Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009

The report details a dialogue on the vulnerabilities of African economies to climate change and the potential for trade policy to enhance resilience. It emphasizes the need for predictable financial mechanisms, the diffusion of low-carbon technologies, and the reform of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) to better serve African interests. The document highlights the potential of organic agriculture and renewable energy to create jobs and reduce poverty, while warning against arbitrary trade restrictions and poorly evidenced environmental labels that could undermine the competitiveness of African exports.

• African countries are highly vulnerable to climate change, with key trade sectors such as agriculture, fisheries, and tourism being the most susceptible. These countries are often trade-dependent and face risks that their competitiveness could be undermined by climate mitigation responses from other nations, such as fuel levies.
• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is currently viewed as working against the interests of African countries, as projects are largely concentrated in middle-income countries. Recommendations for the post-2012 regime include relaxing project certification conditions, addressing low carbon prices, and shifting the focus from individual projects to programs to reduce transaction costs.
• Climate change is expected to severely impact African agricultural production, with the number of undernourished people in Sub-Saharan Africa projected to increase from 138 million in 1990 to 410 million by 2080. However, organic agriculture offers significant potential, with some African cases showing a 116 percent increase in farm productivity.
• Technology diffusion is considered more relevant for Africa than technology transfer via Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), as current FDI patterns focus on natural resource extraction rather than value addition. Barriers to innovation are attributed more to poor R&D institutions and a lack of innovation policies than to Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs).
• Renewable energy represents an untapped opportunity for Africa to expand electricity access and create business opportunities, such as assembling wind turbine components. Currently, 80 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity and rely on biomass.
• There is a concern that environmental standards and labels, such as 'food miles' and 'buy-local' campaigns, may be based on poor scientific evidence and negatively impact Southern producers. For example, airfreight represents less than 1 percent of total GHG emissions, yet is a central point of the food-miles debate.
• African countries require new, predictable financial mechanisms for adaptation, as existing funds like the GEF and LDCs Fund are susceptible to recessions and the shifting priorities of developed countries.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2009). Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/dttp_africa_trade_and_climate_change_report_20090507.pdf

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009. 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/dttp_africa_trade_and_climate_change_report_20090507.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009 |date=2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/dttp_africa_trade_and_climate_change_report_20090507.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2009africa, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Africa Trade and Climate Change Dialogue Johannesburg, 7-8 May, 2009}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/dttp_africa_trade_and_climate_change_report_20090507.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }