This archive report was first published on 22 November 2019.
US Withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord: A Blow to Kenya and Africa ¶
On November 4, 2016, the Paris Agreement entered into force, aiming to strengthen the global response to climate change by keeping global temperatures below 2 degrees this century. However, the US withdrawal from the agreement has dealt a significant blow to Kenya and Africa, which are heavily affected by climate change despite emitting smaller amounts of greenhouse gases.
According to the Kenya National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP) 2018-2022, a slight rise in temperature above 2 degrees could cause an increase in seawater capable of submerging Mombasa County and 17 per cent of coastal areas.
The Paris Agreement stipulates that developed countries, including the US, shall provide financial resources to assist developing countries like Kenya to put in place appropriate financial flows, new technology, and capacity-building frameworks in line with their own national objectives.
However, the US withdrawal from the agreement means that the likelihood of mobilizing the required amount of $100 billion (Sh10 trillion) in public and private resources each year from 2020 to finance projects that enable developing countries to build resilience is next to impossible.
Kenya is one of the countries that are supposed to benefit from part of the Sh10 trillion funding to build infrastructures that will cushion people against the ravaging floods and help the country become food secure among other capacities.
According to World Bank statistics, every American is responsible for 16.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide, while each Kenyan is responsible for 0.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide. The difference is so huge given that Kenya's population is only 14 per cent of the United States'.
Therefore, President Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord is a hard slap on the face of Kenya and other developing countries, which are bearing the heaviest burden of climate change impacts despite emitting smaller amounts of greenhouse gases.
