The European Environment Agency (EEA) has just published its first European Climate Risk Assessment (Eucra). The report, which calls for greater political action to improve Europe's resilience, gives food for thought about Africa's fate in this respect.
It’s not just Africa that is being held hostage by spectacular floods and prolonged droughts. Contrary to the usual stories in the media and from non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which constantly warn of the lack of action to promote resilience on the continent, Europe too is unprepared to cope with increasing climate risks.
This is the finding of the very first report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) on this topic. Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world”, say the agency’s experts, before stressing that the time has come to identify and implement “policy priorities related to adaptation and sectors sensitive to climate change”.
Are Europeans handicapped by climate change?
The EEA, which has its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, fears the worst for the coming years, particularly in southern Europe (Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal), where meteorological events are beginning to take their toll on the economy, with the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of infrastructure, water shortages for agricultural productivity, etc.
However, beyond the findings of this report, some governments have realised that it is time to move up a gear, in particular by increasing the budget devoted to the ecological transition. In France, this has risen from €33 billion in 2023 to €40 billion in 2024. That’s almost the amount allocated to defence (€47.5 billion) by the French parliament.
The famous “green pact” that will save the old continent
This suggests that the environment is high on the agenda in this country where global warming is ranked among the main concerns of populations.. But efforts in Paris alone will not save Europe’s climate policy. That’s why the European Union (EU) is preparing a Green Pact.
This is a package of measures worth €1,000 billion (to be mobilised over 10 years) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030. The most tangible measure by this deadline will be a ban on the use of combustion-powered vehicles within the 27-nation EU. The Member States have therefore set themselves the common goal of developing a powerful regional market for the manufacture and marketing of electric vehicles.
What about Africa?
By promoting environmentally-friendly modes of transport, the EU is moving away from the use of petrol and diesel, which cause air pollution and exacerbate global warming. This is a model that Africa is not yet ready to experiment with (due to a lack of funding and political will), despite its vulnerability to climate hazards.
Read also- EUROPE-AFRICA FORUM: A Common Future for Sustainable Development
Historic floods (Libya), recurrent cyclones (Madagascar, Mozambique), deadly droughts in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya) and the resulting impact on people’s livelihoods should perhaps spur a revolution in climate change mitigation on the African continent.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
