Environmental (Commonwealth Union)—25,000 delegates gathered in Addis Ababa for the second African Climate Summit, a symbolic move that signifies the continent’s determination to lead in the face of headwinds from the rest of the world. While the first Nairobi summit raised $20 billion and resulted in the landmark Nairobi Declaration, this year’s summit is confronted with significantly altered geopolitics, as the world’s largest historical greenhouse gas emitter has relinquished its climate leadership role. However, African nations, which contribute only 4% of overall emissions yet are disproportionately affected by climate change, are not being silenced.
The contrast between great powers is itself stark. As the U.S. withdraws unilaterally from climate promises and bullies its way with threatening tariffs, the EU’s executive vice-president, Teresa Ribera, comforted the delegates that Europe “will not give up” on multilateral action. African leaders, meanwhile, spoke of vulnerability and resolve. President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud referred to the climate crisis as causing “widespread insecurity and loss of livelihoods,” while Ugandan activist Hilda Flavia Nakabuye provided a blistering critique: “If they say that they are a superpower, then they should act like a superpower and make amends for the damage done in our communities.”
The human side of the climate crisis was the biggest focus. A new Water Aid poll discovers 90% of Africans in four nations are anxious about climate impacts, with nearly half already experiencing crop loss and a third having their health aggravated. Nigerian journalist Wilson Jonn Ugwu reported “unbelievable” flooding, while Nakabuye told of the day-to-day reality of floods and droughts, which render action on the climate not an option but a survival necessity. These personal accounts show that ground-level threats override distant political pressures, highlighting how African nations are leading on climate action despite the U.S. pullout.
Beneath the united front, underlying tensions were brewing. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, set to electrify half of Ethiopia’s 120 million but bitterly fought by downstream neighbors Sudan and Egypt, illustrated intra-continental rivalries for resources exacerbated by climate change. Egyptian and Sudanese leaders’ visible absence from opening remarks suggested the delicate balance between climate solidarity and national interest.
The summit also revealed gaps in implementation. UN climate envoy Selwin Hart called on governments to submit updated national climate plans on September 24th, but only five African nations have so far made the submission. This indicates the challenge of translating summit intentions into concrete action, particularly when climate finance is behind. Although the Nairobi Declaration was a triumph, the mobilized $20 billion falls far short of Africa’s $70 billion per annum adaptation finance need.
Kenya’s President Ruto evoked censure of the world’s retreat into “narrow self-interest,” but Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was more positive: “Africa did not cause this crisis, yet Africa can lead in solving it.” This delicate balance between acknowledging disproportionate impacts and asserting leadership in addressing solutions encapsulates Africa’s climate stance. The summit is a tactical turn from pleading for assistance to demanding accountability and collaboration.
As delegates stood in Addis Ababa’s rain, a metaphor in and of itself for the grit it takes to practice climate diplomacy in hours-long queues, the message was this: Africa will not seek permission to address a crisis already consuming its communities. The summit teaches us that climate leadership is shifting south, not on the grounds of historic responsibility but on the grounds of bare necessity. With the world in indifference, Africa is forging its climate destiny one solar panel, one adaptation initiative, and one concerted stance at a time.
