COTONOU — Days before the COP30 climate summit kicked off this week in Belém, Brazil, a gathering of “nonstate actors” at the 6th Climate Chance Africa 2025 Summit in Benin adopted a declaration emphasizing the essential role of renewable energy in sustainable development and climate adaptation. Participants at the summit, held in Cotonou on Oct. 27 and 28, called on the international community to leverage renewable energy as a tool for building climate resilience, preserving biodiversity, and achieving equitable development. The Cotonou Declaration, which follows from the Addis Ababa Declaration by heads of state in September, states that renewables are a key tool for climate adaptation, capable of securing energy access for vulnerable communities, strengthening food security, and improving public health. The declaration denounces the decline in official development assistance and calls on wealthy countries to maintain public investment in the Global South, particularly for climate projects. It proposes reinvesting a portion of carbon market revenues in climate-positive projects in Africa that respect the rights of local communities. The statement says public funds should be used as guarantees to attract private financing, particularly from within Africa, and to reduce borrowing costs that hinder renewable energy projects. Initiatives such as the Africa Climate Innovation Compact and the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Africa (APRA) are welcomed, but their success depends on greater inclusion of nonstate actors and accessible financial mechanisms for community-based microprojects. Participants at the Climate Chance Africa 2025 Summit in Cotonou, Benin, are calling on the international community to…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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