A new State of the Climate report warns that global warming will likely exceed 1.5C within a few years. Atmospheric CO2 has passed 428 ppm, ocean heat and sea levels are at records, and fossil fuel use still rose in 2025 even as renewables overtook coal in global electricity generation. The key problem is that clean energy is growing but not yet displacing fossil fuels fast enough. For Africa, the report underscores a familiar gap: the continent faces the worst climate impacts while having the least capacity to adapt. Adaptation finance reached only about $64 billion in 2024, roughly one fifth of what developing countries will need annually by 2035. The article argues for larger, predictable, grant-based funding that flows directly to local institutions, citing Kenya's devolved climate finance program as a model that should be scaled up. It also warns African governments against locking in oil, gas, and coal infrastructure on fairness grounds, since stranded asset risks and climate instability could outweigh short-term gains. As COP31 approaches, the test will be whether adaptation finance pledges get a credible delivery pathway instead of dissolving into loans and delayed disbursements.
