By Alessandra Prentice

LIBREVILLE, (Reuters) – African nations want a system that tracks funding from rich countries who are not meeting a $100 billion annual goal to aid the developing world in tackling climate change. This is according to Africa’s chief climate negotiator.

This demand highlights the tensions that exist between the 20 world’s largest economies (which are responsible for 80% greenhouse gas emission) and the developing countries, which bear the brunt.

Tanguy Gahouma (chair of the African Group of Negotiators) said that if someone proves that they are responsible for something it’s his responsibility to make that happen.

To help developing countries deal with the effects of a warmer planet, the developed world agreed in 2009 to fund $100 billion per annum by 2020.

Latest estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that this funding reached $79.6Billion in 2019, which is 2% more than 2018.

According to the OECD, Asian countries received on average 43% of climate finance for 2016-19 while Africa got 26%. Gahouma stated that a shared, more comprehensive system would be needed to keep track of each country’s contributions and determine where they went.

Gahouma explained that although they claim to have reached 70% of their target, we do not believe them.

In an interview, he stated that there must be a clear plan for how the $100 billion would be distributed each year. He also explained how it could track the progress. “We have no time to lose, and Africa remains one of the most vulnerable areas in the globe.”

The U.N. Climate Report reveals that Africa is experiencing a rapid increase in temperatures. The report predicts that further warming will cause more severe heatwaves, coastal flooding, and heavy rainfall across the continent.

Even though wealthy countries miss the $100 billion goal, African countries will push for more funding up to tenfold by 2030.

The $100 billion pledge was political. Gahouma claimed that the $100 billion was not based in reality on climate change mitigation needs for developing countries.

Only a few days remain for world leaders and representatives to meet at the summit in Glasgow and try to broker agreements to reduce emissions quicker and to finance adaptation measures.

Gahouma explained that African nations face an additional challenge in the negotiations because of the administrative barriers to travel to Britain during the coronavirus epidemic and the smaller size of the delegations allowed to attend.

Limited delegations with limited work hours and a lot of effort. It will be difficult, Gahouma explained.