Africa’s worsening climate crisis reflects the debt owed by the Global North for decades of extractive activities that have devastated the continent’s environment, according to delegates at the second African People’s Counter-COP (APCC) in Benin.
Organized by the African Climate Justice Collective (ACJC), the summit criticized the UN climate process for favouring capitalist interests and sidelining African voices. ACJC Coordinator Rumbidzai Mpahlo said Africa suffers “maximum impact for minimal emissions,” calling for climate justice and systemic change ahead of COP30.
Speakers urged an end to fossil fuel extraction and foreign control of Africa’s energy policies, stressing the need for community-led renewable energy. They also rejected “false solutions” such as carbon trading and geo-engineering, calling instead for grassroots ownership and stronger sovereignty.
In its communiqué, the ACJC demanded climate reparations from the Global North, grants, not loans, and the legal right for communities to reject harmful projects. The group said its declaration offers a true African-led path toward climate and social justice
Source: Guardian
