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 1. HOME>
 2. News>
 3. climate crisis>



People carry their belongings while crossing the section of a road collapsing
due to flash floods at the Mwingi-Garissa Road near Garissa on November 22,
2023.

(Photo: Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images)


UN OFFICIAL WARNS AFRICA WILL BE TRILLIONS SHORT OF NEEDED CLIMATE FUNDS BY 2030

"LET'S FACE IT, WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF FAILING FUTURE GENERATIONS."


Thor Benson
Mar 04, 2024
4
Mar 04, 2024



A top U.N. official on Monday warned that Africa will be $2.5 trillion short of
the funding it needs to fight climate change by 2030—a reality characterized as
devastating for a continent that has suffered disproportionately from the
impacts of global heating it has done little to cause compared to Europe and
nations in North America.

"The world is at an inflection point and countries are facing impossible policy
choices with far-reaching social and economic consequences. But we have chosen
the theme of green transitions because, whether we like it or not, we cannot
ignore the challenges of climate change and the need to respond accordingly,"
Claver Gatete, United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of
the economic commission for Africa (ECA), said Monday at a conference in
Zimbabwe.

"In 2020, Africa's total greenhouse emission was about 3% of global emissions,"
Gatete added. "But we are the region with the most burden of impact."

Gatete noted that the G20 estimates Africa needs an additional $1.8 trillion for
climate action and $1.2 trillion for development financing by 2030, but funds
designated for Africa will fall well short of that.

"The natural question that confronts us is ‘where will all these resources come
from?’" Gatete said.

The issue of climate finance, he added, is compounded by runaway debt payments
for nations across the continent that amount to $100 billion annually.

"Let's face it," said Gatete, "we are on the brink of failing future
generations."



As Gatete noted, Africa contributes a small amount to greenhouse gas emissions
compared to many other parts of the world but faces some of the worst effects of
climate change—from extreme heat to famine to flooding.

The Global South has struggled to get rich nations to provide adequate funding
to help them adapt to climate change and invest in renewable energy, despite
many rich nations promising to provide aid. An Oxfam report from September found
rich nations have delivered a "pittance" of what East Africa needs to meet their
climate goals, for example.

Rich nations agreed to help fund mitigation and transition efforts in the Global
South at the COP27 global climate summit in November of 2022 but have yet to
deliver at the scale anywhere near what was promised.

As Washington Post reporter Steven Mufson put it two months after the summit:

> Less than three months later, there are few signs that the United States and
> other wealthy nations will step up to bankroll the much-hyped fund... Two
> months after the U.N. Climate Change Conference ended in Egypt, the hopes and
> promises of that COP27 summit are fading. Countries are struggling to raise
> large and steady streams of capital needed to shut down fossil fuel plants,
> switch to renewables, retrain workers, and establish a fund for losses and
> damages suffered by poor nations after climate-induced disasters and a century
> of wealthy countries' carbon emissions.

It's estimated that the amount of funding going into Africa to address climate
issues may be approximately 10 times less than what is needed. Without that
funding, nations are struggling to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis
and can't adopt cleaner energy sources.

Climate scientists have warned that the whole world—not just the richest
countries—must have adequate funding for combatting and adapting to climate
change. If Africa gets left behind, they say, it will harm this fight that
affects all nations.


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Thor Benson
Thor Benson is a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Full Bio >
africaclimate changeunited nationsclimate crisis


A top U.N. official on Monday warned that Africa will be $2.5 trillion short of
the funding it needs to fight climate change by 2030—a reality characterized as
devastating for a continent that has suffered disproportionately from the
impacts of global heating it has done little to cause compared to Europe and
nations in North America.

"The world is at an inflection point and countries are facing impossible policy
choices with far-reaching social and economic consequences. But we have chosen
the theme of green transitions because, whether we like it or not, we cannot
ignore the challenges of climate change and the need to respond accordingly,"
Claver Gatete, United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of
the economic commission for Africa (ECA), said Monday at a conference in
Zimbabwe.

"In 2020, Africa's total greenhouse emission was about 3% of global emissions,"
Gatete added. "But we are the region with the most burden of impact."

Gatete noted that the G20 estimates Africa needs an additional $1.8 trillion for
climate action and $1.2 trillion for development financing by 2030, but funds
designated for Africa will fall well short of that.

"The natural question that confronts us is ‘where will all these resources come
from?’" Gatete said.

The issue of climate finance, he added, is compounded by runaway debt payments
for nations across the continent that amount to $100 billion annually.

"Let's face it," said Gatete, "we are on the brink of failing future
generations."

