Climate Justice for Africa: Engaging with the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee

Embedding a Bottom-Up Approach to Climate Justice for Africa

Introduction

African leaders are preparing to gather in Nairobi in September 2023 for the Africa Climate Summit. This summit is crucial for the continent as it seeks to establish a unified position on key climate change challenges. African leaders will then negotiate these challenges at the upcoming COP28 in Dubai. The Paris Agreement, which mandates that states take action to address climate change while considering their obligations on human rights, will serve as a guiding framework for these discussions.

Wealthy Industrialized States’ Responsibility and Insufficient Action

Wealthy industrialized states bear significant responsibility for causing and accelerating climate change. They have both the economic and technological means to address this crisis. Consequently, the Paris Agreement places greater obligations on them, including reducing emissions at a faster pace and providing climate finance, capacity-building, and technology transfer to developing countries. However, the climate actions taken by wealthy states so far have not been ambitious enough to effectively tackle climate change or enable impoverished nations to adapt.

The Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee

Until recently, there was no fully operational mechanism to monitor states’ compliance with their obligations under the Paris Agreement. However, at COP27, held in November 2022 in Sharm el-Sheikh, states adopted the rules of procedure for the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC). This committee serves two functions: compliance and implementation.

Compliance Function

The compliance function allows the PAICC to independently monitor states’ compliance with the obligations outlined in the Paris Agreement. This includes the submission of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) every five years by all states and the provision of information on the mobilization of climate finance by wealthy states. However, this function does not empower the PAICC to ensure that these submissions align with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Implementation Function

The PAICC’s implementation function is facilitative in nature. It provides substantive recommendations to states that request support in implementing their commitments under the Paris Agreement. However, this function can only be triggered with the consent of a specific state seeking guidance. This limited implementation mechanism undermines its effectiveness as it relies on a bottom-up approach to climate action.

Bottom-Up Approach and Its Inherent Weaknesses

The international climate change regime has historically followed a bottom-up approach, allowing states to set their own emission reduction targets, select adaptation measures, and determine their contribution to climate finance. This approach is embedded in the PAICC’s implementation function, wherein states engage with the committee at their discretion. The PAICC also permits states to decide whether its recommendations should remain confidential, contradicting the expectation of transparency outlined in the Paris Agreement. Consequently, the bottom-up approach undermines the effectiveness of the implementation mechanism and raises concerns about the PAICC’s ability to deliver climate justice.

Potential for African States to Drive Climate Justice

African states must continue using every available means to achieve climate justice and ensure compliance with the Paris Agreement. This includes leveraging their collective voice during the Africa Climate Summit and reflecting on their engagement with the PAICC. African states should focus on the inadequate financing hindering their ability to implement and comply with their adaptation and loss and damage needs outlined in their NDCs and National Adaptation Plans.

Collaboration with Climate Justice Movements

In collaboration with climate justice movements, African states can advocate for increased finance from wealthy states to address climate adaptation and loss and damage. Additionally, they should consider the PAICC as an additional direction for their efforts. Climate justice movements in wealthy states should also lend support by urging their governments to engage with the PAICC and implement its recommendations. This collective action can transform the PAICC into a critical tool for delivering climate justice and advancing the respect, protection, and fulfillment of human rights in Africa and beyond.

Conclusion

The Africa Climate Summit provides African states with a significant opportunity to strengthen their engagement with the Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee. By addressing the inadequate financing they face and collaborating with climate justice movements, African states can drive equitable and just climate action. These efforts will be instrumental in ensuring the implementation and compliance of the Paris Agreement and ultimately delivering climate justice for Africa and the world.

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