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Climate Change
Climate change presents a major challenge to Africa’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report 2018 highlighted the grave consequences of a temperature rise above 1.5°C, especially for Africa.
The United Nations Environment Programme estimates that costs associated with climate-change adaptation across Africa could hit $50 billion annually by 2050, even if the global temperature does not rise more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Under the Paris Agreement, all countries committed to take collective action on climate change to hold the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. African countries have outlined bold aspirations to build climate-resilient and low-carbon economies in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement.
However, many of these commitments are conditional upon access to adequate financial, technical and capacity-building support. At the same time, climate change provides opportunities for African countries to harness their huge resource potential to achieve Sustainable Development Goal targets. Addressing climate change in Africa will create significant market opportunities, especially for the private sector and institutional investors. Having signed and ratified the Paris Agreement, nearly all African countries have committed to enhance climate action by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and building climate resilience. For many countries in the continent, , adopting climate adaptation measures will be critical.
Our Response to Climate Change
The African Development Bank continues to prioritize mainstreaming climate change and green growth in its portfolio and has committed to incorporating climate-informed design into 100% of its investments. The Climate Change and Green Growth Department continues to make progress in driving Africa’s transition towards greater climate resilience and a low-carbon development path, in line with the second Climate Change Action Plan 2016-2021. The Bank is on course to meet the following commitments made under this Action Plan:
- Allocating 40 percent of project approvals to climate finance by 2021, with equal proportions for adaptation and mitigation.
- Mainstreaming climate change and green growth into all Bank investments by 2021.
- Securing significantly increased access to climate finance for low-income African countries with a target of $25 billion by 2025 and positioning Africa’s financial sector at the forefront of financing innovations.
The Climate Change and Green Growth Department:
- Supports the implementation of the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan and the Bank’s Green Growth Framework by mainstreaming climate change and green growth into all Bank operations.
- Mobilizes internal and external climate finance resources.
- Enhances the capacity of the Bank’s staff to mainstream climate change and leverage all available climate change resources.
- Takes the lead in advancing the Bank’s commitment to allocate 40% of its annual funding to climate finance.
- Deepens the Bank’s partnerships with global and regional climate change initiatives.
- Strengthens the capacity of Regional Member Countries to access climate finance and implement their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and long-term low carbon and climate resilient strategies (LTS).
- Strengthens Africa’s voice in global forums.
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News
Publications
Selected Projects
Resources
Useful Links
Documents
- Climate Change and Green Growth Strategic Framework: Operationalising Africa’s Voice - Action Plan 2021-2025
- Climate and Green Growth Strategic Framework: Projecting Africa’s Voice - Strategy 2021–2030
- Climate and Green Growth Strategic Framework: Projecting Africa’s Voice - Policy
- Africa Green Growth Readiness Assessment
- Climate Change and Green Growth - 2020 Annual Report
- Climate Finance Matters - 2019
- AFAC Brochure
- Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) 2016-2020
- AfDB champions climate-resilient and low-carbon development in Africa
- AfDB’S Integrated Safeguards System - Policy Statement and Operational Safeguards
Contact
Climate Change and Green Growth Department [email protected]