> At the 56th Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning & Economic
> Development in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe🇿🇼, @UNCTAD chief @RGrynspan outlined
> global financial architecture reforms required to address the intersection of
> debt, climate & development in Africa.#COM2024 pic.twitter.com/e6umAOpcZb
> — UNCTAD, the UN trade & development body (@UNCTAD) March 4, 2024

As Gatete noted, Africa contributes a small amount to greenhouse gas emissions
compared to many other parts of the world but faces some of the worst effects of
climate change—from extreme heat to famine to flooding.

The Global South has struggled to get rich nations to provide adequate funding
to help them adapt to climate change and invest in renewable energy, despite
many rich nations promising to provide aid. An Oxfam report from September found
rich nations have delivered a "pittance" of what East Africa needs to meet their
climate goals, for example.

Rich nations agreed to help fund mitigation and transition efforts in the Global
South at the COP27 global climate summit in November of 2022 but have yet to
deliver at the scale anywhere near what was promised.

As Washington Post reporter Steven Mufson put it two months after the summit:

> Less than three months later, there are few signs that the United States and
> other wealthy nations will step up to bankroll the much-hyped fund... Two
> months after the U.N. Climate Change Conference ended in Egypt, the hopes and
> promises of that COP27 summit are fading. Countries are struggling to raise
> large and steady streams of capital needed to shut down fossil fuel plants,
> switch to renewables, retrain workers, and establish a fund for losses and
> damages suffered by poor nations after climate-induced disasters and a century
> of wealthy countries' carbon emissions.

It's estimated that the amount of funding going into Africa to address climate
issues may be approximately 10 times less than what is needed. Without that
funding, nations are struggling to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis
and can't adopt cleaner energy sources.

Climate scientists have warned that the whole world—not just the richest
countries—must have adequate funding for combatting and adapting to climate
change. If Africa gets left behind, they say, it will harm this fight that
affects all nations.


Thor Benson
Thor Benson is a former staff writer for Common Dreams.
Full Bio >


A top U.N. official on Monday warned that Africa will be $2.5 trillion short of
the funding it needs to fight climate change by 2030—a reality characterized as
devastating for a continent that has suffered disproportionately from the
impacts of global heating it has done little to cause compared to Europe and
nations in North America.

"The world is at an inflection point and countries are facing impossible policy
choices with far-reaching social and economic consequences. But we have chosen
the theme of green transitions because, whether we like it or not, we cannot
ignore the challenges of climate change and the need to respond accordingly,"
Claver Gatete, United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of
the economic commission for Africa (ECA), said Monday at a conference in
Zimbabwe.

"In 2020, Africa's total greenhouse emission was about 3% of global emissions,"
Gatete added. "But we are the region with the most burden of impact."

Gatete noted that the G20 estimates Africa needs an additional $1.8 trillion for
climate action and $1.2 trillion for development financing by 2030, but funds
designated for Africa will fall well short of that.

"The natural question that confronts us is ‘where will all these resources come
from?’" Gatete said.

The issue of climate finance, he added, is compounded by runaway debt payments
for nations across the continent that amount to $100 billion annually.

"Let's face it," said Gatete, "we are on the brink of failing future
generations."

> At the 56th Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning & Economic
> Development in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe🇿🇼, @UNCTAD chief @RGrynspan outlined
> global financial architecture reforms required to address the intersection of
> debt, climate & development in Africa.#COM2024 pic.twitter.com/e6umAOpcZb
> — UNCTAD, the UN trade & development body (@UNCTAD) March 4, 2024

As Gatete noted, Africa contributes a small amount to greenhouse gas emissions
compared to many other parts of the world but faces some of the worst effects of
climate change—from extreme heat to famine to flooding.

The Global South has struggled to get rich nations to provide adequate funding
to help them adapt to climate change and invest in renewable energy, despite
many rich nations promising to provide aid. An Oxfam report from September found
rich nations have delivered a "pittance" of what East Africa needs to meet their
climate goals, for example.

Rich nations agreed to help fund mitigation and transition efforts in the Global
South at the COP27 global climate summit in November of 2022 but have yet to
deliver at the scale anywhere near what was promised.

As Washington Post reporter Steven Mufson put it two months after the summit:

> Less than three months later, there are few signs that the United States and
> other wealthy nations will step up to bankroll the much-hyped fund... Two
> months after the U.N. Climate Change Conference ended in Egypt, the hopes and
> promises of that COP27 summit are fading. Countries are struggling to raise
> large and steady streams of capital needed to shut down fossil fuel plants,
> switch to renewables, retrain workers, and establish a fund for losses and
> damages suffered by poor nations after climate-induced disasters and a century
> of wealthy countries' carbon emissions.

It's estimated that the amount of funding going into Africa to address climate
issues may be approximately 10 times less than what is needed. Without that
funding, nations are struggling to adapt to the effects of the climate crisis
and can't adopt cleaner energy sources.

Climate scientists have warned that the whole world—not just the richest
countries—must have adequate funding for combatting and adapting to climate
change. If Africa gets left behind, they say, it will harm this fight that
affects all nations.

africaclimate changeunited nationsclimate crisis

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LATEST NEWS



ONCE AGAIN, TOM COTTON BLOCKS BILL TO SHIELD JOURNALISTS FROM BETRAYING SOURCES

RESPONDING TO THE GOP SENATOR'S LATEST THWARTING OF THE PRESS ACT, DEMOCRATIC
SEN. RON WYDEN VOWED TO "KEEP TRYING TO GET THIS BILL ACROSS THE FINISH LINE"
BEFORE REPUBLICANS TAKE CONTROL OF THE SENATE NEXT MONTH.



Brett Wilkins
Dec 10, 2024

Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas on Tuesday again blocked the passage
of House-approved bipartisan legislation meant to shield journalists and
telecommunications companies from being compelled to disclose sources and other
information to federal authorities.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) brought the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State
Spying (PRESS) Act—which would prohibit the federal government from forcing
journalists and telecom companies to disclose certain information, with
exceptions for terroristic or violent threats—for a unanimous consent vote.



Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) argued Tuesday that passing the
PRESS Act is "more important now than ever before when we've heard some in the
previous administration talk about going after the press in one way or another,"
a reference to Republican President-elect Donald Trump's threats to jail
journalists who refuse to reveal the sources of leaks. Trump, who has referred
to the press as the "enemy of the people," repeatedly urged Senate Republicans
to "kill this bill."


Cotton, who blocked a vote on the legislation in December 2022, again objected
to the bill, a move that thwarted its speedy passage. The Republican called the
legislation a "threat to national security" and "the biggest giveaway to the
liberal press in American history."

> — (@)

The advocacy group Defending Rights and Dissent lamented that "Congress has
abdicated their responsibility to take substantive steps to protect the
constitutional right to a free press."


However, Seth Stern, director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press
Foundation, noted ways in which Senate Democrats can still pass the PRESS Act
before Republicans gain control of the upper chamber next month:

> Senate Democrats had all year to move this bipartisan bill and now time is
> running out. Leader Schumer needs to get the PRESS Act into law—whether by
> attaching it to a year-end legislative package or bringing it to the floor on
> its own—even if it means shortening lawmakers' holiday break. Hopefully, today
> was a preview of more meaningful action to come.

Responding to Tuesday's setback, Wyden vowed, "I'm not taking my foot off the
gas."

"I'll keep trying to get this bill across the finish line to write much-needed
protections for journalists and their sources into black letter law," he added.


Keep Reading
News
u.s. senate



JUDGES BLOCK KROGER-ALBERTSONS MERGER IN 'WIN FOR FARMERS, WORKERS, AND
CONSUMERS'

"WE APPLAUD THE FTC FOR SECURING ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES IN MODERN
ANTITRUST ENFORCEMENT," SAID ONE ADVOCATE.


Jessica Corbett
Dec 10, 2024

Antitrust advocates on Tuesday welcomed a pair of court rulings against the
proposed merger of grocery giants Kroger and Albertsons, which was challenged by
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and multiple state attorneys general.

"The FTC, along with our state partners, scored a major victory for the American
people, successfully blocking Kroger's acquisition of Albertsons," said Henry
Liu, director of the commission's Bureau of Competition, in a statement. "This
historic win protects millions of Americans across the country from higher
prices for essential groceries—from milk, to bread, to eggs—ultimately allowing
consumers to keep more money in their pockets."



"This victory has a direct, tangible impact on the lives of millions of
Americans who shop at Kroger or Albertsons-owned grocery stores for their
everyday needs, whether that's a Fry's in Arizona, a Vons in Southern
California, or a Jewel-Osco in Illinois," he added. "This is also a victory for
thousands of hardworking union employees, protecting their hard-earned paychecks
by ensuring Kroger and Albertsons continue to compete for workers through higher
wages, better benefits, and improved working conditions."

While Liu was celebrating the preliminary injunction from Oregon-based U.S.
District Court Judge Adrienne Nelson, later Tuesday, King County Superior Court
Judge Marshall Ferguson released a ruling that blocked the merger in Washington
state.

"We're standing up to mega-monopolies to keep prices down," said Washington
Attorney General Bob Ferguson. "We went to court to block this illegal merger to
protect Washingtonians' struggling with high grocery prices and the workers
whose jobs were at stake. This is an important victory for affordability, worker
protections, and the rule of law."

> — (@)

Advocacy groups applauding the decisions also pointed to the high cost of
groceries and the anticipated impact of Kroger buying Albertsons—a $24.6 billion
deal first announced in October 2022.

"American families are the big winner today, thanks to the Federal Trade
Commission. The only people who stood to gain from the potential merger between
Albertsons and Kroger were their wealthy executives and investors," asserted Liz
Zelnick of Accountable.US. "The rest of us are letting out a huge sigh of relief
knowing today's victory is good news for competitive prices and consumer
access."

Describing the federal decision as "a victory for commonsense antitrust
enforcement that puts people ahead of corporations," Food & Water Watch senior
food policy analyst Rebecca Wolf also pointed out that "persistently high food
prices are hitting Americans hard, and a Kroger-Albertsons mega-merger would
have only made it worse."

"Already, a handful of huge corporations' stranglehold on our food system means
that consumers are paying too much for too little choice in supermarkets,
workers are earning too little, and farmers and ranchers cannot get fair prices
for their crops and livestock," she noted. "Today's decision and strengthened
FTC merger guidelines help change the calculus."

Like Wolf, Farm Action president and co-founder Angela Huffman similarly
highlighted that "while industry consolidation increases prices for consumers
and harms workers, grocery mergers also have a devastating impact on farmers and
ranchers."

"When grocery stores consolidate, farmers have even fewer options for where to
sell their products, and the chances of them receiving a fair price for their
goods are diminished further," Huffman explained. "Today's ruling is a win for
farmers, workers, and consumers alike."

Some advocates specifically praised Khan—a progressive FTC chair whom
President-elect Donald Trump plans to replace with Andrew Ferguson, a current
commissioner who previously worked as chief counsel to Senate Minority Leader
Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and as Republican counsel on the Senate Judiciary
Committee.

> — (@)

"Today's decision is a major win for shoppers and grocery workers. Families have
been paying the price of unchecked corporate power in the food and grocery
sector, and further consolidation would only worsen this crisis," declared
Groundwork Collaborative executive director Lindsay Owens in a statement.

"FTC Chair Lina Khan's approach is the blueprint to deliver lower prices, higher
wages, and an economy that works for everyone," Owens argued. "The rebirth of
antitrust enforcement has protected consumers against the worst of corporate
power in our economy and it would be wise to continue this approach."

Laurel Kilgour, research manager at the American Economic Liberties Project,
called the federal ruling "a resounding victory for workers, consumers,
independent retailers, and local communities nationwide—and a powerful
validation of Chair Khan and the FTC's rigorous enforcement of the law."

"The FTC presented a strong case that Kroger and Albertsons fiercely compete
head-to-head on price, quality, and service. The ruling is a capstone on the
FTC's work over the past four years and includes favorable citations to the
FTC's recent victories against the Tapestry-Capri, IQVIA-Propel, and
Illumina-Grail mergers," Kilgour continued.

"The court also cites long-standing Supreme Court law which recognizes that
Congress was also concerned with the impacts of mergers on smaller competitors,"
she added. "We applaud the FTC for securing one of the most significant
victories in modern antitrust enforcement and for successfully protecting the
public interest from harmful consolidation."

Despite the celebrations, the legal battle isn't necessarily over. The
Associated Press reported that "the case may now move to the FTC, although
Kroger and Albertsons have asked a different federal judge to block the in-house
proceedings," and Colorado is also trying to halt the merger in state court.


Keep Reading
News
antitrust



TRUMP TAPS ANTI-TRANS LAWYER HARMEET DHILLON FOR KEY CIVIL RIGHTS POST

"DHILLON HAS FOCUSED HER CAREER ON DIMINISHING CIVIL RIGHTS, RATHER THAN
ENFORCING OR PROTECTING THEM," ARGUED ONE CRITIC.



Brett Wilkins
Dec 10, 2024

LGBTQ+ and voting rights defenders were among those who sounded the alarm
Tuesday over Republican President-elect Donald Trump's selection of a San
Francisco attorney known for fighting against transgender rights and for leading
a right-wing lawyers' group that took part in Trump's effort to overturn the
2020 presidential election to oversee the U.S. Department of Justice Civil
Rights Division.

