By Abbas Nazil
In a landmark move poised to redefine environmental accountability in Africa, a coalition of civil society organizations has filed a petition to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, demanding an Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities of African governments in addressing the climate crisis through a human rights lens.
Filed on May 2 in Arusha, Tanzania, the petition marks the first time that civil society has utilized the Court’s advisory powers for a climate-related cause, signaling a major turning point for climate justice across the continent.
Led by the African Climate Platform (ACP), Resilient40, Natural Justice, and the Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa, in collaboration with the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), the petition calls on the Court to interpret how existing African legal frameworks mandate state protection of fundamental rights under conditions of worsening climate impacts.
These include the rights to life, health, water, food, housing, and a safe environment — all of which are increasingly under threat due to rising temperatures, droughts, floods, and other climate-induced disasters.
Alfred Brownell, Lead Campaigner for the ACP, emphasized the broader significance of the case: “This isn’t just a legal filing — it’s a demand for justice. Africa contributes the least to climate change but suffers the most.
We need the Court to acknowledge that environmental destruction is a violation of human rights and to hold our governments accountable for protecting current and future generations.”
The petition is rooted in African legal instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Maputo Protocol, the Kampala Convention, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
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It seeks legal clarity and stronger standards for climate adaptation, loss and damage compensation, energy justice, corporate responsibility, and the protection of environmental defenders.
As the petition was finalized, a broad range of voices from across the continent gathered in Arusha to share stories of climate suffering and resilience.
From the water protests and heatwaves in North Africa to the record drought threatening 61 million people in Southern Africa, the message was clear: climate change is already ravaging communities.
Testimonies highlighted the disproportionate burdens faced by women, Indigenous peoples, and youth, who are often both the most affected and the least represented in decision-making.
Activists underscored the increasing risks faced by land and environmental defenders, many of whom suffer harassment, arrests, or violence for protecting natural ecosystems.
Others, like Inna Maria Shikongo of Namibia, stressed the urgent need to confront climate injustice and inequality across gender and generational lines.
Legal experts, including PALU’s June Cynthia Okelo, insisted that the petition sends a powerful message: Africa will no longer accept being a dumping ground for global pollution and negligence.
With the Court now poised to weigh in, this case could set a transformative precedent for environmental and human rights law in Africa.
A press briefing at the African Court is expected to follow, outlining next steps in what may become a defining moment for climate accountability across the continent.
