South Africa warns of climate disasters, calls for predictable climate finance

In his address, Ronald Ozie Lamola said climate disasters and extreme weather have threatened development gains across southern Africa, citing that "in the last year, 2 million people in the southern African development community suffered a combined and debilitating impact of floods, cyclones, wildfires, and disease outbreaks." He urged global action on disaster resilience and predictable financing for a just energy transition.

Lamola argued that current climate finance architecture is stacked against developing nations and called for multilateral remedies that ensure predictable resources for adaptation and for an equitable energy transition that does not leave developing countries behind.