On Monday, Trump announced his nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to head the key
civil rights office, claiming on his Truth Social network that the former
California Republican Party vice-chair "has stood up consistently to protect our
cherished Civil Liberties, including taking on Big Tech for censoring our Free
Speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during
COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against
their workers."



"In her new role at the DOJ, Harmeet will be a tireless defender of our
Constitutional Rights, and will enforce our Civil Rights and Election Laws
FAIRLY and FIRMLY," Trump added.

However, prominent trans activist Erin Reed warned on her Substack that
Dhillon's nomination—which requires Senate confirmation—"signals an alarming
shift that could make life increasingly difficult for transgender people
nationwide, including those who have sought refuge in blue states to escape
anti-trans legislation."

> Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil
> Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide
> trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target
> trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
> 
> [image or embed]
> — Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM

Reed continued:

> Dhillon's most prominent work includes founding the Center for American
> Liberty, a legal organization that focuses heavily on anti-transgender cases
> in blue states. The organization's "featured cases" section highlights several
> lawsuits, such as Chloe Cole's case against Kaiser Permanente; a lawsuit
> challenging a Colorado school's use of a transgender student's preferred name;
> a case against a California school district seeking to implement policies that
> would forcibly out transgender students; and a lawsuit against Vermont for
> denying a foster care license to a family unwilling to comply with
> nondiscrimination policies regarding transgender youth.

Reed also highlighted Dhillon's attacks on state laws protecting transgender
people, as well as her expression of "extreme anti-trans views" on social
media—including calling gender-affirming healthcare for trans children "child
abuse."

> — (@)

Last year, The Guardian's Jason Wilson reported that the Center for American
Liberty made a six-figure payment to a public relations firm that represented
Dhillion in both "her capacity as head of her own for-profit law firm and
Republican activist."


Writing for the voting rights platform Democracy Docket, Matt Cohen on Tuesday
accused Dhillon of being "one of the leading legal figures working to roll back
voting rights across the country."

"In the past few years, Dhillon—or an attorney from her law firm—has been
involved in more than a dozen different lawsuits in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia,
Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. challenging
voting rights laws, redistricting, election processes, or Trump's efforts to
appear on the ballot in the 2024 election," Cohen noted.

As Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human
Rights, said in a statement Tuesday, "The Department of Justice's Civil Rights
Division has the critical responsibility of enforcing our nation's federal civil
rights laws and ensuring equal justice under the law on behalf of all of our
communities."

"That means investigating police departments that have a pattern of police
abuse, protecting the right to vote, and ensuring schools don't discriminate
against children based on who they are," Wiley noted. "The nomination of Harmeet
Dhillon to lead this critical civil rights office is yet another clear sign that
this administration seeks to advance ideological viewpoints over the rights and
protections that protect every person in this country."

"Dhillon has focused her career on diminishing civil rights, rather than
enforcing or protecting them," she asserted. "Rather than fighting to expand
voting access, she has worked to restrict it."


A staunch Trump loyalist, Dhillon has also embraced conspiracy theories
including the former president's "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential election
was stolen, and has accused Democrats of "conspiring to commit the biggest
election interference fraud in world history."


She was co-chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association when it launched
Lawyers for Trump, a group that urged the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene on
behalf of the former president after he lost the 2020 election.


> — (@)

Cohen also highlighted Dhillon's ties to right-wing legal activist and
Federalist Society co-chair Leonard Leo, described by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
(D-R.I.) as a "lawless con man and crook" for his refusal to comply with a
Senate subpoena and his organization of lavish gifts to conservative U.S.
Supreme Court justices.


"We need a leader at the Civil Rights Division who understands that civil rights
protections are not partisan or political positions open to the ideological
whims of those who seek to elevate a single religion or to protect political
allies or particular groups over others," Wiley stressed. "We need a leader who
will vigorously enforce our civil rights laws and work to protect the rights of
all of our communities—including in voting, education, employment, housing, and
public accommodations—without fear or favor."

Keep Reading
News
trump administration


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SANDERS EXPLAINS WHY HE'S VOTING AGAINST THE NEW $850 BILLION PENTAGON BUDGET




JAYAPAL, SANDERS OFFER ANSWER TO ELON MUSK'S HEALTHCARE COST QUESTION




THE 'SILENT VIOLENCE' OF CORPORATE GREED AND POWER




62% OF AMERICANS AGREE US GOVERNMENT SHOULD ENSURE EVERYONE HAS HEALTH COVERAGE


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