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Daughters of drought: teen girls traded for grass in Africa's climate crisis

14 January, 2025
Daughters of drought: teen girls traded for grass in Africa's climate crisis

Addis Ababa, 14 January 2025 (ECA) - In the Maasai region of Kenya, drought leaves families with agonizing decisions. When the grass that feeds their cattle disappears, some parents see no choice but to trade their teenage daughters for survival. It’s a reality Dorcas Naishorua, a young activist and winner of the Miss Climate Kenya 2023 title, knows all too well.

“For a girl to be considered ready for marriage in my community, she first undergoes female genital mutilation,” said Dorcas, interviewed for the Sustainable Africa Series. “Imagine being 13, mutilated, and then traded for grass to feed cattle.”

Dorcas has taken it upon herself to amplify the voices of those most affected by this practice, which she describes as one of the tragic coping mechanisms brought on by prolonged drought in her community. Her recounting offers a harrowing insight into the human toll of climate change - a toll too often overlooked in international climate negotiations.

At COP29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in December 2024, the disconnect between Africa’s urgent demands and the world’s tepid response came into sharp focus.

A continent on the brink

Africa, home to 17% of the world’s population but responsible for less than 4% of global emissions, bears a disproportionate burden of the climate crisis. Cyclones have devastated nations like Malawi, Mozambique, Mauritius, Madagascar, and others. The cost of climate disasters to African economies is estimated at $290 billion to $440 billion annually.

Against this backdrop, the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), supported by the Economic Commission for Africa, the African Union, and other regional entities, presented a unified call for $1.3 trillion annually in climate finance at COP29. However, by the conference’s end, they secured a commitment of only $300 billion per year by 2035.

“This is too little, too late for a continent facing climate devastation while contributing the least to emissions,” said Ali Mohamed, Chair of the AGN. “When Africa loses, the world loses - its biodiversity, its minerals, and its stability.”

The $1.3 trillion wasn’t an arbitrary figure. It reflected the scale of Africa’s needs for adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building.

Nassim Oulmane, a senior climate expert at the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), lamented COP29’s outcome, stating, “We took stock of what is needed to implement the Paris Agreement and keep global warming at 1.5 degrees. African countries have identified the solutions and assessed what is required. We have the responses, but the key issue is financing.”

COP29 outcome, combined with the unfulfilled $100 billion-per-year pledge made in 2009, only deepened the frustration among African negotiators.

Lives beyond the numbers

The human cost of inaction cannot be reduced to financial shortfalls alone. Dorcas’ account of girls traded for grass reflects the desperation of families navigating a warming world.

Her experiences were mirrored by Beza Mandefro, a young Ethiopian poet and climate advocate. In her homeland, drought often forces families into what she calls “negative coping mechanisms.”

“When there’s no food, they marry off their daughters to survive another season,” Ms Madefro said. “We talk, we pledge, we discuss - but the lives that depend on these decisions aren’t in the room.”

These stories underscore the human toll of climate inaction, a reality lost in the negotiations’ complex figures and tepid commitments.

The cost of inaction

The consequences of inaction ripple across all facets of African life, from fragile ecosystems to vulnerable communities. Yet, financial commitments from COP29 fell dramatically short of what is needed to address these growing challenges.

The UNFCCC Adaptation Fund sought to raise $300 million at the summit but managed only $61 million in pledges. Washington Zhakata, Vice-Chair of the Fund, highlighted the challenges of operating with such limited resources.

“How can we meet the needs of vulnerable regions with a $20 million cap per country?” he asked. “It’s nowhere near enough.”

Meanwhile, climate adaptation remains at the heart of Africa’s position in global negotiations. Soha Benchekroun, an Adaptation Policy Analyst, emphasized the need for non-debt-generating finance.

“Our countries didn’t cause this crisis,” she said. “The ecological debt owed to Africa by the developed world is immense. Yet they hesitate, delay, and underdeliver.”

Youth on the frontlines

Amid the frustration, Africa’s youth are forging their own path. Zandisile Howe, a Climate Advocate from Eswatini, highlighted grassroots initiatives like urban tree planting and renewable energy projects.

“We’re not just inheriting this earth,” she said. “We’re shaping it. But we need the global community to invest in us.”

In Zimbabwe, young people are leading efforts to expand solar energy in underserved communities. Tariro Bure, a climate action advocate, emphasized, “When we mobilize and bring this finance, we shouldn’t leave out young people already doing the work on the ground. They’re adapting and creating solutions -they just need the resources to scale up.”

The price of delay

As COP29 wrapped up, Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the ECA, warned of the consequences of inaction. “If we delay, the cost will become unmanageable,” he said. “Inaction today means more suffering tomorrow, and eventually, the price will be far more expensive. These are the things that lead to political tensions because people are suffering.”

For Africa, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The promised $300 billion by 2035 is a fraction of what is needed to secure a livable future for millions. For families like those Dorcas described or Beza’s community, the consequences of this shortfall are tragically clear.

"When they decided $1.3 trillion was too much, did they think about the innocent teenage girls in our communities who are mutilated and married off to older men in exchange for grass to help cattle survive during droughts?" Dorcas asked.

COP29 may have ended, but Africa’s fight continues. The question now is whether the world will act before the cost becomes unbearable.

This article is based on our latest episode of the Sustainable Africa Series