CAPPA boss Akinbode Oluwafemi (middle);Jakpor (right) and another official at the event.
‘COP27 was a jamboree that failed below expectation of providing solution to the numerous climatic challenges in Africa’
By Valentine Amanze
The Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) and other climate justice groups have said that the just concluded 27th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt was a failure, as they advocated for climate justice from the Global North for environmental pollution.
During a press conference in Lagos at the weekend, CAPPA boss, Akinbode Oluwafemi; Philip Jakpor of CAPPA; Nnimmo Bassey of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF); and Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) Executive Director, Chima Williams, agreed that the COP27 was a jamboree that failed below expectation of providing solution to the numerous climatic challenges in Africa.
They pointed out that the items the Africans and CSOs went to the conference with were deliberately ignored by the Global North.
The CSOs also said that rather than discussions on solution to the effects of fossil fuel, compensation of $100 billion for pollution as earlier agreed on the previous meetings, flooding in Africa, the lobbyists of the big polluters were all over, ensuring that no serious issues were discussed.
Also read: COP27: Still talk, no progress – FOEI
Besides, they said that the governments in Africa did not send delegations to push the case against the nefarious activities of the multinational companies, which are the heavy polluters in the continent.
They said that it was apauling that while the conference was going on, the Nigerian government was celebrating the discovery of crude oil in Bauchi, North Nigeria.
However, they demanded for electric vehicles, solar panels, batteries, which are produced with minerals some of which are sourced from Africa.
According to them, such puts Africa at a vantage point to renegotiate its position on the global stage while stimulating inclusive economic growth.
They called for the removal of barriers to renewable energy technologies in Africa such as import tariffs to make renewable energy accessible and affordable to most of the energy-poor African population.
They also appealed for the withdraw of support for heavy-carbon projects such as the Dangote refineries and petrochemicals and Uganda’s East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP), which will lock Africa into fossil fuel trap, among others.
Personal Assessment of COP27
On his assessment of the COP27, Nnimmo Bassey said that the event was dominated by the supporters of fossil fuel.
He said that the advocates of the fossil fuel were only interested in their commercial gain than the health of Africans.
He also called for the compensation of Africa, which he said, was the worst hit by the pollution.
Akinbode Oluwafemi of CAPPA said that CSOs and Africa must unite on the loss and damage payment, stressing that COP27 in Egypt was carefully planned to ignore the needs of Africa.
The ERA/FoEN Executive Director, Chima Williams, said that the best option to the attitude of the Global North was to call for a litigation.
Williams, who is also a lawyer, said that there was the need to
testing the law on COP27 on Africa, stressing that such was necessary to avoid re-colonisation of Africa by the Global North.
Besides, he advocated for a united and collaboration of CSOs to fight the polluters.
