NAIROBI, Kenya – As the countdown to COP29 in Azerbaijan begins, African negotiators face mounting pressure to champion equitable climate finance solutions for the continent.
Greenpeace Africa and other climate justice movements have issued a call to action, urging African leaders to push for a bold, needs-based framework that addresses the urgent climate crisis affecting millions across the region.
At the heart of the demands is a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which seeks to increase public climate funding, supplemented by a Climate Damages Tax (CDT) on fossil fuel extraction.
This initiative is designed to generate substantial funds for climate adaptation and mitigation without adding to Africa’s debt burden.
The campaigners also called for an end to fossil fuel expansion, condemning it as a dangerous distraction that undermines the continent’s sustainable development goals.
“Climate negotiations have long been about delaying real action,” stated Amos Wemanya, Responsive Campaigns Lead at Greenpeace Africa. “COP29 must stop kicking the poor in the stomach. Lives and livelihoods in Africa are at stake. We need a climate finance framework that is ambitious, needs-based, and fully addresses Africa’s unique vulnerabilities.”
Greenpeace and its allies have emphasized that public climate finance must not be diverted to fossil fuel expansion.
“Fossil-driven development directly contradicts Africa’s goals. We need climate finance that supports sustainable solutions, not costly, speculative projects that extend the life of fossil fuel assets,” Charity Migwi, Senior Africa Campaigner at Oil Change International, stated.
Bringing a personal perspective, Antony Madilschy Otieno, a Greenpeace volunteer and resident of Mai Mahiu, shared a harrowing account of a climate disaster that devastated his community in April 2024.
“This calamity was preventable. It was fueled by human greed and the reckless pursuit of profits through fossil fuel production,” Otieno said. “We need polluters to pay for the damage they’ve caused – for the lives, livelihoods, and land lost to the climate crisis.”
As COP29 approaches, African negotiators are being urged to adopt a unified stance, pushing wealthy nations and fossil fuel companies to contribute their fair share.
Greenpeace Africa emphasizes that this is Africa’s moment to demand climate justice, with a focus on securing financial resources critical to the continent’s survival and sustainable development.
Greenpeace Africa and other climate justice movements have issued a call to action, urging African leaders to push for a bold, needs-based framework that addresses the urgent climate crisis affecting millions across the region.
At the heart of the demands is a New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which seeks to increase public climate funding, supplemented by a Climate Damages Tax (CDT) on fossil fuel extraction.
This initiative is designed to generate substantial funds for climate adaptation and mitigation without adding to Africa’s debt burden.
The campaigners also called for an end to fossil fuel expansion, condemning it as a dangerous distraction that undermines the continent’s sustainable development goals.
“Climate negotiations have long been about delaying real action,” stated Amos Wemanya, Responsive Campaigns Lead at Greenpeace Africa. “COP29 must stop kicking the poor in the stomach. Lives and livelihoods in Africa are at stake. We need a climate finance framework that is ambitious, needs-based, and fully addresses Africa’s unique vulnerabilities.”
Greenpeace and its allies have emphasized that public climate finance must not be diverted to fossil fuel expansion.
“Fossil-driven development directly contradicts Africa’s goals. We need climate finance that supports sustainable solutions, not costly, speculative projects that extend the life of fossil fuel assets,” Charity Migwi, Senior Africa Campaigner at Oil Change International, stated.
Bringing a personal perspective, Antony Madilschy Otieno, a Greenpeace volunteer and resident of Mai Mahiu, shared a harrowing account of a climate disaster that devastated his community in April 2024.
“This calamity was preventable. It was fueled by human greed and the reckless pursuit of profits through fossil fuel production,” Otieno said. “We need polluters to pay for the damage they’ve caused – for the lives, livelihoods, and land lost to the climate crisis.”
As COP29 approaches, African negotiators are being urged to adopt a unified stance, pushing wealthy nations and fossil fuel companies to contribute their fair share.
Greenpeace Africa emphasizes that this is Africa’s moment to demand climate justice, with a focus on securing financial resources critical to the continent’s survival and sustainable development.
