Greenpeace activist on the street advocating for climate justice. Photo courtesy Greenpeace Africa
As the 2nd Africa Climate Summit convenes in Addis Ababa, Greenpeace Africa is calling on African leaders and the global community to adopt binding mechanisms that hold polluters accountable, finance climate solutions, and protect Indigenous-managed forests.
The organisation insists Africa must assert moral leadership in the fight for climate justice, rather than remaining a passive victim of a crisis it did not create.
Dr. Oulie Keita, Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa, described the moment as a pivotal crossroads for the continent.
“Africa stands at a crossroads: either continue bearing the brutal costs of a crisis we did not create, or demand real justice. Climate justice without financial justice is an empty promise. Those who profited from pollution must pay for the damage not trap Africa in debt. With 40% of the world’s renewable resources and unparalleled Indigenous wisdom, Africa can and must lead the way in proving that climate justice is not charity, but accountability.”
At the centre of Greenpeace Africa’s demands is a Global Polluter Pays Pact, a binding international framework aimed at compelling the world’s largest fossil fuel corporations to contribute to Loss and Damage funds for communities confronting climate disasters.
Research cited by the organisation shows that just 100 corporations have been responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988.
Polling across 13 countries indicates that over 80% of citizens support holding these polluters accountable.
Amos Wemanya, Responsive Lead at Greenpeace Africa, emphasised the human toll of inaction.
“While families bury loved ones after climate-fueled extreme weather events like floods and tornadoes, fossil fuel giants celebrate record profits. A binding tax treaty must force these corporations to pay into Loss and Damage Funds. Our polling shows over 80% global support politicians must stop protecting polluters and start protecting people.”
Beyond polluter accountability, Greenpeace Africa is pushing for tax justice as a means to finance climate action.
Koaile Monaheng, Pan African Strategist at the organisation, noted that illicit financial flows bleed approximately $89 billion from Africa each year funds that could otherwise support climate-resilient infrastructure and just transitions.
“The UN Tax Convention must end tax havens shielding polluters, while ensuring mobilised revenues are ringfenced to support just transitions across our communities, fill in the gap in climate finance, and phase out fossil fuels. This isn’t charity; it’s restitution for ecological debt accumulated through exploitation.”
Forest conservation emerged as the third pillar of Greenpeace Africa’s climate agenda.
African forests store an estimated 171.8 billion tonnes of carbon, and Indigenous communities are widely recognised as the most effective stewards of these ecosystems.
Greenpeace Africa is advocating for climate finance to flow directly to these communities, rejecting market-driven “degradation offsets” that undermine Indigenous rights.
“Communities protect forests better than governments or carbon markets. Yet they receive pennies of climate finance. True forest solutions reject ‘degradation offsets’ and prioritise Indigenous rights,” Wemanya said.
Dr. Keita warned that without these three pillars polluter accountability, tax justice, and forest protection climate discussions risk remaining performative rather than transformative.
“Without these three pillars, climate summits become performative theatre while Africa burns. Real solutions demand systemic courage starting here, starting now.”
Greenpeace Africa’s interventions at the summit reflect a broader push by African civil society for climate justice grounded in financial restitution, legal accountability, and the protection of local ecosystems.
By linking corporate responsibility, Indigenous stewardship, and fiscal reform, the organisation argues that Africa can redefine global climate leadership.
The call comes amid a growing recognition that African countries, despite being disproportionately affected by climate disasters, remain underfunded and underrepresented in global climate financing mechanisms.
Greenpeace Africa’s blueprint for climate justice urges summit participants to consider not just emissions reductions, but systemic reforms that redistribute responsibility, protect forests, and empower local communities.
By advancing a comprehensive approach that combines polluter accountability, tax reforms, and Indigenous-led forest protection, Greenpeace Africa is positioning Africa as a moral leader, capable of driving climate action that is both just and effective.
About Greenpeace Africa
Greenpeace Africa is the regional arm of Greenpeace, an independent global environmental organisation.
It works across the continent to promote climate justice, protect forests and biodiversity, and advocate for clean energy solutions.
The organisation focuses on holding governments and corporations accountable for environmental harm, supporting Indigenous communities, and campaigning for systemic reforms to address climate change and ecological degradation in Africa.
