Africa needs a fair and equitable global climate agreement

The author contends that Africa's future depends on the intersection of its youth demographics and climate change, asserting that the impacts of climate change threaten to undermine the 'demographic dividend' by devastating the agriculture sector, which is a primary source of employment for young Africans. The text calls for a global climate agreement based on distributive justice and equity, specifically demanding increased funding for climate change adaptation and the transfer of technology for climate-smart agriculture.

• Africa's potential to benefit from its young population—where approximately two thirds of people are under 25—is threatened by climate change, which the author describes as a 'Sword of Damocles' over the continent's efforts to realize a demographic dividend.
• Climate change disproportionately affects Africa despite the continent's minimal contribution to the problem, specifically undermining agriculture, which is the primary economic mainstay and employer of the labor force.
• While agriculture is becoming an attractive professional sector for highly educated young people in countries like Kenya, these efforts to combat unemployment and food insecurity are hindered by a reliance on rain-fed agriculture and the high cost of climate-smart alternatives.
• The author argues that any successful global climate agreement must be centered on distributive justice and equity, specifically incorporating principles such as Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capacities (CBDR&RC) and intergenerational equity.
• To foster climate-resilient development, the author calls for a global agreement that prioritizes the mobilization of financial resources for climate change adaptation and the transfer of technology.

APA

Mbeva, K. L. (2014). Africa needs a fair and equitable global climate agreement. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/africa-needs-a-fair-and-equitable-global-climate-agreement/

Chicago

Mbeva, Kennedy Liti. Africa needs a fair and equitable global climate agreement. Green European Journal, 2014. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/africa-needs-a-fair-and-equitable-global-climate-agreement/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mbeva |first1=Kennedy Liti |title=Africa needs a fair and equitable global climate agreement |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 November 2014 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/africa-needs-a-fair-and-equitable-global-climate-agreement/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mbeva2014africa, author = {Mbeva, Kennedy Liti}, title = {{Africa needs a fair and equitable global climate agreement}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2014}, month = nov, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/africa-needs-a-fair-and-equitable-global-climate-agreement/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }