Nairobi Climate Talks: Navigating geopolitics to spur climate action 

Mohamed Adow, Executive Director of Power Shift Africa speaking during the 3rd edition of the Nairobi Climate Talks

Mohamed Adow, Executive Director of Power Shift Africa, speaking during the 3rd edition of the Nairobi Climate Talks

The Nairobi Climate Talks 2024 Series has become a vital platform for dynamic conversations on Kenya’s climate future. The talks, a collaboration between Power Shift Africa and the German Embassy, are designed to respond to the climate realities facing communities in East Africa’s largest economy.  

The series brings together participants from civil society, private sector, academia and government. The goal? To foster collaboration, generate actionable insights and build momentum towards collective climate action.   

In 2024, three editions of the talks were held, with each session tackling a pivotal theme, namely,  

  • Implementing COP28 energy outcomes in Kenya   

  • Prioritizing adaptation in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) process and   

  • Future-proofing Kenya against geopolitical shifts impacting climate action  

Bringing together 46 participants, the final session, held on December 9, 2024, at the German Ambassador’s residence in Nairobi, examined ways in which Kenya can navigate growing global geopolitical tensions while advancing its climate agenda.   

H.E. Sebastian Groth, Germany's Ambassador to Kenya, and Mohamed Adow, Executive Director of Power Shift Africa, were the chief guests.  

Amb. Groth emphasised the importance of collaboration between Kenya and Germany to stabilise and expand global coalitions for climate action. 

Notably, Amb. Groth applauded Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s Special Envoy for International Climate Action, and Amb. Ali Mohamed, Special Climate Envoy for Kenya, for spearheading these efforts. 

Mohamed Adow highlighted the economic potential of clean energy, pointing to Kenya’s Vision 2030 as a guiding framework. Adow underlined that the market shift from fossil fuels globally would ultimately be driven by clean energy’s economic advantages.   

Subsequently, Kenya’s strategic value and leadership lies not only in its renewable energy investments but also in its historical ties and its political ability to champion the interests of the Global South. This dual role as a model and an advocate can shape global narratives on climate justice.   

The discussions also shed light on two significant challenges for Kenya. One was the rise of inward-looking, populist policies worldwide, which threaten global treaty commitments.   

The second issue raised was the consistent failure by the United Nations Security Council to recognise climate change as a potential risk factor for conflict, thus limiting its inclusion in the UNFCCC process.   

Despite these hurdles, participants identified strategic opportunities for Kenya. With its geopolitical influence in the Global South, the participants concurred that Kenya can position itself as a climate leader, leveraging its networks to advocate for a fair and inclusive global climate agenda.   

Participants proposed several recommendations, such as strengthening Kenya’s commitment to multilateral processes like the UNFCCC, despite growing nationalistic politics globally.    

Recognition of climate conflict at the UN Security Council was also proposed as a solution. Participants noted that it is crucial to have this language included in the UNFCCC negotiations.  

They said that such recognition, as well as that of climate refugees, is important to facilitate better access to climate finance for countries such as Sudan and Somalia, both overwhelmed with years of conflict. 

The session concluded with a reminder of the power of collaboration. Drawing inspiration from Chinua Achebe’s 20th century masterpiece Things Fall Apart, Adow noted that a man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to save them from starving.  

‘‘They all have food in their own homes. We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so,” he said. 

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