US exit from Paris climate pact leaves African projects scrambling for funds

When the United States' withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement took effect, its impact was felt far beyond Washington, reaching community forests, mangrove swamps and youth-led climate projects across Africa.

For environmental groups in countries like The Gambia, the decision translated into immediate uncertainty. Many initiatives that relied on US Agency for International Development support now face funding gaps just as climate pressures intensify.

Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and flooding have widened what experts describe as a deep and growing deficit in adaptation finance for developing countries. By 2035, those needs are projected to exceed $310 billion annually, according to international estimates. The US pullback sharpened concerns about how vulnerable nations will bridge that gap.

In The Gambia, one of Africa's smallest and most climate-exposed countries, youth-led organizations are at the forefront of grassroots adaptation. The Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative ranks the country 151st globally for climate readiness, reflecting limited institutional capacity to absorb climate shocks.

"What we do with communities is to work with them on dryland and wetland trees, especially indigenous trees, how to restore them, and of course, on wetlands, especially mangroves," said Maimuna Jabbie, country lead for Great Green World Frontline Gambia.

But she said the abrupt loss of US climate financing disrupted plans to expand that work. 

"It was a very big disappointment. It caused a lot of chaos for the community, but also for us," Jabbie said, adding that organizations would now need to become more self-reliant.

Across the country, young activists say the funding freeze has reinforced a hard lesson: International support can vanish quickly, even as climate impacts worsen.

"This is evidence that even without support, we can do something," said Muhammed Bah, a member of the Young Champion Debaters Association. "At the end of the day, it is not the responsibility of anybody to come and save us from the dangers of climate change."

The Gambia joined the Paris Agreement in 2016 and has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 under its Long-Term Climate Neutral Development Strategy. But climate policy experts warn that ambition alone will not be enough.

"It's going to be nearly impossible to achieve those targets without funding," said Professor Sidat Yaffa, director of the WASCAL doctoral research program on climate change and education. Drawing on his experience as a former climate negotiator, Yaffa said the loss of US support would force governments and civil society groups to search for alternative sources of finance.

Despite the setback, The Gambia has earned international recognition for its climate commitments. As global climate finance becomes more volatile, the country's youth-led movement now faces a defining test of whether local initiative can sustain progress in the absence of one of the world's largest climate donors.

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi