Press release
April 6th 2022
Contact: Boitumelo Masipa Tumi@350.org, +27 814529096
Africa — 350Africa.org notes the release of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change third working group assessment report entitled; Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change and remains gravely concerned about the impacts of climate change specifically on African nations as documented in the report.
For 30 years, the UN IPCC reports have proven that Climate impacts are increasingly frequent and devastating. Frontline communities, who have contributed the least to the climate crisis, are increasingly experiencing the worst consequences. The window of time to prevent the worst possible future for all continues to decrease. We must take action to create the change needed to solve the crisis.
We are witnessing African nations increasingly and disproportionally impacted by climate change. The frequency of wildfires and the severity of the effects of droughts on hunger and nutrition on the continent, and other unseasonal changes to environments across Africa are evidence of the impending global crisis. At the forefront of these climate catastrophes are poor and vulnerable communities in Africa that had little to do with contributing to the current climate crisis.
The 350.org Executive Director, May Boeve, notes that “The IPCC report highlights the cause of climate problems; fossil fuels did this. Since the Ukraine war started, fossil fuel companies and their executives have been profiting off the skyrocketing energy prices, while many people can barely afford heating or gas. It’s time for a rapid pivot to clean energy.”
Spokespeople in Africa available for interviews:
Landry Ninteretse, Africa Regional Director at 350.org
“Fossil fuels continue to fuel the climate crisis, leading to widespread devastation in vulnerable regions such as Africa where extreme and frequent weather events are being regularly experienced. The IPCC has not only called for urgent action but also outlined crucial interventions needed to meet mitigation and development goals. This means developed nations need to not only fulfil their promise of drastically reducing their emissions, but also commit finances towards adaptation, clean energy transition, technology transfer and mitigation in the Global South.
Glen Tyler-Davies is the South African team leader at 350.org
“As we continue to experience increasingly severe climate impacts, the IPCC has emphasised the speed at which we need to act and highlighted fossil fuels as the main culprit. For South Africa, this is a call to put in place ambitious, national plans for a just transitional to socially owned renewable energy. Our public finance institutions must immediately stop funding fossil fuel projects and facilitate the funding of a Green New Eskom. We must hold the government to account to get us on track with this transition.
In response to the UN IPCC report, activists in Africa took action. Climate defenders marched to call on Members of Parliament in Ghana, demanding 30% renewable energy as prescribed by the Renewable Energy Act. In Uganda, groups opposing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) have delivered the IPCC report to Standard Chartered and Standard (Stanbic) Bank Branches and hold actions in front of Total stations to highlight threats posed by the pipeline and the need to #StopEACOP.
The media and the public are invited to follow the various mobilisations taking place globally and access footage and pictures of actions in response to the report in a searchable database here:
https://350org.
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350.org is an international movement of ordinary people working to end the age of fossil fuels and build a world of community-led renewable energy for all.