Togo

Togo joined the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) in 2014 and has been an integral partner since then, not only in tackling domestic sources of short-lived climate pollutants but also helping to coordinate and heighten the ambition of regional actions on climate and clean air across West Africa. 

Togo is home to almost 8 million people and all of them are exposed to the increasing vulnerabilities of living in a climate changed world. In addition to the impact on ecosystems, crop yields, and extreme weather events, a significant portion of the country’s population is consistently exposed to levels of indoor and outdoor air pollution that exceed Worth Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. In 2013 alone it was estimated that this exposure was responsible for over 3,448 premature deaths, primarily from the energy, transport, waste, and agriculture sectors. 

Government leaders noted that the country was experiencing exponential growth of cars and motorcycles. According to a study on sustainable low-emission transport, the numbers went from 371,346 in 2005 to 1,011,925 in 2016, an annual growth rate of 6 percent for cars and 13 percent for motorcycles. This problem has been made worse by the fact that these vehicles are often old and imported from abroad and therefore use low-quality, high-polluting fuels. Since 2014, Togo has been working to address these problems through a variety of policy changes and legislation. 

In February of 2020, the Ministers of Environment and Energy of countries within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), including Togo, made the unprecedented agreement to adopt a regional standard on imported gasoline and diesel fuels of 50 parts per million (ppm) starting in January of 2021, with local refineries given until January 2025 to comply. They also agreed that all imported petrol and diesel vehicles, both new and used, would be required to meet Euro 4/IV emission standards or higher starting January 2021. The age limit of used vehicles that can be imported was set to 5 years for light-duty vehicles and 10 years for heavy-duty vehicles. Work is currently underway to introduce tax incentives on low emission and electric vehicles in the region. The United Nations Environment Program is supporting Togo to implement these standards nationally.  

Togo’s most ambitious effort, however, is the National Plan for the Reduction of Air Pollution and Short-Lived Climate Pollutants which was adopted by the Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Natural Protection in 2020. This policy will implement priority measures and actions which will significantly reduce SLCPs which will reap the multiple benefits of improving air quality, fighting climate change, and realizing co-benefits like improved health and agricultural productivity. Fully implementing it will result in a 67 percent reduction in black carbon, a 70 percent reduction in fine particulate matter, and a 56 percent methane reduction by 2040.  

Read below for more highlights of Togo's work.