Africa’s Right to Development in a Climate-Constrained World (Contemporary African Political Economy) - Softcover

Mbeva, Kennedy; Makomere, Reuben; Atela, Joanes; Chengo, Victoria; Tonui, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3031228898 ISBN 13: 9783031228896

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024

Synopsis

Africa stands at a crossroads. Its countries have made ambitious commitments to decarbonise, while facing an equally urgent need to industrialise, grow their economies, and lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. With the continent's population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, reconciling these goals is not only a policy challenge but also a strategic question of justice, agency, and redefining Africa's place in the global system.

This book argues that the international climate regime has undergone a profound transformation, quietly shifting greater responsibility onto African countries. The founding promise of global climate cooperation—that industrialised countries would lead emissions reductions while supporting developing countries to pursue low-carbon development—has steadily weakened. Although the Paris Agreement marked a historic milestone, it also diluted the principle of differentiated responsibilities that African countries fought hard to secure, leaving them to navigate a more demanding and less equitable climate regime. In response, the book advances a new paradigm—Governing Complexity. Drawing on a systems perspective of the international climate regime, it offers a novel framework for understanding how Africa can navigate an increasingly complex climate landscape, positioning the continent not as a passive recipient of externally driven climate agendas but as a strategic and confident actor capable of shaping its own climate and development future.

Written by African scholars with extensive experience in climate negotiations, international politics, law, and public policy, the book combines archival research, policy analysis, and original quantitative evidence to deliver a timely and compelling account of one of the defining challenges of the twenty-first century. Rigorous yet accessible, it offers new insights for scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and anyone seeking to understand the future of climate cooperation, sustainable development, and Africa's role in shaping global climate governance.

About this title

About the Author

Kennedy Mbeva is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

Reuben Makomere is a Research Associate at the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Joanes Atela is the Convenor of the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Victoria Chengo is a Research Fellow at the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Charles Tonui is the Policy Convenor at  the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

From the Back Cover

“This book, written by promising African scholars, provides important policy lessons on securing a ‘just transition’ towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient society in Africa, and to the realisation of the African Union Agenda 2063” - Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, former Prime Minister of Niger, and former CEO, African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD)

“An important contribution to scholarship on International Relations and African Politics, this book offers a solid and well-grounded treatment of how Africa can best achieve sustainable economic development while also taking ambitious action on climate change” - Professor Chukwumerije Okereke, Director of the Center for Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Nigeria

“By focusing on the need to balance climate and development goals in Africa, the authors fill a conspicuous knowledge gap on the reality that transition pathways for countries in the Global South will look very different to those in the Global North” - ​​Dr Zainab​ Usman, Senior Fellow and Director, Africa Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

“This book presents a bold new vision for African agency and leadership in a changing climate. It shows how a proactive strategy offers African countries the clearest path to development in a world shaped by climate change” - Prof Thomas Hale, Associate Professor in Public Policy (Global Public Policy), Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford

“The authors have done a timely and excellent job in articulating a ‘just transition’ from an African perspective” - Dr Bhim Adhikari (PhD), Senior Environmental Economist, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC)  

This book examines how Africa can secure a ‘just transition’ to low-carbon, climate-resilient economies.

Kennedy Mbeva is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Blavatnik School of Government, Universityof Oxford

Reuben Makomere is a Research Associate at the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Joanes Atela is the Convenor of the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Victoria Chengo is a Research Fellow at the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Charles Tonui is the Policy Convenor at  the Africa Research and Impact Network (ARIN)

Edition details

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3031228898
• ISBN 13: 9783031228896
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 330