The climate crisis was not born in the villages of Africa; it was engineered in boardrooms, bankrolled by billionaires, and fuelled by a system that values profit over planet. If justice is the true path forward, then the world must stop pointing fingers at those holding buckets, and start confronting those still holding the match.
By Staff Writer
In the heart of Soweto, South Africa, a young entrepreneur powers his small shop using a solar panel rigged from discarded parts. In rural Ghana, a cooperative of women farmers are revitalising dry land using age-old sustainable practices. And in Nairobi, Kenya, e-mobility startups like Basi-Go and Roam, are transforming how a city moves. These are not just acts of survival – they are acts of resistance.
Yet across boardrooms in London, New York, and Dubai, private jets hum in the background as billionaires finalize deals that will pump more carbon into the sky than entire African nations emit in a year. And while they do, they point fingers southward.
A landmark study published in Nature Climate Change has stripped the illusion bare: the richest 10% of the global population, largely concentrated in the Global North, are responsible for over two-thirds of global warming since 1990. That top 1% alone has spewed out 20 times more carbon pollution than the entire bottom half of the planet.
So let us stop pretending Africa is the problem.
Despite being home to nearly 18% of the world’s population, Africa accounts for less than 4% of global emissions. Yet it shoulders the brunt of climate devastation: floods in Mozambique, droughts in the Horn of Africa, disappearing water sources in the Sahel. And still, it is African nations that are expected to prove their environmental worth at global summits, bowing to the moralistic demands of wealthier nations who continue to dodge the accountability spotlight.
The real climate culprit: concentrated wealth
What this new study tells us is that climate change is not just an environmental issue – it is a class issue. It is not driven by the daily choices of the poor, but by the unchecked consumption and control of resources by a privileged elite. These elites do not just burn carbon – they own the systems that do: fossil fuel conglomerates, logistics networks, multinational industries, and the political machinery that resists climate accountability.
So, when African governments are told to “do more” or when individuals are scolded for using plastic bags, we need to redirect the conversation. Because the problem is not an African grandmother using charcoal to cook; it is the oil executive flying first class to Davos to discuss “climate solutions” while investing in new drilling sites.
Solutions must address structural inequality
If we are serious about halting climate change, then the solutions must go beyond carbon credits, lifestyle tweaks, or greenwashing campaigns. The following transformative shifts are not optional – they are essential:
- Redistribute climate accountability
Climate policy must shift from focusing on nations to focusing on emission ownership. That means carbon taxes and reparations that target the ultra-rich and the corporations they control, not those struggling to power a clinic in rural Tanzania. - Decentralise climate finance
Billions pledged in climate finance remain stuck in bureaucratic pipelines or redirected to consultancies in donor countries. Real change demands direct, unconditional funding to communities and innovators in Africa who are already implementing regenerative practices. - Shift from aid to investment in resilience
Africa doesn’t need charity; it needs equitable partnerships. Invest in African-led green energy companies, climate-smart agriculture, and locally manufactured solutions. Support systems that build self-determination, not dependency. - Support climate justice litigation
International courts must recognise the role of multinational corporations and wealthy countries in driving ecological damage. African nations should be empowered to pursue climate litigation and reparations based on data like this new study. - Reframe climate narratives
Stop framing African countries as environmental risks. Instead, amplify their innovations: Kenya’s renewable energy leadership, Rwanda’s e-mobility revolution, Senegal’s green hydrogen prospects. Africa is not the victim; it is a visionary in the global climate response.
A Mirror to the Future
While the wealthiest 10% debate carbon offsets on golf courses, many African communities are already living a post-carbon life, out of necessity, not luxury. Ironically, their models may be what the world needs to survive: low-carbon living, community resilience, circular economies, and indigenous knowledge systems.
The global elite may be roasting the planet, but in Africa, we see seeds of renewal. If the rest of the world listened—not lectured—Africa might just lead the way out of the climate crisis.
It’s not about blaming the South. It’s about dismantling the unsustainable privileges of the North. And until that becomes the cornerstone of climate policy, we’ll all keep burning.
Let’s stop asking Africa to act contrite for a fire it didn’t start. It’s time to hold the arsonists accountable – and follow the green path already being forged across the continent.
