Maimunah Mohd Sharif: How Africa can navigate urban climate paradox

Africa, despite contributing negligible amounts of carbon emissions, bears one of the heaviest burdens when it comes to the impact of climate change.

As we gear up for the African Climate Summit and Africa Climate Week, held simultaneously in Nairobi at the start of September, a strong united multilateral response is essential to confront these challenges.

In a world fixated on emissions, Africa's paradox is stark: it emits little, yet suffers profoundly. The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) recognises the urban-climate connection, as cities are at the frontline of this struggle, with the urban poor hit the hardest. Population increases in urban areas, especially in Africa, are making cities hotspots of misery and suffering resulting from flash floods, droughts, and heatwaves.

The recent devastation from Cyclone Freddy in Malawi and Mozambique is a wake-up call - over 2 million affected, 600 lives lost, and $140 million in damages, mostly in urban areas. Astonishingly, despite being home to over 600 million people, African cities receive the least attention in global climate discourse.

• Increasing international awareness that the climate battle will be won or lost in cities

At COP27, the first-ever Ministerial meeting on Urbanization and Climate Change acknowledged the critical role of cities in reducing emissions. We managed to flip the script by putting forward cities as the solution and not only the villain.

Cities need to adapt to the effects of climate change. At the same time, they need to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. The best place to do this will be in Africa. 
Additionally, the UN-Habitat Assembly held in June 2023 in Nairobi, passed key resolutions reaffirming UN-Habitat’s role as focal point for sustainable urbanization and human settlements.

These resolutions highlight the interlinkages between urbanization and climate change. They call upon us to use technology to create smart cities to better improve living standards. They underscore the importance of multilevel climate action, and the pivotal role of cities and local government in implementing the Paris Agreement and the Nationally-determined commitments (NDCs). 
This echoes the African Union's recognition that climate change is central to the continent's development. Although  African countries are beginning to incorporate urban climate resilience into their National Determined Contributions (NDCs), these political commitments must be translated into action on the ground. 

• Strategic partnerships and multi-level climate action are critical to drive progress

Partnerships, like the collaboration between UN-Habitat, UNDP and the African Union Commission (AUC) highlight the path to resilient urban development and paves the way to effectively implement the Africa Urban Resilience Programme (AURP) of the African Union.

In addition, Kenya is leading an initiative on Building Climate Resilience for the Urban Poor (BCRUP) to support the resilience perspective for the more than 54% of urban population living in informal settlements in Africa.  

Such efforts, and others being implemented by a wider community of the United Nations, academic and civil society partners, are supporting the implementation of SDG 11 with a focus on climate action in cities, and in turn also contributing to achieving SDG 13.

• Challenges for accelerating local climate action remain

Amid Africa's urban climate paradox, a vital challenge looms: the lack of localized climate data. This scarcity hampers evidence-based planning, a linchpin of effective climate action. Informed choices rely on precise, context-specific data. Overcoming this obstacle requires collaborative efforts to enhance data collection, monitoring and modelling.

Creating resilient cities requires proactive long-term planning, weaving climate priorities into the urban fabric. Climate justice, green energy, and innovative financing must be at the core. Yet along with a shortage of skilled planners, the financing gaps persist.

Projections suggest that the loss and damage due to climate change could cost Africa between $289.2 billion and $440.5 billion from 2022 to 2030. Fulfilling NDCs requires an estimated $234-$250 billion annually until 2030. Inaction is not an option; creative financing, empowering local communities, and addressing climate data gaps are essential.

• Solutions are attainable

Moving forward, we must enhance coordination across all levels of governments and support inclusive climate action that transforms cities and improves lives. The enhanced role of local government in climate action means we need to invest more to build  capacities at the local level.

This is the only way to ensure that we can implement national strategies and solutions for adaptation and low-carbon development.

By undertaking integrated planning that leaves no one behind, embracing ecosystem-based approaches, and mobilizing of climate finance, we can build thriving urban spaces and human settlements in Africa and beyond that protect our shared future.

As UN-Habitat, our commitment is unwavering – we support African countries and cities in taking concrete climate action, providing technical assistance to develop and implement local climate plans and resilience strategies. We will continue to assist countries to access climate funds, and promote multilevel inclusive climate governance.

We commit to scaling support to Least Developing Countries (LDCs) and Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) Collaborative, data-driven strategies are attractive to investors and donors. Fostering innovation, embracing nature-based solutions, and integrating technology into climate action are the keys to success.

By building partnerships, engaging civil society, and accessing climate funds, we can turn political commitments into tangible change.
As of now, we have mobilised $36 million, which is a small drop in the ocean.

What is needed is a seismic shift to help make cities more resilient in this age of multiple crises. The time has come for the Paris Agreement to resonate in Africa's cities. It is time for local governments to play their part in preparing for climate action.
The journey forward is collective. My hope for the African Climate Summit centres on collective progress. Africa's urban destiny rests on it.

Ms. Sharif is UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).