ASSESSING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT IN AFRICA

Abstract

The implementation of the Paris Agreement in Africa focuses on governance, financial mechanisms, and sustainable energy transitions. The agreement offers Africa a framework for sustainable economic development, with projections indicating a potential reduction of climate change-induced economic losses by approximately 1.6% of GDP, equating to \$588.731 billion in financial relief. While Africa’s share of global CO 2 emissions rose from 3% in 2006 to 5% in 2016, current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) show a more ambitious mitigation pathway, projecting only a 4.2% increase in emissions from 2022 levels by 2030, a significant improvement from the 65.2% increase projected under the first NDCs from 2015 levels. Unconditional NDC commitments account for 23% of projected emission reductions, with the remaining 77% dependent on international support. Despite notable successes from Rwanda’s quantified emission reductions (16% unconditional, 38% conditional by 2030), Morocco’s enhanced NDC targets (45.5% GHG reduction), Ethiopia’s ambitious sectoral mitigation (74.7% conditional reduction in waste emissions), and renewable energy adoption growth (24 GW added since 2013) in the continent, yet challenges persist, including inadequate international climate finance (adaptation-related finance below US\$5.5 billion annually) and climate finance allocation disparities with East Africa requiring 35% of continental climate finance, capacity gaps in governance, socioeconomic barriers such as the social and economic burden of phasing out coal. Successes include the mobilization of green finance, notably through green bonds and debt-for-climate swap models. Addressing research gaps and emerging trends, particularly in aligning diverse national priorities with international climate goals and ensuring equitable access to finance and technology, is crucial for accelerating progress and realizing Africa’s full climate action potential.