In late November, the 2023 United Nations Local weather Change Convention (COP28) shall be launched in Dubai. Coming on the finish of a yr which broke a number of warmth data, the occasion is meant to set the stage for a significant push to cut back greenhouse fuel emissions and increase local weather change adaptation globally.
However forward of the convention, there have already been warnings from local weather activists and civil society that until there’s a marked change within the method to local weather insurance policies, COP28 might fail to ship any significant progress.
Within the World South, there may be persistent fear that rich nations and worldwide companies will push for insurance policies that permit them to proceed enterprise as typical, with poorer nations, that are the least liable for local weather change, bearing the brunt of the local weather disaster.
Such tendencies have already been noticed at earlier local weather occasions, together with most just lately on the Africa Local weather Summit held in Nairobi in early September.
The convention, which gathered hundreds of representatives from governments, companies, worldwide organisations and civil society, was an opportunity for African peoples to agree on a typical place on points equivalent to loss and harm compensation, local weather mitigation and local weather finance forward of COP28.
However the closing doc issued by the summit – the Nairobi Declaration – didn’t mirror a consensus and the most effective curiosity of African nations.
This isn’t stunning, provided that lobbyists for World North international locations and companies got the area and high-level entry to push for false options. In the meantime, lots of the delegates – activists and members of civil society calling for readability and options to help our continent – confronted entry difficulties throughout proceedings and have been left feeling sidelined.
In consequence, as a substitute of pushing for insurance policies that might see the World North compensate African nations for its historic greenhouse fuel emissions, which have catalysed world warming, the summit embraced insurance policies that may additional harm African nations.
Its declaration centered closely on – and legitimised – problematic practices like carbon credit, offsetting, and buying and selling.
These are false options and they don’t seem to be what Africa wants. They represent a neocolonial tactic that permits the World North to proceed to emit greenhouse gases whilе retaining management over African land and folks and taking the credit score for African emissions reductions.
Carbon buying and selling relies on the concept emissions of carbon dioxide in a single place may be “offset” by increasing carbon seize actions in one other, equivalent to planting new timber or defending forests to permit for his or her pure regeneration. This permits the large carbon emitters of the World North to pay nature-rich international locations within the World South to protect or increase forested areas.
However quite a lot of these areas are inhabited by native individuals who use forests and land for his or her livelihoods and meals. Carbon buying and selling schemes successfully banish the individuals from their homelands and dispossess them of their rights within the title of preservation and carbon seize.
It has already been well-documented that such schemes are failing to deal with rising carbon emissions and allow the greenwashing of wealthy companies and nations who refuse to cut back their emissions.
If carbon buying and selling will not be the answer, then how can the World North help African international locations to finance loss and harm, adaptation and mitigation?
Cap and share is one various mannequin that’s gaining reputation amongst local weather activists and civil society. The system centres round a world carbon tax that might make polluters – together with fossil gas extractors and main customers – within the World North pay.
This tax, utilized to fossil gas extraction, would elevate trillions of {dollars} a yr for a worldwide Inexperienced New Deal fund, which might finance the transition to renewables and help power entry for all. The fund’s revenue would additionally present grants for loss and harm, adaptation and mitigation within the World South, in addition to common money transfers to help abnormal individuals.
Cap and share would set up a taxation system that operates past the nation-state; doing so is essential for local weather justice and in some ways, it’s lengthy overdue.
Modelling means that the financial results of a worldwide carbon tax can be extremely progressive, with Africa seeing substantial positive factors, together with the everlasting eradication of maximum poverty in all taking part nations. This coverage may be utilized together with common primary revenue and tax justice measures.
As we transfer in direction of COP28, the errors of the Africa Local weather Summit and different comparable local weather occasions shouldn’t be repeated. The voices of local weather activists and civil society from the World South should be heard.
We are saying no to carbon markets. We are saying no to promoting Africa’s carbon, forests, and land to the North. We are saying sure to local weather justice, and to local weather finance that comes with out strings connected.
The views expressed on this article are the writer’s personal and don’t essentially mirror Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.