Mission 2025, a coalition of diverse voices advocating for robust climate action, has highlighted the critical need for G20 countries to ramp up climate financing, with a focus on empowering vulnerable regions like Africa.
Speaking for Africa’s youth and Indigenous populations, Joshua Amponsem, co-founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization and co-director of the Youth Climate Justice Fund, delivered an impassioned plea for climate finance.
He underscored the dire consequences of inaction. “The 1.5-degree target isn’t just a number for us; it’s the difference between survival and irreversible catastrophe,” Amponsem declared at a press conference, emphasizing that without adequate climate finance, such targets remain hollow promises.
At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the urgency of climate finance and justice took center stage as global leaders grappled with the demands of developing nations.
For Africa, where millions already face the daily realities of climate change, COP29 outcomes and G20 decisions carry immense weight.
“I see grandmothers who can no longer predict the planting seasons, children and women walking miles for water, and dreams withering like our drought-stricken crops,” Amponsem painted a vivid picture of the continent’s struggles.
These stories are emblematic of a broader crisis. Climate finance, or the lack thereof, directly impacts livelihoods, from Indigenous farmers in Kenya to fisherfolk in Mozambique. Yet, the solutions are already within reach.
Amponsem highlighted the transformative work of youth-led initiatives supported by the Youth Climate Justice Fund, calling them “solutions providers, innovators, and leaders” who are ready to act with the right resources.
Mission 2025’s press conference made clear demands: G20 leaders must agree on ambitious finance goals and submit national climate plans aligned with the 1.5°C target.
Developing countries require $1.3 trillion annually to accelerate energy transitions, enhance resilience, and address loss and damage.
Amponsem urged leaders to prioritize grassroots funding.
“We need clear, accessible climate finance mechanisms that reach the grassroots level. Every delay is another community lost to floods, another forest destroyed, another generation’s future compromised,” he noted.
The stakes are high not only for Africa but for the entire global community.
Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, Simon Stiell, warned that without universal action to cut emissions and build resilience, no economy will escape the impacts of global heating.
Amponsem’s final words encapsulated the spirit of Mission 2025: “Your legacy will be judged not by the promises you make but by the actions you take today. The 1.5-degree goal is not negotiable, and neither is our future.”