Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, is expected to be officially announced the host city of the 2027 U.N. climate conference on Tuesday, November 18. Supported by the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, the expected decision would mark the international climate summit’s return to the African continent after COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in 2022.
“As host of the next COP, Ethiopia now has a vital platform to amplify African voices and priorities, particularly around adaptation finance, renewable energy access, and climate justice,” Mohamed Adow, director of the think tank Power Shift Africa, said in an official statement from the group. “It could also spotlight Africa’s capacity for innovation and its determination to move from vulnerability to strength in the face of global climate disruption.”
The annual COPs bring together the member states to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to negotiate global climate goals and commitments.
Every year, the host country rotates among the U.N.’s five regional groups: Western Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Each regional group proposes a host country, the COP considers the proposals and accepts one of the offers, then the UNFCCC Secretariat must undertake a fact-finding mission to ensure the proposed host is suitable.
Read also: ADF grants $9 million to strengthen climate resilience in the Sahel
Despite the stated rotation, Africa has hosted less than its share of global climate conferences. Since the first COP in 1995, the event has been held on the continent just five times, including twice in Marrakech, Morocco (COP7 and COP22). Europe, meanwhile, has hosted 12 COPs.
2027 host Addis Ababa is also the headquarters of the African Union and the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, making the city an existing hub for major international institutions.
“The country has long been a regional leader in sustainable development, with flagship initiatives that integrate climate adaptation into national planning and community livelihoods,” Adow said. “From its Green Legacy Initiative, which has seen billions of trees planted across the nation, to its massive investments in hydropower, wind, and geothermal energy, Ethiopia is charting a path toward a low-carbon, climate-resilient future.”
Among the government’s largest investments is the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, the most powerful in Africa, with a capacity of 5.15 gigawatts, or enough energy to power millions of homes in the region.
Africa contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the region is one of the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Severe droughts and intense floods are exacerbating food insecurity and degrading natural resources.
Story was adapted from Mongabay.
