"Environmental protection issues now lie at the very forefront of the international agenda.

It is widely accepted that although African countries contribute the least to global greenhouse gas emissions it is they which are the most vulnerable to the phenomenon of global warming and the potentially devastating impact of climate change - including increased environmental degradation, deforestation and loss of bio-diversity. More frequent droughts and a notable acceleration in the rate of desertification together with increasingly frequent extreme weather patterns, constitute major threats to health, food security and general human security across the continent.

Most African countries lack effective technologies and/or the infrastructure required to address climate change or to effectively protect the environment - i.e. to control or reduce air pollutants emitted from motor vehicles, industry, food outlets, the agricultural sector and fuel usage - specifically coal, paraffin and wood.

The widespread use of ozone-depleting substances in Africa - mainly in agriculture and industry - together with the burning of e-waste ( computers and other electronic gadgetry dumped in Africa ) continues to worsen levels of air pollution and holds serious health implications for future generations on the continent. Indeed, waste-management as a whole remains one of the biggest problems facing most African countries. Resources are simply inadequate and there is very limited technical and/or administrative capacity to adequately address the issue.

African countries, through the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), have prioritized environmental issues and fully recognize that “ a healthy and protective environmental base are essential for increased employment levels, social and economic growth and the reduction of poverty “.

NEPAD’s “Environment Initiative” identified eight areas for “priority intervention”. These are

• Global Warming
• Combating Desertification
• Wetland Conservation
• Invasive Alien Species
• Coastal Management
• Cross-Border Conservation Areas
• Environmental Governance, and
• Financing

At their January 2007 Summit, the leaders of Africa expressed their “grave concern at the vulnerability of Africa’s socio-economic and productive systems to climate change and variability, and at the continent’s low mitigation and response capacities.”

At the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development - TICAD IV - held in Yokohama in May 2008, Environmental Issues and Addressing Climate Change constituted one of the three principal pillars of the Conference.

Participants at TICAD IV fully recognized the need to assist African countries to enhance environmental protection initiatives - at national, regional and continental levels.

TICAD IV ended with the adoption of a 5-Year Plan of Action which, inter alia lists a series of activities and programmes, to be undertaken by the Government of Japan, either alone or in conjunction with entities such as the World Bank, the European Union, UN – HABITAT, ITTO, UNDP, UNESCO and UNU, to support African countries in four identified sectors :-

• Mitigation : the development of an effective international framework, based on the Bali Action Plan, to follow-on from the Kyoto Protocol ; further implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism ; sustainable forest management and support for REDD (reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest degradation in Developing Countries); the promotion of the use of clean energy and improvement of energy access ; support for the development and management of electric power to promote improved access to and the efficient use of electricity;

• Adaptation : the development of effective measures against natural disasters, including early-warning systems and strengthening the capacity of local communities to cope with natural disasters including droughts and floods; the development of measures to combat desertification including measures to reduce overgrazing, over-cultivation and deforestation;

• Water and Sanitation : the development of effective water resources management, including the transfer of technology and expertise related thereto; the development of access to safe water and sanitation facilities , and

• Education for Sustainable Development : the promotion of ESD through the integration of ESD into policies and practices ; enhanced financial and technical support for Environmental Education for Teachers in Africa.

In addition, TICAD IV saw the launch of a process of consultations between Japan and African countries, within the context of Japan’s overall “Cool Earth Promotion Programme” and on the basis of which the Government of Japan seeks to establish a “Cool Earth Partnership” with African, and any other countries wishing to participate therein, to collectively address the effects of climate change and, more broadly, to develop an international framework on greenhouse gas emissions going beyond the current Kyoto Protocol.

The Government of Japan also announced the establishment of a U$ 10 billion “Climate Change Fund” to which developing countries - including African countries - which have joined with Japan in the “Cool Earth Partnership” could have access for projects and programmes to address the effects of climate change and/or to modernize their industries, by way of technology-transfer, to render them more energy-efficient and more environmentally-friendly.

The ADC Website affords us the opportunity to update visitors to the site on any new developments relating to Africa in the critical environmental/climate change sector and to share with them information concerning the Government of Japan’s support to African countries through the TICAD Process in general and, more specifically, through the U$ 10 billion Climate Change Fund.

Tokyo
October 2008 "