Africa’s Counter COP
By Kimberly Anindo
Founded on the principles of anti-capitalist, anti-neoliberal, anti extractivist, anti-patriarchal and anti-racist struggle the Africa Counter COP has been running since 2020.The Africa Climate Justice Collective (ACJC) has hosted the Africa People’s Counter COP (APCC) twice since its formation in 2020. From 7 to 10 October 2024, the ACJC held the first physical APCC in Saly, Senegal. There were over one hundred participants from 21 countries and key issues include food sovereignty, just transitions, zero waste systems, and climate finance.
“For 27 years, climate negotiations have been blocked and curtailed at every turn. Africa is already facing the brunt of the impact of the climate and other intersecting crises and stands to face the brunt of their impacts despite having historically contributed least to them”
“Africa contributes only 3 per cent to greenhouse gas emissions but suffers disproportionately...Africa doesn’t have access to the financing it needs to adapt to climate change.”
Although COP 27 was touted as ‘Africa’s COP’, it failed to address Africa’s main challenge to effective climate action.
“…it remains unclear how the loss and damage fund will be financed. It also remains unclear which nations will be required to pay into the fund and how their respective obligations will be determined”
ACJC hosted APCC 3.0, from the 18th to the 29th of September 2023. It was a hybrid-style event that featured online sessions and People’s Assemblies.
Various sub-themes were discussed during the conference, from food sovereignty and the struggle against false climate solutions, as well as the impacts to the environment and local fisherfolk communities. The call was simple: to come together and REFLECT, RESIST AND RISE UP! The 2024 theme “United against systematic oppression and climate injustice in Africa” allowed marginalised voices of the climate action space to speak
The APCC created a space where the voices of grassroots communities and activists were heard and lauded
The APCC also featured stories of resilience against environmental injustice. Some of those impacts included: droughts, floods, erosion, crop failure, cyclones, sea level rise, dust storms and threats to marine and terrestrial ecosystems. These have resulted in displacement and loss of livelihoods as well as death of community members and activists who defend their territories.
The other argument against the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is its prioritisation of profit over the welfare of vulnerable populations and ecosystems. The voices at this year’s APCC advocated for ‘autonomy to solve our problems our way,’ with the aim of utilising indigenous knowledge to strengthen solidarity and present real solutions to Africa’s climate crisis.
Executive Director of LSD, Aly Marie Sagne encouraged the organisations to stand firm in their fight and continue to support communities in demanding reparations and push the government to respect the public good.
“We must return to environmentally friendly agricultural practices.”
“Extractivism does not benefit Africans. We must review our way of consuming, favour sustainable practices and stop the race to exploit our resources”
In the same vein, Coordinator of GAIA Africa, Niven Reddy, presented a document with the theme, “Zero Waste As A Solution”, stating that waste is the third largest source of methane. Environmental activists further called on African governments to enact laws and policies to protect against methane emission.
Some of the policy measures demanded include: the wellbeing of waste pickers, laws on segregation of waste from source, policies that put an end to open dumping and littering, and real solutions to methane reduction. The fastest and most economical way to reduce emissions from organic waste is to simply stop putting the waste in landfills.
Two challenges facing the push for better waste management are segregation from source and non-removal of single-use plastics. Without these being enacted there is little chance of reducing methane emissions in Senegal and Nigeria.
The APCC also called for the cessation of fossil fuel extraction across Africa, citing the devastating environmental impacts of projects like the Grand Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas field, which threatens the livelihoods of local fishing communities in Senegal and Mauritania.
The African People’s Declaration was endorsed by a coalition of 10 organizations, led by notable figures such as Melody Enyinnaya of Community Development Advocacy Foundation (CODAF), Anthony Akpan of Pan African Vision for the Environment (PAVE), Elvira Jordan of Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN) and CODAF, and Ubrel Joe Jeru of CODAF, alongside representatives from Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternative (GAIA), Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development (SRADev) Nigeria, Center for Earth Works (CFEW), Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), Green Knowledge Foundation (GKF), Policy Alert, and Lekeh Development Foundation (LDF). The declaration can be found here:
In conclusion, the APCC is a remedy for the climate crisis in a just and holistic manner; held because COP has been co-opted by capitalism and the Global North that continue to replicate the injustices that caused the climate crisis.
