COP27: Voice of Africans must be heard
President William Ruto addressing the COP27 meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. With its massive 30 million square-kilometre surface area and 1.3 billion people, Africa contributes only three per cent to this polluting equation.
Africa’s hosting of the global climate summit COP27 in Egypt is about the welfare of Earth. The havoc that mankind has wrecked on this planet has dire consequences for the present and future generations. The need to protect shared natural resources like rivers, ice sheets, forests and the atmosphere is a duty we owe God and posterity.
What pains, however, are the statistics. With its massive 30 million square-kilometre surface area and 1.3 billion people, Africa contributes only three per cent to this polluting equation. Additionally, the culprits are largely foreign-owned industries on African soil. The statistics should inform Africa’s leadership on their approach to this fast-approaching Armageddon.
One, even if Africans were to plant trees in their bedrooms, their efforts will yield little in the total carbon emissions equation. Nyeri County has 40 per cent forest cover yet part of it is drought-stricken and a candidate for relief food.
Two, the wealth of the developed countries is a result of the grave misuse of natural resources. Unethical mining practices, industrial farming of livestock, nuclear tests…the list is long.
Three, in a world where all systems are designed in European and North American capitals, the game is lopsided against Africans, as is evident in the current hunger crises in Sub-Saharan Africa.
I expect the African leadership to, one, call out the ‘big boys’ (US, Canada, Europe, Russia and China). This is their mess and they alone have the finances, technology and global muscle to mitigate the looming disaster. Two, ask for $100 monthly for every tree planted and nurtured.
Three, demand Sh100 million for that nation as compensation for not exploiting natural resources like coal and petroleum for every climate-friendly technology employed in Africa, Four, know that they have been called to that meeting to shore up numbers but I raise their voice and not seek handouts.
If that fails, let them walk out of that meeting. If we let the earth’s temperatures continue rising, the human species will become extinct.
Mr Njenga is an interdisciplinary content creator. [email protected].
