Africa is an important voice in the climate debate, Abigael Kima argues ahead of COP27. ‘Because although we are only responsible for 0.5 per cent of historical emissions and less than 4 per cent of the global emissions at the moment, we are the most negatively impacted.’
As the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or ‘COP27’ approaches, 24-year-old Kenyan climate activist, Abigael Kima, is cautiously optimistic. This year’s conference will be held in November, in Egypt. African stakeholders have worked hard ahead of COP27 to ensure that African climate issues are well articulated, so Kima expects African climate issues to be prioritized at COP27. Although Africa contributes the least to carbon emissions, it is the most negatively impacted by climate change.
The producer and host of the Hali-Hewa podcast (Hali-Hewa is a Swahili term for ‘climate’), Kima advocates for real stories and experiences of African communities being impacted negatively by climate change to be used as reference points for decision making. Her podcast features African activists and climate experts as co-hosts, and discusses climate themes, including just energy transition, loss and damage, youth participation in intergovernmental processes and indigenous rights...
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