Nonprofit organisation 350Africa says thousands of activists and communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis across Africa are taking part in multiple actions across the continent and are calling on leaders and governments to act with urgency on the climate crisis.
As the continent suffers worsening impacts of climate change, the actions are aimed at calling for an end to the exploration of harmful fossil fuels and push for implementation of a just transition to renewable energy in Africa, 350Africa says.
Further, ahead of the United Nations international climate meeting the Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27), climate activists are also calling for developed nations historically responsible for the climate crisis to compensate those most affected in the form of loss and damage and to scale up financing for a just transition to renewables and robust adaptation measures.
The actions across Africa are being held in solidarity with the global climate strikes demanding climate justice and reparations for the nations most affected by the climate crisis.
“The urgency of the climate crisis cannot be understated, particularly here in Africa, which is the region most vulnerable to climate impacts. It is thus concerning that instead of funding a much-needed just transition in Africa, nations in the European Union are turning their gaze to Africa to meet their gas needs. Rather than lock our continent into production of fossils, developed nations should be held accountable for their role in the climate crisis,” says 350Africa regional director Landry Ninteretse.
“Ahead of COP27, our expectations are that they should provide compensation in the form of loss and damage suffered by the developing nations as a result of climate impacts, support adaptation measures to allow us to build resilience to these impacts and inject funding into the just transition to renewable energy in Africa,” he says.