The study focused on the experiences of policymakers in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The research consortium included the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance and other academic partners in the region. It included a literature review, an online survey and semi-structured interviews with participants from a range of organisations in the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.
The researchers looked at how the pandemic has affected the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): the national plans for climate action submitted by countries as an obligation under the 2015 Paris Agreement.
A concern frequently raised by participants was that resources channelled towards handling the pandemic would detract from resources previously allocated to climate mitigation, or that the shock of the pandemic would result in a “downright reduction” of financial commitments to tackling climate change. The study...