African climate priorities on the table at COP27
Brand, news website and newsletter for African Climate Wire, an initiative of Climate Legal.
The need
Who they needed to reach
African negotiators, policy makers, journalists, civil society and anyone following climate policy in Africa, in the lead-up to COP27 and beyond
What stood in the way
In 2022 the UN climate talks, COP27, came to Africa, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. Africa contributes least to climate change but faces some of its worst effects, and African priorities such as adaptation, loss and damage and climate finance needed to be heard. But reporting on African climate policy was thin and scattered, and much of the global coverage was written from outside the continent. Climate Legal, a South African climate law and policy consultancy, wanted to change that.
What success looked like
A trusted, regular source of climate news and analysis from an African perspective, built from nothing and read by the people shaping African positions at COP27 and after it.
How we met the need
There was no name, no brand, no website and no audience when we started. We created African Climate Wire from zero, as a news brand rather than a campaign that ends with the conference. The identity is built from layered arches in ocean blue and land green, a simple, warm mark that works from a website header to a tote bag. The website is designed for reading, with news and analysis, short updates, and a newsletter that brings the latest stories to subscribers' inboxes. We then hosted and supported the site until it moved to another provider in July 2026.
Built for reading
A clean, image-led news site, with stories filed under topics, short updates for quick reading, and a newsletter sign-up on every page.
The process
In November 2022 the UN climate talks came to Africa, at COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. For a continent that contributes least to climate change and faces some of its harshest effects, it was a chance to put African priorities at the centre: adapting to a changing climate, paying for loss and damage, and getting finance to the countries that need it most.
Climate Legal, a South African climate law and policy consultancy, saw a gap. Reporting on African climate positions was thin and scattered, and much of it came from outside the continent. They wanted a regular source of climate news from Africa, for Africa, that would inform negotiators and strengthen African positions at the talks and beyond.
We started from zero: no name, no brand, no website and no readers. We built African Climate Wire from the ground up. The brand gave it a name and a look that felt like a news service rather than a report: layered arches in blue and green, a clear typeface and a pattern that works across the website, social media and printed items. The website was designed for reading, with in-depth News & Analysis, quick Updates, and an About page introducing the team behind it. A newsletter carried each new story to subscribers.
From that start it grew into an influential presence in African climate policy, reaching hundreds of organisations. We hosted and supported African Climate Wire from its launch in 2022 until July 2026, when the site moved to another provider.
What the client got
African Climate Wire started from zero ahead of COP27 and kept growing well beyond it. It reached hundreds of organisations and became an influential presence in African climate policy, giving Climate Legal a recognised news brand and a direct line to readers through its newsletter. For almost four years it carried African climate news and analysis to policy makers, journalists and civil society.
