Should Africa be compensated for a climate crisis it didn’t cause?

By Daisy Okiring | Opinion | May 2025

Africa contributes less than 4% of global carbon emissions. Yet, it is one of the regions hardest hit by climate change.

From the deadly floods in Libya that claimed over 11,000 lives in 2023, to the severe droughts in the Horn of Africa—where over 23 million people faced hunger across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia—climate change is not just a looming threat; it is a lived reality on the continent.

And yet, as climate financing promises are made and broken on the global stage, one pressing question refuses to go away: Should Africa be compensated for a crisis it didn’t cause?

A Crisis Made Elsewhere, Paid for in Africa

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions lies overwhelmingly with industrialized countries. The United States alone has contributed 25% of historical CO₂ emissions. Add the European Union, China, and Russia, and the figure exceeds 75%.

By contrast, Africa’s per capita emissions are the lowest in the world—around 0.9 metric tons per person, compared to 15.2 metric tons in the U.S., according to Our World in Data (2023).

Despite this, the African Development Bank reports that African nations face losses of up to $50 billion annually by 2040 due to climate impacts if no adaptation or mitigation is implemented.

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In moral terms, the case seems straightforward: Africa should not bear the cost of a disaster it did not cause.

A Broken Promise: Where Is the Climate Finance?

At the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit, wealthy nations pledged $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change. But over a decade later, this target remains unmet.

According to a 2023 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), only $89.6 billion was mobilized by 2021—most of it as loans, not grants.

Worse, only 3% of global climate finance actually reaches Africa, according to Climate Policy Initiative (CPI). And much of it is earmarked for mitigation projects, such as solar farms or carbon trading schemes, not loss and damage—the irreversible harm caused by climate disasters.

“It’s not charity,” said Mithika Mwenda, Executive Director of the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA). “It’s a moral debt. The global north owes Africa for the damage they’ve caused.”

COP27: A Turning Point, or Political Theatre?

At COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, the landmark decision to establish a Loss and Damage Fund was hailed as a historic victory for the Global South. For the first time, the principle of reparations—however subtly worded—was acknowledged in a UN agreement.

Yet over a year later, questions linger about the size, structure, and source of the fund. Will it be voluntary or obligatory? Will it prioritize vulnerable African nations?

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Kenya’s President William Ruto, speaking at the Africa Climate Summit 2023, put it bluntly:
“Africa is owed not just resources, but responsibility. We have kept our side of the climate bargain. The polluters must now keep theirs.”

The Economics of Compensation

Beyond morality, the economics of climate reparations make pragmatic sense.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) estimates that African countries need $280 billion annually until 2030 to adapt and shift toward a green economy. This includes investments in drought-resistant crops, clean energy, flood defenses, and early warning systems.

Climate reparations—distinct from development aid—could be used to compensate communities displaced by desertification or rising seas. They could help fund recovery from cyclones, floods, and wildfires. They would protect biodiversity and indigenous knowledge systems at risk from climate stress.

^{Africa: the continent least responsible for climate change, yet among the most vulnerable. Calls for reparations are growing louder as African leaders push for a fairer, more accountable global climate system. (Photo/Anadolu Ajansi).}

Moreover, economists argue that unchecked climate crises in Africa could fuel migration surges, conflict over resources, and economic shocks that will ripple across the globe.

As Professor James Murombedzi of UNECA put it:
“Investing in African climate resilience is not an act of generosity—it’s a global insurance policy.”

Critics Say ‘Reparations’ Is Too Politically Charged

Not everyone is on board with the reparations framing.

Leaders in the Global North often dodge the term, citing political backlash at home. Instead, they prefer “climate finance,” “development assistance,” or “adaptation support.”

Some worry that emphasizing reparations may stall cooperation or lead to endless wrangling over who owes what.

But African civil society groups argue that diluting the language weakens accountability.

“We cannot negotiate with our pain,” said Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate, addressing the UN General Assembly. “Loss and damage is not just policy—it is the story of millions losing their homes, their farms, their futures.”

^{A climate justice activist in Nairobi demands immediate global action during a protest for equitable climate financing. Africa, responsible for less than 4% of global emissions, is calling for reparations from the world’s biggest polluters. (Green Peace).}

Reparations Are Not Just Financial

True climate justice will require more than checks and pledges.

It includes debt cancellation for climate-vulnerable nations. It involves meaningful technology transfer to support clean energy innovation. It requires trade reforms that support African green industries. And above all, it demands that major polluting countries make steep emissions cuts to prevent further harm.

As climate diplomacy intensifies ahead of COP29 in Azerbaijan, African negotiators have a rare moral advantage. But to turn that into policy change, they will need unity, clarity—and unwavering public support.

A Debt That Must Be Paid

Climate reparations are not a fringe demand—they are a necessity grounded in ethics, economics, and equity. If the world truly believes in a just transition, then it must start by repairing the damage done to those who did the least to cause it.

Africa is not asking for handouts. It is demanding justice.