By EricJames Ochigbo
A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has urged African countries to place a ban on geoengineering experimentations, including solar radiation management, ocean fertilisation and rock weathering on the continent.
Geoengineering refers to large or planetary-scale interventions in the earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and soils with the intention of counteracting only some of the effects of climate change.
The coalition which was led by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), made the call at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday while reacting to the outcome of Conference of the Parties (COP 29)
COP, otherwise referred to as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held its 29th session at Baku Azerbaijan from 10th to 24th November 2024.
The Executive Director of HOMEF, Dr Nnimmo Bassey said that COP29 which was popularly known was tagged a “Finance COP”, raised the hopes of poor, vulnerable African nations that finally, climate finance would make sense.
According to him, poor nations were rightly enthused by the fact that the loss and damage mechanism agreed to at COP27 in Egypt and endorsed at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would crystallise.
He explained that climate debt owed to Africa by developed countries for the damage caused by their disproportionately large contributions to climate change had been put at 1.3 trillion dollars annually.
Bassey said that COP29 failed to address the expected pressing climate justice and financial needs due to vulnerable nations.
The executive director decried the $300 billion climate finance pledge by developed countries set to take effect in 2035.
He said that given the rate of global inflation, the value of the pledge would be nothing compared to the damage caused by developed countries if paid.
He also said that geoengineering which is being advanced by developed countries was a threat to the environmental sovereignty of the black continent.
“We call for community-led solutions to halt pollution at the source, ensure sovereignty of our peoples over their forests, water bodies and general territories.
“We demand the recognition by rich, polluting and industrialised nations, of a climate and ecological debt they owe and payment of same. This debt is estimated at an annual rate of $5-8 trillion and its payment will end the squabbles over climate finances whose targets are set but are never pursued or met.
“We call for an end to false solutions and demand the halting of emissions at source by urgently phasing out fossil fuels.
“Communities and nations that have kept fossil fuels in the ground should be recognised as climate champions and duly compensated for such actions.
“The people of Yasuni in Ecuador, Ogoni in Nigeria, Lofoten in Norway and others have shown the way.
“We demand an urgent clean up of areas polluted by fossil fuel exploitation and provision of clean renewable energy to energy poor communities,” he said.
Bassey said that the coalition denounced false solutions and market-based mechanisms that include carbon offset schemes, carbon removals and others.
He said that energy and other transitions must promote human rights and be inclusive of gender responsive efforts with communities duly integrated in the decision making processes.
The executive director said that countries who do not support fossil fuels phase out should be barred from hosting the COP, and polluters should not be kept out of the COP.
He said that real street marches and protests should not be hindered on the Global Days of Action during the COP as has been the case at recent conferences.
Bassey recommended that COP30 should be a truly peoples’ COP where voices of youths, women, indigenous and impacted communities take centre stage.
He said that the loss and damage initiative should be fully addressed under the concept of climate debt.
The coalition called for the recognition of the rights of nature in the negotiations, rejection of the commodification of nature, protection of forests and biodiversity.
The coalition of CSOs also called for investment in peace building as against the ongoing war and genocide in some parts of the world.