The Paris Climate Change Agreement: Where Does Africa Fit in?

Abstract

The 195 member state parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on December 2015 formally adopted the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. On April 22, 2016 not less than 175 world leaders converged on the United Nations Secretariat in New York and signed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and 15 nations ratified it. As of March 1, 2017 133 countries have joined the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change is absolutely critical for Africa, a continent that is susceptible to the influence of climate change. The Paris Agreement on climate change is expected to assist the African continent obtain financial aid and cutting-edge technology to alleviate the impact of climate change. This article examines the Paris Climate Change Agreement in the context of its significance for Africa and asks whether the climate change deal is a worthwhile pact from an African standpoint or just an agreement relating to approaches that are standard and not tailored to the African peculiar needs, in other words, “one size fits allâ€.