offer climate justice to the continent.
This is according to Axian Group CEO Hassanein Hiridjee, who says: ”There’s a huge injustice, where the people who were polluting less are suffering the consequences of global warming. In Africa we see massive typhoons, massive drought, and massive warming. It’s time for the rest of the world to work with us to combat the crisis.”
It’s been a turbulent year of catastrophic climate events across Africa. New analysis from Carbon Brief found that extreme weather in Africa has killed at least 4 000 people and affected a further 19-million since the start of 2022, with drought, famine and floods causing devastation across the continent.
As the world’s leaders gather in Sharm el-Sheikh for the UN Climate Change Conference, the organisation’s secretary-general António Guterres has urged rich nations ”to prioritise support to the most vulnerable through bold long-term commitments and action.”.
The Africa Business Leaders Coalition (ABLC), of which Axian Group is a founding member, convened at COP27 on 9 November, and signed a climate statement in which CEOs of the continent’s top companies pledged to uphold several key commitments to galvanize climate action.
”We hear the alarming warnings of the scientific community and understand that although Africa has contributed the least to creating the climate crisis, its people, its ecosystems, its economies, and its cultural heritage are among the most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt,” the African Business Leaders Climate Statement said.
The ABLC is a UN Global Compact initiative, aiming to bring the perspectives of African business leaders, and their ecosystems, into the global conversation.
According to the International Energy Agency, 43% of Africans still don’t have access to electricity. AXIAN’s recently launched New Energy Africa, an initiative to develop infrastructure for renewable power projects across the continent, aims to change that.
”We’re already transforming Africa’s energy mix. We’re already pushing renewables,” Hiridjee says. ”The cost of renewables now is lower than for fossil fuels. Everyone is totally aligned with green energy. Everyone knows that renewables are the solution.”
Launching initially in Madagascar and Senegal, New Energy Africa will support projects that strengthen the region’s energy inclusion, support its economic growth, and promote the transition to cleaner fuels.