The Libyan floods signify the urgency of climate change adaptation
The recent Libyan flood has taken many lives but it has also shed light on the deficiency of Climate Change Adaptation policies on the African continent
North African country, Libya has recently suffered a deadly flood resulting in about 6, 000 deaths and thousands also missing.
The country is literally in the hot spot for climate change with a faster rate of rising temperatures. Libya also has high susceptibility to mudslides, sandstorms and desertification.
Despite being highly vulnerable to climate change, the country is the only country not to have developed their Nationally Determined Contributions(NDCs). There is no sense of urgency to engage in climate change adaptation.
NDCs which became a requirement after the Paris Agreement (COP 21) in 2015, has not been a priority in Libya. Support from global partners like the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have assisted Libyan authorities in dealing with their local crises.
The UNDP has supported in areas such as local advocacy and provided solutions for sustainable water management. Despite global efforts, there is a lack of indigenous strategies for climate change adaptation.
President Mohamed Menfi of Libya has always acknowledged the climate crisis in Libya in his speeches at global summits.
He has also encouraged the necessary regional and global efforts to mitigate the climate crisis.
However, his enthusiasm has not translated into Libya’s national policies. Twelve-year-old Revan Ahmed has served as an exemplar of the importance of climate change adaptation as she specified the lack of government concern to climate change. She represents the disregarded civil society who are the most vulnerable to climate change in Libya and beyond.
The latest African Climate Summit concluded with the proposal for global taxes to aid in improving climate finance. While this should be a step forward, many experts are divided on whether the summit can achieve the necessary transformation.
Some analysts assert the dominance of failed promises of the West and others discuss the lack of political will of many African leaders.
These insights just underscore the widening implementation gap that exist with policies regarding climate change adaptation.
When will African leaders like President Menfi undertake verbal initiatives and follow them up with practical ones? When will Western countries honour their promises to meet the climate funding needs and reduce their high greenhouse gas emissions? COP 28 should see some of these concerns raised.
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