Sharm El Sheikh Convention Centre, Blue Zone, Africa Pavilion
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great honour to be here to address the crucial topic of climate resilience in Africa. I am very grateful to H.E. Mokgweetsi Masisi for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts and Estonian experience with you.
Africa bears an enormous burden of adverse climate impacts, even if Africa is responsible for only a small fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions. But this grim reality is not stopping your growth. African countries have already achieved so much to combat climate change. From connecting households to solar mini-grids, using renewable energy in agricultural production, to adopting sustainable agriculture practices and improving the sustainability of timber supply. But the very same climate change can undo the progress Africa has achieved so far.
To be truly successful, we need to unleash the huge potential of digital transformation for climate action and reducing emissions. And Africa, just like Estonia, is no stranger to the digitalisation. Estonia started all over only 30 years ago. There was little choice. Either you invest into technology and digital development, and leapfrog more advanced nations by taking a calculated risk of exploring new avenues. Or the others are steadily moving ahead and you stay behind. We chose digital transition, focusing on e-governance and cybersecurity. This has helped us to become more transparent, secure and efficient country. Digitalisation not only saves time, but provides new business opportunities and drives competitiveness. We are glad to see the same attitude in so many African countries -- Africa is leapfrogging to digital transformation, like Estonia did. Obviously, there is an environmental footprint also for digital solutions but it is possible to reduce it. And Africa has a great advantage in this field as data centres, for example, can easily use only renewable energy.
Digital solutions rely on accessible and high-quality data. But so do environmental solutions. Estonia is a firm believer in data-driven decision making. Rapid and targeted response to climate change requires accessible and quality data and the deployment of data-driven technologies, such as smart-grid or artificial intelligence. That is why Estonia has worked for the development of the very first global environmental data strategy in UNEP and we look forward to this strategy in 2025. UNEP has also helped us to highlight the importance of environmental data by recently launching a global collaboration platform called DEAL -- Data for the Environment Alliance. Using quality environmental data and new technologies build the foresight capacity for climate and environmental risk reduction and disaster preparedness. So how do we drive digital transition and achieve climate-resilience? We need to collect data, we need to avoid manipulations with data and we need to share data with each other. And DEAL stands for all of this. Under DEAL, more than 30 countries and organisations are currently collaborating to show political leadership on environmental data, raise awareness, build capacity for data management and exchange best practices. We see huge potential collaborating with African countries to make rapid progress towards accessible data and innovative solutions. Because your ambition, energy and innovative spirit is truly admirable! Estonia stands ready to launch some first pilot projects and we are very glad for the interest we have encountered, for example in Kenya.
We need to develop and use more data-driven and science-based solutions to monitor, measure, understand and communicate the effects of climate change and speed up our adaptation actions. For example, we are developing a smart rainwater management system in Estonia that takes climate adaptation and the growth of cities into account and reduces pollution caused by heavy rains and floods. To face the challenges of climate change, cities need to become greener and play their important role in maintaining and restoring biodiversity through nature-based solutions. Traditional data collection cannot be the only source of data. Earth observations benefit both developed and developing countries. The use of satellite data to predict and manage environmental disasters plays an important role in increasing resilience to changing climate. In Estonia, we have developed numerous solutions and prototypes based on remote sensing and satellite data to monitor more effectively forest resources, the risks of possible floods in coastal areas or ice conditions. It would be our pleasure to pilot these solutions under DEAL in developing countries most affected by climate change.
Promoting digital transformation, ensuring accessible quality data and supporting partnerships. These are the keys to progress -- not just in Africa, but around the world.
Thank you.
