Cape Town - South Africa is the continent’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases and needs to use its position in the G20 and BRICS to fight on the global stage for people affected by climate change throughout Africa.
So said Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, 23, who addressed the 10th annual Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture online on Wednesday, on the Archbishop Emeritus’s 89th birthday.
Nakate spoke on the subject, Climate Justice Globally, Now and for the Future, a subject very close to Tutu’s heart.
She follows a distinguished line-up of speakers to have graced the platform in the past, who include the late Kofi Annan, Graça Machel and Mary Robinson. Last year’s speaker was Zimbabwe-born global businessman and philanthropist Strive Masiyiwa, who spoke about corruption.
“I am happy to be speaking with all of you today at this 10th international peace lecture. I would like to wish Archbishop Emeritus Tutu a happy 89th birthday,” Nakate said.
Of all continents Africa was the lowest emitter of CO2 emissions but was among those most affected by the climate crisis, she said.
“We have seen devastating impacts of the climate crisis in Africa, for example floods and droughts. With the increasing global temperatures, we are seeing the weather patterns being disrupted, causing shorter and heavier rainy seasons and longer and hotter dry seasons,” she said.
“The heavy rainfall has led to floods in different parts of Africa, leading to much devastation and leaving many people’s livelihoods destroyed. Many people have lost their lives while many more have lost their homes, farms and businesses.”
This year, the world witnessed the water levels of Lake Victoria rise as a result of heavy rainfall in East Africa, and an invasion of locusts in East Africa linked to the heavy rainfall and the warm temperatures.
“The locusts led to massive destruction of crops as they ate everything that was grown. This threatened the availability of food for the people in the region,” Nakate said.
“In September we saw massive flooding in Sudan that has killed nearly 100 people and made thousands homeless. The Nile regularly bursts its banks and farmers rely on the floodwaters to create fertile land, but people who live along the Nile have never seen anything like the extent of this year’s flooding.”
Southern Africa had meanwhile experienced terrible droughts that had led to food insecurity and water scarcity. “The water levels of the Zambezi River, Lake Chad and Victoria Falls are lower than they have been for decades. Lake Chad specifically has shrunk to a tenth of its original size in just 50 years,” Nakate said.
“Over five years of drought in countries like Somalia have left almost half of the population without anything to eat or water to drink. The droughts have left nothing behind for the people. They have only left pain, agony, suffering, starvation and death.”
The Western Cape had also experienced severe drought, which had affected crop growth, she said.
“South Africa is Africa’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. But South Africa also has a rare influence for an African country. They need to use their position in the G20 and BRICS countries to fight for affected people throughout Africa on the global stage,” Nakate said.
“What does climate change mean for Africa? It means food crisis, water crisis. Half of Nigeria has no access to water. Remember that for every 1% increase in drought, there is a 2.4% decrease in agricultural output and a family will go hungry and a child will go to sleep hungry. None deserves this. No child deserves to live this way.”