To establish why it was crucial to see and hear Africa’s women and youth in action at COP28, it’s imperative to establish the stark reality driving their presence. Africa grapples with a perilous triple threat: the relentless impact of climate change, heightened vulnerability, and a distressing lack of preparedness — an uncomfortable truth we must confront. In 2023 alone, devastating floods wreaked havoc in the Libyan port city of Derna, an earthquake struck Morocco, wildfires swept across Algeria, and Cyclone Freddy triggered landslides in Malawi – the epicenter of the disaster – killing thousands. Simultaneously, severe floods caused chaos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. Because countries like Somalia, contributing only 0.03% of total global emissions, are disproportionately affected by climate change.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 13, 2023 03:45 UTC