A series of military coups in West Africa has completely changed the political landscape, threatening a unified response to climate change.
In January, relations within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) collapsed, with military-led countries Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger announcing their withdrawal from the regional bloc.
Although they have not yet formally done so, the three junta heads said in July that they had “irrevocably” turned their backs on ECOWAS. In September, plans were announced for a new passport to facilitate travel between the three countries.
Coups have occurred in West Africa since 2020
August 18, 2020: Malian army general Assimi Goita dismisses President Ibrahim Keita
May 24, 2021: After the coup, Goita, who installed Ba Ndo as president, takes power himself.
September 5, 2021: Guinea’s Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya dismisses Alpha Conde
January 24, 2022: In Burkina Faso, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandago Damiba dismisses President Roque Kabore.
September 30, 2022: Damiba is now dismissed by military captain Ibrahim Traore
July 26, 2023: General Abdulrahmane Tiani overthrows President Mohamed Bazoum and assumes new leadership in Niger
Recent coup attempts were also reported in Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea-Bissau.
ECOWAS still hopes for reversion negotiations, arguing that partition would risk regional collapse and worsen security. It would also pose a serious threat to the bloc’s climate strategy. West Africa is already experiencing severe climate change impacts, including food insecurity and heatwaves.
One of the most severely affected regions is the Sahel region. The Sahel region, located along the southern border of the Sahara Desert, is comprised of six French-speaking countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal, and is home to more than 100 million people.
How is climate change impacting the Sahel?
Temperatures in the Sahel are rising 1.5 times faster than in the rest of the world and droughts are intensifying, according to a report by the nonprofit humanitarian organization International Solidarity Organization. Heavy rains are also occurring due to climate change. But the land is too dry to absorb rainwater, leading to devastating river flooding in Mali and Niger.
According to the World Bank, by 2050, climate change could push up to 13.5 million people in the Sahel into poverty and displace up to 32 million people across West Africa.
Noudehoenu Gandenou is a US-based climate finance and vulnerability expert who studies climate impacts in the Sahel region. He said changes in rainfall patterns have led smallholder farmers who rely on rain-fed agriculture to change planting dates, diversify crops and plant drought-resistant varieties.
“However, these adaptation measures are not sufficient to counter the increasing severity and frequency of droughts, which affected approximately 125 million people in the Sahel region from 1970 to 2022 alone,” Gandenou said. He told Dialogue Earth. “The increasing unpredictability and severity of these situations threatens livelihoods and food security in the region, exacerbating existing socio-economic vulnerabilities.”
Conflict and climate change in the Sahel
Since 2020, there have been at least six successful military takeovers and numerous failed attempts in West Africa (home to more than 400 million people in 16 countries), plunging the region into political instability.
The Sahel region is said to be the “center of terrorism” and will account for 43% of the world’s deaths from terrorism in 2022. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced there since the 2000s, increasing the need for humanitarian intervention. This shift in priorities makes climate adaptation even more difficult.
“Land and water resources are becoming scarcer due to climate change, and as a result, people are fighting over limited resources, leading to insecurity and general instability,” in The Gambia. political and security analyst Essa Njie said.
Njie added: “Once these challenges exist, there is a risk of organized crime, competition for scarce resources, violent conflict and terrorist infiltration.”
The future of the bloc’s climate strategy
In 2022, ECOWAS agreed to its first-ever Regional Climate Strategy (RCS) to fulfill member states’ obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Representatives from the bloc told Dialogue Earth that political instability would seriously undermine the unity and coordination needed to successfully implement this strategy.
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“Climate change is global, but action is local. (RCS) is proof of that,” said Omar Touray, spokesperson for the ECOWAS President’s Office. “State actors, including public actors, civil society and the private sector, will be the main drivers of implementation. At the political level, climate action takes a backseat as community cohesion and the struggle for survival are paramount. It will be done.
“Political instability will certainly affect the scope of implementation of our climate change strategies. For example, transboundary regions and watersheds that require local adaptation measures may not be easily accessible. Sho.”
ECOWAS also made it clear that countries that leave the bloc will lose access to its projects. “Regional climate centers may face some limitations (in providing) forecast data and information to these member states,” the spokesperson added. “As a result, we may not be able to benefit from some of the available best practices and environmental technologies developed by other countries, and vice versa. This creates vulnerabilities in terms of climate security across the region. It will produce.
“Additionally, the region’s ability to capture carbon emissions will be reduced,” the spokesperson said. “We are stronger together.”
Coup disrupts environmental policies and projects…climate change projects could be delayed or canceled to the detriment of the government and people Maimouna Adamou, Benin activist and climate watch coordinator
Fatou Jen, climate change activist and founder of Clean Earth Gambia, said political instability could shift priorities from climate adaptation to the military, stalling progress and diverting funds away from climate projects. He said there is.
“The fact that some leaders do not recognize the authority of ECOWAS also means that they do not accept and endorse this strategy, which is a major impediment to a coordinated response to climate change projects and actions. It will have an impact,” she added.
The ECOWAS strategy “includes low-cost adaptation measures in key sectors such as agriculture and water resources, supported by concerted action between governments, the private sector and the Global Climate Fund,” Gandenou said. He told Dialogue Earth.
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Belele Jérôme William Bationo, a climate change researcher from Burkina Faso, says Burkina Faso lacks the means to implement policies and programs on its own. He says it will struggle to raise funding and lacks technical capacity.
Maimouna Adamou, activist and Climate Watch Coordinator from Benin (another ECOWAS state), stresses that peace and cooperation are essential in the fight against climate change and underlines her concerns about the region’s climate response.
“Fragments within ECOWAS could make matters worse, as a coup would disrupt environmental policies and projects,” she says. “Climate change projects could be delayed or canceled to the detriment of both governments and the public.”
chart the future path
ECOWAS still wants to rebuild relations with Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Sanctions aimed at restoring democratic governance in each country have been lifted.
“The lifting of these sanctions is aimed at de-escalating the situation and ensuring action by the Commission to support Member States in combating the challenges of climate change under the implementation of the RCS.” said a spokesperson for the association.
In May, the African Policy Institute released a report on climate change adaptation policies and strategies for Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. He emphasized the need for capacity building and knowledge sharing among West African countries to address the climate crisis.
“We strongly believe that cooperation and peace are essential in the fight against climate change,” says Maimouna. “That is why ECOWAS needs to act as one force.”
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