COP30 : Environmental Justice Advocates Seek Overhaul Of Global Climate Justice Agenda

As the world gears up for the 30th Conference of Parties COP30 in Brazil, environmental justice advocates are amplifying calls for a bold overhaul of the global climate justice agenda.

Speaking at a regional roundtable on West Africa climate in Abuja, they
raised alarm over the deepening climate crisis in the region and the failure of global climate negotiations to offer meaningful solutions.

The Convener, Executive Director
Health of Mother Earth Foundation
HOMEF Dr. Nimmo Bassey described the United Nations’ annual climate summit, Conference of Parties COP30 as largely symbolic and ineffective in addressing the root causes of environmental degradation in Africa.

He condemned the weakening of international climate agreements since 2009, particularly following the Copenhagen Accord and the Paris Agreement, which replaced binding emissions cuts with voluntary pledges.

“We now live in a system where the biggest polluters reduce emissions at their convenience, while low-emitting countries are made to bear a disproportionate burden. It’s hypocritical. The COPs are no longer solving the problem, they won’t even openly acknowledge that fossil fuels are driving global warming.”

He warned that unless countries like Nigeria demand a return to binding emission targets similar to those under the defunct Kyoto Protocol, African nations will continue to be sidelined and exploited in global climate negotiations.

“Africa has been plundered for centuries. What we demand is not charity, it’s reparations. Climate finance cannot cover the historical and ongoing climate debt owed to Africa,” he declared.

Echoing similar concerns, Kwami Kpondzo of the Centre for Environmental Justice in Togo emphasized the shared environmental challenges across West African countries.

“From oil and gas pollution in Nigeria, uranium mining in Niger, phosphate in Togo, to vast monoculture plantations in Sierra Leone and Liberia, every country is facing severe environmental degradation,” he stated.

Kpondzo condemned the aggressive push for carbon markets and plantation schemes in Africa, calling them false solutions that destroy biodiversity and livelihoods.

“The West is using carbon markets as a business strategy, not a climate solution. They put a price on nature while displacing communities in the name of carbon sequestration. We can no longer fight in isolation. Whether it’s agroecology, mining resistance, or protecting indigenous rights, we must speak with one voice,” he urged.

The advocates stressed that the fight for climate justice in West Africa is deeply tied to self-determination, environmental dignity, and the reclamation of sovereignty over natural resources.

Aisha Adesanya, Edited By Grace Namiji