The Paris Agreement is a legally binding international convention on climate change adopted in Paris, France, in 2015. Many countries agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and work together to adapt to our changing climate.
Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement costs money. And young activists and many experts point out that Africa faces a severe shortage of funding for climate adaptation.
Recently, young African climate activists gathered at the Youth Forum on Adaptation Finance in Africa (YOFAFA) in Yaounde, Cameroon. The purpose of this forum was to explore ways that they could help implement climate adaptation projects across Africa and find funding for them.
The youth forum focused on renewable energy. Wind turbines, developed at the University of Dschang and installed in the Northwest and West regions of Cameroon, are an example of renewable energy projects in Africa.
Professor Julius Kewir Tangka is an expert in renewable energy. He says people who once trekked 10 kilometers from their village to charge phones now have the energy to light their homes, pump water, and shave without worsening climate change.
Professor Tangka talked at the youth forum about the importance of renewable energy projects. “I displayed 30 to 40 prototypes to youths, encouraging them to delve into renewable energy,” Professor Tangka says.
David Brown adapted this story for Mongabay Kids, based on this Mongabay News article by Leocadia Bongben:
