COP26: African Youth Voices You Need to Follow
Young Africans are on the frontlines of the climate justice movement, advocating for communities in their regions and for the continent that is bearing the brunt of climate inaction, and they are saying enough is enough!
“In Africa, climate change is no longer a threat but a reality!” says Oladosu Adenike, an eco-feminist, climate activist based in Nigeria and the initiator of the Fridays for Future movement in her country while delivering the opening remarks during Ecocide — a performance Art theatre at Staatstheater Stuttgart, Germany.
Hers was a call for urgent action in the wake of the climate crisis declaring that not acting on climate change is a crime against human rights. She is among many young African activists who have been on the frontlines advocating for climate justice. They are clear they are not looking for pity but for action.
It is estimated that the climate crisis has already contributed to at least 33 million people in East and Southern Africa being at emergency levels of food insecurity or worse.
Why are young people in this region getting more vocal? It is because over 16 million of these numbers are estimated to be children — and this crisis is only set to worsen without meaningful intervention.
Elizabeth Wathuti, a climate activist based in Kenya, founder of Green Generation Initiative, and Head of Campaigns at Wangari Maathai Foundation is among the youth who has been on the frontlines in speaking up and demanding urgent climate action on the climate crisis while providing solutions on the ground such as nature-based solutions.
“If we want a liveable future, where the children are not starving, we must protect every remaining ecosystem, and rapidly restore the vast areas of nature that we have damaged. I am working hard to do my part, other young people are, and all we want is to see our leaders doing more. We want action for the people and our planet,” she urges.
As the timer ticks signalling a hastily approaching COP 26, so are the effects of the climate crisis in countries in the Global South which despite having the lowest carbon footprint, bear the biggest impact of the climate crisis.
A recent report revealed that global action to mitigate climate change remains far from sufficient. The inadequacy of most of the climate pledges outlined in each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) following the Paris Agreement is projected to have serious consequences for children and future generations. The Climate Action Tracker found that none of the governments that contribute the most to global emissions had put forward sufficient international climate finance — which is absolutely essential for ambitious action in those developing countries needing support to reduce emissions — nor do they have sufficient policies in place to enforce mitigation measures.
As they hide behind commitments and unfulfilled pledges, extreme weather patterns have dotted the African continent from floods and landslides in Uganda and DRC Congo to famine and prolonged droughts resulting in food security in East Africa. The weather events may not be new to the regions but they are intensifying and there is growing scientific research suggesting that climate change aggravates their impacts.
What’s more worrying is that the climate crisis is pushing many communities beyond their ability to adapt. For the young activists, getting world leaders to act on their words and commitments has become a solid theme in the calls.
While speaking at the Youth4Climate Summit after giving a heart-wrenching narration of the effects of floods in her country, Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate justice activist, reiterated that it was time to take care of those who are most vulnerable to the climate impacts which are no longer avoidable.
There is one thing I almost never hear leaders talk about, and that is loss and damage. For many of us, reducing and avoiding is not enough. You cannot adapt to lost cultures, you cannot adapt to lost traditions, you cannot adapt to lost history, you cannot adapt to starvation. You cannot adapt to extinction,” says Vanessa Nakate.
A major concern for many African youths is being sidelined when it comes to the policy-making process on climate change that affects them at all levels — national, regional, and international.
Kaluki Paul, a Kenyan-based climate advocate, and co-founder of Kenya Environmental Action Network (KEAN), an environmental a explains that underrepresentation of the youth in the negotiations has been a disservice to the African youthful population.
“We (young people) are demanding our rightful place in the negotiations, front and center. We should not be there as invited guests but as co-leaders and co-creators. Our opinion should be valued, just like our counterparts in the West and Global North regions.” he says.
The climate crisis is a constant daily reality hitting the most vulnerable communities in Africa and they’d like the policies and the negotiations to reflect real action on what is being implemented on the ground for the most affected.
Nakate elaborates that the funding should come in form of grants, not loans — noting that loans would only add debts on top of existing debt.
“No more empty promises, no more empty summits, no more empty conferences. It’s time to show us the money. It’s time, it’s time, it’s time. And don’t forget to listen to the people and places most affected.” Concluded Nakate at the Pre-COP26 Youth4Climate conference in Milan, Italy.
In order to move the needle, leaders from African countries should present their climate concerns and needs with a distinct and unified voice. For the visionary young leaders heading to the climate negotiations, they say time for talk is over, it is time for action!
If you'd like to amplify the voices of these climate activists, you can download and post the quote cards featured in this article in the Trello board below: https://trello.com/b/MqZVVAX2/digital-content-library
