As World Heats Up, Africa Heads to COP30 Demanding Climate Justice and Delivery
As World Heats Up, Africa Heads to COP30 Demanding Climate Justice and Delivery
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The year 2025 is almost certain to rank among the three hottest years ever recorded, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, which reported that October 2025 was the third-hottest October on record, averaging 15.14°C, or 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels.
Scientists say this continues a dangerous warming trend that could push the 2023–2025 period past the 1.5°C threshold set under the Paris Agreement, a limit designed to avert catastrophic climate impacts, Anadolu Agency reported.
As global temperatures rise, Africa—the continent least responsible for emissions but among the hardest hit—is heading to the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, with a clear message: “Africa’s ambition is not in question, what remains missing is delivery.”
A report by Power Shift Africa highlights the continent’s urgent needs amid worsening droughts, floods, and sea-level rise. Africa requires $70 billion annually for adaptation, yet received just $14.8 billion in 2023. The report urges wealthy nations to triple adaptation finance, ensure non-debt-based funding, and establish a transparent mechanism to assess future needs.
African negotiators are also pushing for fair technology access, just transitions, and legal accountability from developed nations under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement, which mandates climate finance for developing countries.
Amid the hottest years in history, Africa’s call at COP30 underscores the widening gap between climate pledges and reality—demanding that global leaders move from promises to tangible action before the planet’s heating surpasses irreversible limits.
