The first African Climate Summit opened with heads of state and others asserting a stronger voice on a global issue that affects the continent of 1.3 billion people the most, even though they contribute to it the least. Kenyan President William Ruto’s government and the African Union launched the ministerial session on Monday while more than a dozen heads of state began to arrive, determined to wield more global influence and bring in far more financing and support. The first speakers included young people, who demanded a bigger voice in the process. As Kenya’s president spoke, hundreds of people joined a “people’s march” on climate in Nairobi holding signs demanding the targeting of fossil fuels. Ruto in the past has said the “addiction” to them must end. One project being protested is the TotalEnergies-funded 897-mile (1,443-kilometer) East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline in Uganda and Tanzania. The U.N. has estimated that loss and damage in Africa due to climate change are projected to be between $290 billion and $440 billion, depending on the degree of warming.
SOURCE: VOA