By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Environmentalists, scholars and the media have been urged to resist the political domination against Africa by promoters of the extractive sector.
Nnimmo Bassey, Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) made this call on Monday while speaking via a virtual session on “Political Ecology” at the end of its 2022 School of Ecology.
According to him, political ecology involves the study of the relationships between political, economic, and social factors as they all interrelate with environmental issues and changes.
He said that today’s environmental problems are linked to global political and economic models that are basically neo-colonial and imperialistic.
He noted that the environment was intricately linked to politics and an economy dominated by corporations that extract fossil fuels that cause global warming.
He said that Africa and the global south have been victims of extractivism from the slave trade era when developed countries took advantage of human resources from Africa adding that the extractive industry was modelled to satisfy the energy appetite for developed countries.
He further emphasized that a solidarity against the extractive industry was imperative to compel the world to quit fossil fuels and switch to renewable energy sources.
He expressed regrets that the recently concluded Conference of Parties 27 (COP 27) climate conference did not provide an actionable roadmap out of the climate crisis facing the world as the conference was in the grips of the extractive industry.
According to Bassey, about 89 per cent of oil and gas infrastructure was for export to developed countries whereas Africa bears the burden of resultant pollution whereas the developed countries were sacred and insulated.
He said that Africa remained the sacrificial ground as the likes of Late Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni patriots paid the supreme price for environmental activism.
Ikal Angelei, a Kenyan Environmentalist in her contribution dismissed the narrative that retaining natural agroecology practices could lead to food insecurity and insisted that the entry of genetically modified crops has led to lack of food sovereignty as they had taken away the indigenous crops.
She said that there was an urgent need to mobilise political pressure against moves to privatise natural resources like water as it served the interests of capitalists.
Also speaking, Thuli Brilliance Makama, winner of Goldman Environmental Prize in 2010 also emphasized on the necessity for more awareness on political ecology especially for areas that need serious attention on development.
She noted that in Swaziland, her country, there are activities of coal mining and great production of sugar from sugar cane. She urged that these are also part of areas that need development in such a way that it will benefit the people.
Also, Makoma Lekalakala, a South African activist and 2018 Goldman Environmental awardee urged that African leaders also need to sit up by being accountable to funding made by rich Countries.
On his part, Ken Henshaw, a Nigeria Social Activist explained that the idea of using up available natural resources by man and turning them into commodities was unfair as man was only a part of the universe.
The virtual session was anchored and moderated by Mfoniso Antia, Lead, Ikike Desk, the learning organ of HOMEF.
The event drew speakers and participants from the collaborating groups’ volunteers from several states of the federation and other African countries including Kenya, Swaziland and South Africa.