Africa's Climate Change Challenge is Greater than Net Zero Carbon Emission Tunnel Vision.

The Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, aims to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen the ability of countries to deal with the impacts of climate change and to provide financial resources to assist developing countries in their efforts. However, Africa's climate change footprint does not align with the Paris Agreement due to a number of factors, including scientific evidence, financial gap, global policy asymmetry, local and global governance trade-offs and synergies.

However, Africa's climate change footprint does not align with the Paris Agreement. Africa is the least responsible for GHG emissions, yet it is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Africa contributes only 3.8% of global GHG emissions, while developed countries contribute a significantly higher proportion. Yet, Africa is already experiencing the impacts of climate change, such as droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures, which are affecting agriculture and food security, water availability, and human health.

One reason why Africa's climate change footprint does not align with the Paris Agreement is the lack of scientific evidence. Despite being a major contributor to global GHG emissions, developed countries have been slow to provide scientific evidence of the impact of their emissions on Africa. This has hindered Africa's ability to negotiate for its fair share of financial support to address climate change. In addition, the IPCC's assessment reports have largely focused on the impacts of climate change in developed countries, with little attention given to Africa. This lack of scientific evidence has resulted in a lack of awareness and understanding of the impacts of climate change in Africa, leading to a lack of action to address it.

Another reason why Africa's climate change footprint does not align with the Paris Agreement is the financial gap. Developed countries have committed to providing financial support to developing countries to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of climate change. However, the level of financial support provided has been inadequate to meet Africa's needs. According to the African Development Bank, Africa alone requires at least $30 billion per year to address climate change. However, developed countries have only committed to providing $100 billion per year by 2020, with a significant proportion going towards mitigation rather than adaptation. This financial gap has hindered Africa's ability to implement adaptation and mitigation measures, such as increasing the use of renewable energy and improving agricultural practices.

Local and global governance trade-offs and synergies also contribute to Africa’s misalignment with the Paris Agreement. At the local level, there are often conflicting priorities between climate change mitigation and adaptation, and other development goals such as economic growth, poverty reduction and food security. This can lead to a lack of coherent and integrated policy responses to climate change. At the global level, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation between different levels of governance, which can result in conflicting policies and approaches to addressing climate change.

Finally, global policy asymmetry has also contributed to Africa's climate change footprint not aligning with the Paris Agreement. Developed countries, which are responsible for the majority of GHG emissions, have largely been able to set the terms of the global climate change policy agenda. This has resulted in a focus on mitigation rather than adaptation and has often prioritized the interests of developed countries over those of developing countries. For example, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which allows developed countries to offset their GHG emissions by investing in projects in developing countries, has largely benefited developed countries rather than benefiting the host countries. This has resulted in a lack of incentives for developed countries to reduce their GHG emissions and has hindered Africa's ability to address its own climate change challenges.

Besides, developed countries have typically set more stringent emissions reduction targets for themselves than developing countries, and have often failed to meet these targets. In contrast, developing countries have typically set less stringent emissions reduction targets for themselves, and have often exceeded these targets. This asymmetry means that developed countries are not doing their fair share to reduce global emissions, while developing countries are bearing a disproportionate burden in the effort to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change

In conclusion, Africa's climate change footprint does not align with the Paris Agreement due to a lack of scientific evidence, financial gap, and global policy asymmetry. Despite being the least responsible for GHG emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and requires adequate financial and technical support to address it. Developed countries, which are responsible for the majority of GHG emissions, must take greater responsibility for their actions and provide the necessary support to enable Africa to address its own climate change challenges. Only by addressing these issues can the global community effectively address climate change and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.