By Obiabin Onukwugha
As climate crisis deepens across Africa, an environmental advocacy body, Climate Africa Media Initiative Center (CAMIC), has urged communities impacted by oil exploration activities to seek ecological justice from the international courts.
This comes as CAMIC noted that environmental litigation will help safeguard the continent’s natural resources, communities, and ecosystems.
CAMIC made the submissions in a statement made available to NatureNews on Thursday, by its Chief Growth Officer, Pius Alabi.
The body expressed grief that Africa faces disproportionately severe climate impacts, including rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and desertification.
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It said despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions, vulnerable communities across the continent bear the brunt of climate change.
“Legal interventions are essential to hold corporations, governments, and individuals accountable for actions that harm the environment,” the statement read.
The body further stated that environmental litigation has the power to serve as a catalyst for change by ensuring that those responsible for ecological damage face the consequences, while also encouraging governments and corporations to uphold their climate commitments.
“Recent successes in environmental litigation globally, such as cases mandating governments to reduce emissions or halting unsustainable industrial projects demonstrate its potential as a powerful tool for environmental justice,” the statement further read..
While pledging its commitment to support litigation efforts through awareness campaigns, capacity building capacity and community mobilizsation action, CAMIC informed of its plans to launch an initiative to provide resources for environmental litigation, including a legal toolkit.
It, therefore, urged governments, civil society organizations, legal professionals, and community leaders to unite in the fight against environmental injustice, adding that by leveraging legal frameworks, Africa can protect its natural heritage and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come
