TED - The Absurd Inequality of Climate Work — and How to Fix It | Joshua Amponsem | TED
The speaker highlights the disparity in climate funding and opportunities between the Global North and South, particularly in Africa. They note that most grant applications from Africa focus on labor-intensive projects like tree planting, rather than roles like data analysis or carbon market expertise. This is attributed to historical colonial influences and a lack of trust and investment in local talent. The speaker proposes a vision where young people from the Global South lead the climate transition, emphasizing the need to invest in local talent and institutions. They provide examples of initiatives in academia, finance, and policy that are working towards this goal, such as refurbishing university labs and setting up the Youth Climate Justice Fund. The speaker calls for a shift in mindset to achieve a just transition that empowers local communities and young people, ensuring they are not just workers but leaders in the climate movement.
Key Points:
- Empower young people in the Global South to lead climate initiatives, not just perform labor-intensive tasks.
- Address the disparity in climate funding, with most resources currently going to Global North institutions.
- Invest in local talent and institutions to build a pipeline of climate leaders in the Global South.
- Support initiatives like the Youth Climate Justice Fund to provide resources to underfunded communities.
- Develop policies that facilitate a just transition, creating jobs and leadership opportunities in the Global South.
Details:
1. 🌍 Engaging with Young Climate Leaders at the Summit
- 80% of grant applications come from Africa, indicating a strong interest from young climate leaders in the continent.
- African applications focus on projects such as tree planting and waste collection for income generation, reflecting a need for sustainable development and economic opportunities.
- In contrast, applications from North America and Europe show different priorities, often centered around technological innovation and policy advocacy, highlighting regional differences in climate action approaches.
- Successful projects from African youth include a large-scale tree planting initiative in Kenya, which not only combats deforestation but also provides employment.
- A notable waste collection project in Nigeria has effectively reduced local pollution and created new community jobs.
2. 🧠 Challenging Colonial Mindsets in the Workforce
- Propose creation of roles such as forest data analysts or carbon market experts to support tree-planting initiatives, fostering local expertise.
- Address the systemic imbalance where labor is exploited by others who capitalize on it, a legacy of colonialism.
- Highlight the disheartening reliance on Global North partners for fundraising and credibility, which impacts African workforce autonomy.
- Provide examples of successful local initiatives that have reduced dependency on external partners, showcasing potential pathways for change.
3. 🌍 Rethinking Transition Strategies for the Global South
- The transition away from fossil fuels involves two main strategies: deploying solutions from Global North institutions in the Global South, which often leads to minimal change in local lives and suppressed local capacity.
- There is a critical need to develop strategies that genuinely transform lives in the Global South by focusing on building local capacity and ensuring that these regions are not dependent on external solutions.
- Emphasizing the importance of creating self-sufficient ecosystems in the Global South through initiatives that leverage local resources and knowledge.
- Case studies where local-driven solutions have successfully led to sustainable energy transitions, thereby improving economic and social outcomes.
- Quantitative metrics illustrating the impact of locally-driven strategies on reducing dependency on fossil fuels, such as a 30% increase in local renewable energy production.
4. 🌟 Vision for Empowering Global South Leadership
- Proposing a new vision where young people from the Global South lead the transition that will impact them the most.
- In Africa, 70% of the population is under 30, highlighting an urgent need to rethink, refocus, and reinvest in their talent.
- Challenge the narrative that there's no time to engage local communities or build local talent due to urgency in meeting climate targets.
- Failure to change the mindset towards empowering local talent may hinder meeting global climate targets on necessary timescales.
- Specific strategies should include creating educational programs tailored to climate leadership, investing in local innovation hubs, and fostering international partnerships to support young leaders.
- An example of successful local leadership could involve a community-led renewable energy project that both provides local jobs and contributes to carbon reduction targets.
5. 📚 Tackling Science Inequality in African Academia
- 70% of the most cited climate research papers from 2016 to 2020 were authored in Global North institutions, indicating a significant imbalance in academic contributions.
- 78% of climate funding intended for Africa was instead allocated to Global North institutions, highlighting a critical disparity in resource allocation.
- The Green Africa Youth Organization refurbished an Environmental Science Laboratory at an African university to provide students with necessary tools for climate solutions.
- Efforts to scale these initiatives to four universities introduce new programs and courses, empowering students to lead in climate solutions like methane reduction and carbon markets.
- To effectively address science inequality, initiatives should be scaled continent-wide, with African researchers leading and African universities controlling research funding.
6. 💸 Financing a Just Climate Transition
- Only 2.4% of the recent $1.7 billion committed to land rights has been allocated to Indigenous groups, highlighting a significant disparity in funding allocation.
- Less than 1% of climate philanthropy funding is directed towards young people, underscoring the need for increased investment in youth-led initiatives.
- The risk aversion of investors results in a lack of investment in local communities, leading to no local leadership and no job creation, which are critical for grassroots development.
- To successfully transition to a sustainable climate future, resources must be placed in the hands of local communities and young people, who form the backbone of the necessary workforce.
- Increasing funding for Indigenous groups and youth-led initiatives can enhance local job creation and leadership, addressing the current gaps in the financing landscape.
7. 🔄 Policies and Circular Economy: A Path Forward
- The transition to renewable energy in Africa is expected to generate two million jobs in the next five years, with solar leading in Kenya and South Africa, and hydro being the key in Ethiopia and DRC.
- 83% of employment in Africa is in the informal economy, presenting a significant opportunity for policy-driven skill transfer to capitalize on new job opportunities.
- Initiatives like the zero-waste project in Accra have created numerous jobs, reduced emissions equivalent to a round-trip flight from Accra to London, and have been shortlisted for the Earthshot Prize.
- These projects have enabled informal waste workers to gain sustainable income, social protection, and inclusion in the formal economy, highlighting the importance of inclusive policy-making.
- Policies are crucial for driving transitions that are just and equitable, ensuring long-term durability and avoiding missed opportunities.
8. 🚀 Empowering African Youth for Global Leadership
- African youth have the ambition and desire to lead in global transitions and not just follow traditional roles.
- Africa possesses the necessary workforce, talent, and knowledge to lead in global transitions.
- Engaging young people in Africa is crucial for success in global leadership roles.
- Transitioning roles for African youth from traditional to modern fields such as forest data analysts, engineers, innovators, and executive leaders is seen as vital.
- Young Africans are encouraged to take on leadership roles on a global stage.