The climate crisis is one of the defining issues of our time, presenting challenges that extend far beyond environmental degradation.
There are questions about why Africa should pay the highest price for Greenhouse emissions while the Western world which industrialised by exploiting and polluting the environment goes scot-free?
While climate change affects the entire planet, its impacts are vastly unequal, hitting the poorest and least responsible nations hardest.
This inequality forms the foundation of climate justice, a movement that seeks to address the moral and social dimensions of the climate emergency
It calls for equitable solutions that ensure vulnerable countries, especially those in the Global South, receive the support they need to adapt and survive in the face of escalating climate threats.
Climate justice is about addressing the stark imbalance between those who are most responsible for climate change and those who suffer the most from its effects
Wealthy, industrialized nations have historically been the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, fueling their economic growth at the expense of the global environment.
Meanwhile, developing nations, particularly in Africa, contribute only a small fraction to global emissions, yet they are already bearing the brunt of rising temperatures, severe droughts, floods, and other extreme weather events.
Climate justice argues that this disparity must be rectified. It demands that wealthy countries, which have benefited from centuries of carbon-intensive development, take responsibility for helping the world’s poorest nations adapt to the new climate realities.
This includes not only reducing their own emissions but also providing financial and technical support to developing countries so they can build resilience against the devastating effects of climate change.
Few places illustrate the urgent need for climate justice better than Somalia. The East African nation, already grappling with political instability and conflict, has been hit hard by prolonged droughts and erratic weather patterns, pushing it to the edge of catastrophe.
Over the past decade, Somalia has experienced a series of severe droughts, with the most recent drought from 2020 to 2023 plunging the country into one of its worst humanitarian crises.
The devastating effects of the drought have crippled Somalia’s agricultural sector, which is the backbone of its economy.
With crops failing and livestock perishing by the millions, countless families have been left without food or income. Water sources are drying up, forcing people to travel long distances in search of water, a journey fraught with danger.
As the drought continues, more than 7 million people in Somalia face acute food insecurity, and over 1 million have been displaced, seeking refuge in overcrowded camps where resources are scarce.
Despite contributing almost nothing to the global carbon footprint, Somalia is on the frontlines of the climate crisis. This is where climate justice becomes crucial.
Kenya serves as another poignant example of a country grappling with the severe impacts of climate change despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The nation has been increasingly affected by erratic weather patterns, including prolonged droughts and intense floods, which have devastated its agriculture-dependent economy.
Rural communities, that rely heavily on farming and livestock, face existential threats as droughts lead to crop failures and livestock deaths, pushing millions into food insecurity.
In 2023, for instance, northern Kenya experienced its worst drought in decades, resulting in widespread malnutrition and loss of livelihoods.
Additionally, the increasing frequency of climate-related events exacerbates existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, particularly women and children.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, offers another powerful example of how climate change can exacerbate existing vulnerabilities.
Already ravaged by years of civil war and political turmoil, South Sudan is now facing an onslaught of climate-related disasters that are worsening its humanitarian situation.
Flooding has become more frequent and intense, particularly along the Nile River basin, where entire communities have been submerged in floodwaters, displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
In 2021, record-breaking floods affected nearly 800,000 South Sudanese, destroying homes, farmland, and vital infrastructure. The floods wiped out harvests and drowned livestock, leaving millions of people in dire need of food assistance.
At the same time, conflicts over dwindling natural resources, such as fertile land and water, are intensifying, adding another layer of complexity to the country’s already fragile state.
For South Sudan, the consequences of climate change are clear: rising temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns are making an already precarious situation even worse.
Like Somalia and Kenya, South Sudan contributes minimally to global greenhouse gas emissions but is among the countries suffering the most from climate-related disasters.
The principle of common but differentiated responsibilities —enshrined in the Paris Agreement—recognizes that while all countries must contribute to addressing climate change, those that have contributed the most to the problem must bear a greater responsibility.
This means not only leading the way in reducing emissions but also providing the financial resources needed for adaptation and resilience-building in the Global South.
One of the key mechanisms for delivering this support is the Green Climate Fund (GCF), established to help developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
However, contributions to the fund have been inadequate, with many wealthy nations failing to meet their financial pledges. As a result, countries like Somalia and South Sudan are left struggling to cope with the mounting costs of climate adaptation on their own.
In addition to fulfilling their financial commitments, developed nations must also support the establishment of a loss and damage fund, which would provide compensation to countries that are already facing irreversible climate impacts.
For nations like Kenya and South Sudan, which have lost crops, livestock, and entire communities to climate-induced disasters, such a fund would offer a lifeline, helping them recover from their losses and rebuild their futures.
Achieving climate justice requires a comprehensive and coordinated effort at the international level.
Several key steps including Accelerated Global Emission Reductions, Increased Climate Finance, Addressing Climate-Induced Loss and Damage, Empowering Local Communities and Diversifying Economies must be taken to ensure that these countries can not only survive the impacts of climate change but also thrive in the future that is likely to be warmer and more unpredictable.
The struggle for climate justice is a fight for the survival of nations like Somalia and South Sudan. These countries, which have done the least to cause the climate crisis, are facing some of its most devastating effects.
Achieving climate justice will require the international community, particularly developed nations, to recognize their role in addressing climate inequality and provide the support needed to build resilience in the most vulnerable regions. Only through collective, equitable action can we ensure a just and sustainable future for all.
