African youth leader says climate change ‘creates vicious cycle of inequality’

YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – This year, the Catholic Youth Network for Environment and Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA), based in Kenya, celebrates its tenth anniversary.

The network works to implement Pope Francis’ proposal Laudato Si’ encyclical across Africa. Talk with NodeCYNESA Director Allen Ottaro discusses the devastating impacts of climate change in Africa, a continent that loses between $7 billion and $15 billion each year due to climate change.

He suggests ways in which Africa can benefit from the energy transition, discusses issues surrounding the much-publicized Loss and Damage Fund, and explains how young Africans under the umbrella of CYNESA are working to save the planet.

Here are excerpts from that conversation….

Node: CYNESA is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. What would be the highlights of this year’s event?

Octaro: From May 2024 to May 2025, CYNESA celebrates its 10th anniversary. It is a moment of celebration and thanks for the young people who are part of the network, but also for our partners who have accompanied us and walked with us over the last decade.

We have just concluded our Laudato Si’ Youth assembly in Nairobi, from May 30 to June 1, which brought together around a hundred young people from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Rwanda and Cameroon, marking the start of the anniversary year. We also launched our new logo and look forward to hosting regional capacity building workshops for our chapters in the near future, focusing on Catholic social teaching, environmental policy and tree growing activities carried out by our chapters .

Take us back ten years ago. What inspired the creation of this youth movement?

The inspiration for creating CYNESA came from my personal experience growing up. In my hometown of Njoro, about 160 kilometers from Nairobi, on the edge of the Mau forest complex.

I witnessed the gradual destruction of the forest for commercial purposes and the resulting consequences, mainly water scarcity and reduced food production. Years later, after understanding Catholic social teaching and how it calls us to live our faith in the social sphere, coupled with my experience as a volunteer in youth and young adult ministry, I invited some young people Catholics from Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa and Rwanda united and created what is today CYNESA.

Ten years later, what progress would you say you have made in terms of projects protecting “our common home”?

Over the last 10 years, we have managed to establish CYNESA chapters in around 10 countries: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, DRC, Cameroon, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Uganda, reaching and supporting thousands of young people to discover their vocation in the care of our common home through training and awareness.

We have also strengthened the capacity of young people in Africa to firmly engage in global environmental policy-making spaces, such as the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), all important in shaping the discourse on critical environmental issues across the world.

CYNESA chapters have also successfully implemented tree growing projects – our Uganda chapter has grown and planted around 20,000 saplings over the past few months and aims to plant another 50,000 by the end of the year. year. Our Ghana chapter ran a very successful “Green Lent” campaign and mobilized the youth of Accra to clean up the beach.

Our colleagues in Cameroon and Rwanda have raised massive awareness about plastic pollution and carried out PET recycling projects to combat the plastic menace, while CYNESA Tanzania has partnered with Catholic radio stations to prepare programs on Laudato Si’, as a way of raising awareness among the lay faithful of this important issue. These are just a few examples of the incredible work being undertaken by young Catholics.

This 10th anniversary comes as the African Development Bank reports that Africa is losing between $7 billion and $15 billion a year due to climate change. How concerned are you about this kind of statistic?

This statistic seems particularly alarming to me because 33 of the 45 countries designated by the United Nations as least developed countries are in Africa.

These countries are also home to the continent’s largest youth population, meaning that those most affected by the direct impacts of climate change and socio-economic losses are young people, the majority of whom are unemployed.

This creates a vicious cycle of inequality and intergenerational inequity and fuels the desire of young people to leave the continent by any means, thus making them vulnerable to human trafficking. This is a serious situation of injustice which endangers the future of the continent.

Give us an idea of ​​how Africa has paid the heavy price for man’s failure to properly care for “our common home”.

East Africa has experienced devastating floods in recent weeks that have led to the loss of hundreds of lives, the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people and the loss of livelihoods. Kenya’s National Disaster Operations Center reported that by the end of April, some 4,824 livestock had died, 27,717 acres of cropland had been damaged and 264 small businesses and 24 schools had been damaged. been affected.

The Tanzanian Prime Minister, in a speech to Parliament on April 25, said 200,000 people and 51,000 households had been affected by rains and floods since January. During the same period, southern African countries Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe declared national disasters due to drought, with Malawi requiring emergency aid of up to $200 million to cope with famine.

These are not just numbers, but statistics that speak to human lives and personal stories of individuals and families who are unsure of their ability to find food the next day. It is the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

There is a lot of talk these days about the energy transition, and Africa, with its wealth of essential minerals, would be essential to this transition. What do you think African countries should do to make the most of this transition?

I think African countries need to ensure that technology transfer is a priority. Rather than letting critical minerals leave the continent to be processed in the Global North, we need to create industries right here on the continent, train our youth and create jobs and value chains for our communities so that the transition begins where the impacts of the climate crisis are most devastating.

Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, the rights of the communities where these essential minerals are found must be paramount and respected and must make the most of the benefits arising from the transition.

Various COPS have raised the idea of ​​a fund for losses and damages. In your opinion, do you think developed countries are doing enough to solve this problem?

Developed countries are not doing enough to advance the loss and damage fund. The commitments made at COP28 in Dubai were just a drop in the ocean, compared to the devastation hitting countries in the Global South in terms of the climate crisis.

Even though the promises themselves amount to a pittance, they are also not honored in a timely manner, if at all. We found that more money was spent on conflict financing and financial sector bailouts than was needed to address loss and damage, a clear indication of the lack of political will to address this problem. This situation must change and the role of civil society and faith-based organizations is important in holding accountable institutions and governments responsible.

As CYNESA celebrates its 10th anniversary, what challenges did you encounter and how did you manage to overcome them?

The main challenge we encountered is the lack of sufficient resources to reach more young people in Africa.

The continent is vast and diverse and requires a lot of effort to navigate. By the grace of God, we have managed to count on the dedication and commitment of young volunteers and numerous partners to advance our mission, making the most of available resources.

In some cases, we also encountered indifference towards the message of Laudato Si’, and a lack of interest on the part of some members of the clergy. However, we also found some champions, such as the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus van Megen, Bishop James Maria Wainaina of the Catholic Diocese of Murang’a, Bishop Henry Mchamungu, Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam , Father Paul Igweta. , Coordinator of the Department for the Promotion of Integral Human Development at AMECEA and Father Joshtrom Kureethadam of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development at the Vatican, to name just a few. They supported us and motivated us to continue on this path.

Where do you see CYNESA in the next ten years?

I hope that over the next ten years our existing CYNESA chapters will be stronger and have a presence and programs in every diocese in their respective countries. We aim to expand our presence across Africa and, with God’s help, create at least 30 additional CYNESA chapters, ensuring that young people tackle the ecological crisis in a way that also responds to socio-economic conditions of their communities such as poverty and poverty. unemployment, and therefore the strengthening of human dignity.

Are there any issues you think we should address that I haven’t raised?

The current generation of young people in Africa is the most educated and connected generation.

They are full of talent, innovation and energy which, if harnessed and channeled in the right way, will help solve many of the challenges our communities in Africa face.

We must continually invest in them and their institutions.

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *