Combating desertification in developing countries: A question of political will

Developing countries will be the first victims of the dangers of climate change, facing a threat that affects the rest of the world, too. Political will is the most important weapon in our arsenal to tackle this issue, writes Alain-Richard Donwahi. 

Alain-Richard Donwahi is President of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. He was formerly Minister of Water and Forests for the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire. 

The Summit for a New Global Financing Pact, being held in Paris this week, is an unprecedented opportunity to identify new means and mechanisms to support countries most vulnerable to climate change.

This summit is both timely and essential. At COP after COP, the issues of international solidarity and climate justice rear their heads. We promise to address them, but time is running out. Discussions are launched, but always stall for the same reasons: the refusal to commit. 

Climate change affects us all. However, developing countries are even more exposed, primarily for geographical reasons. Since most of them are located in the tropics, they are naturally more likely to experience extreme weather conditions or natural disasters, phenomena that are further amplified by the climate upheavals we are living through.

These countries are also more vulnerable, as they have fewer resources at their disposal to adapt to climate change and its consequences, and to protect their populations. 

They are the hardest hit, but yet they are also those which contribute least to climate change and its acceleration. With 20% of the world’s population, Africa only produces 4% of the world’s annual CO2 emissions.

More generally, the World Bank shows that each resident in high-income countries produces an average of 10 tonnes of CO2 per year. For people living in low-income countries it is under 0.5 tonnes/year, and under four for those in middle-income countries. These are crucial issues, and I am delighted that they are finally being addressed at a dedicated summit.

Coincidentally, another summit is being held this week in the United Kingdom: the Ukraine Recovery Conference. It is extraordinary to witness that, in 14 months, more than €151 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid have been mobilised for Ukraine, with global military spending reaching a record level of US$240 billion last year. What the Ukrainian people are going through is indescribable. The international community must continue to support them and help them to defend themselves.

This support demonstrates a strong political commitment, a common will which enables us to achieve great things. We need the same will and determination to fight against climate change, drought, desertification and biodiversity loss.

The consequences of climate change may often seem less clear than those of war, but the truth is that climate change also kills and shatters lives. 30% of the world’s population is already exposed to deadly heatwaves. This has been the case in India over the last few days. In less than 80 years’ time, during our children’s or grandchildren’s lifetimes, more than three-quarters of the world’s population could be similarly affected.

Rising temperatures are also increasing the frequency and intensity of droughts, leading to more natural disasters: wildfires, as is currently the case in Canada, storms and floods. These phenomena claim many victims and leave indelible scars.

Ultimately, drought and natural disasters disrupt ecosystems and farming. In turn, they exacerbate food insecurity and lead to water shortages. Almost a third of the world’s population is already facing water stress. In less than 30 years, it could be 60%.

Over the same timescale, the World Bank predicts that more than 216 million people could be forced to migrate to escape famine or lack of water. These major population movements will have an impact on the political stability of many countries and could further upset the current geopolitical balance.

This is not about trying to compare or rank suffering. It’s about joining forces and taking action. More than 20 years ago, French President Jacques Chirac said at the Earth Summit: “Our house is burning and we are looking the other way“.

This is literally what is happening. Developing countries are on the front line in the war against climate change, the first victims. We need to support them, help them to face up to the challenge, find innovative solutions, and develop in ways other than by making the same mistakes as industrialised countries did.

I have faith. I know that political will is the key to overcoming major challenges. I firmly believe in the commitment and creativity of young people and communities who have already invented many solutions to make themselves more resilient or develop new ways of farming.

Our role, as political decision-makers, institutions and private investors, is to help communities and project leaders find the resources they need to put these ideas into practice as quickly as possible.

The Great Green Wall, for instance, is a huge opportunity for sub-Saharan Africa and for the world. This pan-African initiative aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land in Africa, along an 8,000 km strip south of the Sahara, stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. This brings together numerous projects developed by communities and adapted to local needs.

Overall, the Great Green Wall requires over $43 billion in funding. Several pledges of support have already been made. For this project, as for all those that can help reverse the trend and preserve the Earth, we need to join forces and demonstrate unprecedented political will.

This upcoming Summit should provide an opportunity to do just that.

cover photo:Alain-Richard Donwahi, former Ivorian Minister of Water and Forests and President of COP 15, speaks during the closing of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, 20 May 2022. [EPA-EFE/LEGNAN KOULA]