By Lisa Bryant
MADRID - Marine biologist Lara Muaves witnessed the impact of climate change firsthand this year, when two devastating cyclones tore through her native Mozambique, leaving hundreds dead, including her best friend.
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Nigerian social entrepreneur Mahmood Maishanu sees its footprint in crippling droughts that have hit his homeland. So has French-Moroccan activist Ayoub Makhloufi, who nonetheless remains optimistic that Africa—and especially its youth—can redirect a so-far grim climate change trajectory. "I'm an optimist," says Makhloufi, who, like Muaves and Maishanu, is attending this week's climate talks in Madrid. "I think one day we'll get there. The challenge is to find the right way so everyone can benefit.
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Africa's youth, however, face particularly daunting challenges. The continent is the world's most vulnerable to climate change, the United Nations says, yet only contributes 4 percent of greenhouse gases. Droughts, floods and storms have devastated many parts of the continent, undercutting agricultural production that forms the backbone of its economy.
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The U.N. estimates Africa will need tens of billions of dollars in financing to cope with climate change in the years to come. The question of climate financing is among the key sticking points at the Madrid talks.