Developed states ‘failed’ Africa on climate change – Zimbabwe

Well-off nations have not presented “ambitious” emission-reduction targets, a senior official told RT’s Africa Now

Many African delegates were disappointed by the results of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27), which was held in November in Egypt. In the first episode of the new show Africa Now, RT’s Paula Slier explores why this happened and how the promising event came to be described as a failure.

Speaking to officials and journalists, Slier dissects the reasons why people in Africa now feel that they are being treated unfairly by the West when it comes to the effects of global warming.

“Developed countries were supposed to submit their ambitious [emission-reduction] targets. They have not done so,” Washington Zhakata, the head of Zimbabwe’s climate change management department, said on the sidelines of COP27. “Moreover, they failed to meet their obligations under the Kyoto Protocol.”

Most African participants feel like they were being treated unfairly by the industrialized nations, who are chiefly responsible for carbon emissions.

READ MORE: Developing nations demand rich countries pay for climate change

The region is blessed with critical resources needed for a transition to renewable energy, yet millions on the continent remain literally in the dark due to power grid problems.

Watch the new show every Tuesday and Thursday on air, as well as online at RT.com.