By JKNewsMedia
URGENT ACTION to confront escalating climate threats formed the centre of calls issued as Earth Day 2026 was marked, with the Africa Make Big Polluters Pay coalition demanding accountability and protection of the continent’s ecosystems.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that in a statement released on Wednesday, the coalition said the theme “Our Power, Our Planet” reflects a climate emergency that is “no longer a distant threat but a present and intensifying emergency.”
“Whether in the forests of Kenya, or in Nigeria’s grasslands, from biodiversity loss and extreme heat, to erratic rainfall, rising sea levels, and climate-induced displacement, the impacts are already being felt globally, with disproportionate consequences for countries in the Global South, particularly across Africa, which contributes the least to global emissions but bears a disproportionate burden,” the coalition stated.
Their statement was signed by Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HMEF), GenderCC Southern Africa (GSSA), Climate Awareness Advocacy and Resilience Initiative (CAARI), DWB Foundation Kenya (DFK), Green Climate African Campaign (GCAC), Household Disaster Resilience Project Help (HDRPH) Gambia, Africa Institute for Energy Governance (AIEG) Uganda, CherieHomes Global Initiatives (CHGI), Centre pour la justice environnementale (Cplje) Togo, Tell That Story Nigeria (TTSN), Kebetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, Liberty Pro Bono Initiative Uganda, Lekeh Development Foundation Nigeria, Youth Go Green Network Liberia, and Vision For Accelerated Sustainable Development Ghana.
Collectively, they affirmed Africa must not continue to serve as a testing ground for experimental carbon schemes or externally imposed solutions that fail to address deep rooted inequalities and also rejected the positioning of African lands and ecosystems as sites for unchecked extractivism under the guise of green transitions, carbon offset markets, or mineral driven energy agendas.
Reaffirming the Polluter Pays Principle, the group called for strict accountability from fossil fuel corporations, including Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil in the Niger Delta, as well as Chinese companies in the Congo and other industrial actors.
“As exploitation of Africa’s resources grows, the earth’s climate deteriorates,” the group stated.
“The coalition hereby calls for an immediate halt to all new fossil fuel exploration and a structured, time bound phase out of existing infrastructure” as they also demanded a strong transition and governance framework that respects ecological sovereignty and prioritises the rights of communities managing ecosystems across Africa.
“We reject the growing commodification of nature through carbon markets, biodiversity offsets, and speculative ecological finance mechanisms, which often allow continued emissions in industrialized economies while shifting ecological burdens onto the Global South,” it added.
“Ecosystems, including forests, wetlands, soils, and oceans, must be protected by streamlining practical solutions across all government policies as living systems rather than reduced to tradable financial instruments.”
Highlighting the role of soils in food security, carbon storage, and ecosystem stability, the coalition warned that pressures from industrial agriculture, mining, and poorly regulated carbon offset projects threaten soil integrity.
“Soils, the coalition believes, are a dynamic component of the earth and living systems essential to climate regulation and biodiversity, and must not be treated as tradable carbon sinks,” it stated.
The coalition asserted that meaningful climate action must embrace systemic transformation, end fossil fuel dependence, and prioritise community led and Indigenous governance of natural resources.
“This year’s Earth Day must go beyond symbolic observance and instead signal a decisive shift toward ecological protection, enforceable climate justice, and systemic accountability,” it said.
“The MBPP Coalition affirms that without holding major polluters accountable, ending fossil fuel expansion, and rejecting extractive and commodified approaches to nature, global climate goals will remain unattainable.
“We therefore call for urgent action grounded in collective responsibility and the shared agency of people, communities, and governments to confront the climate crisis.”
The Africa MBPP coalition described itself as a group of over 32 organisations committed to holding polluting corporations accountable for their contributions to the climate crisis., adding that its storytelling platform highlights the effects of transnational corporations’ extractive practices, challenges misleading narratives, and promotes sustainable alternatives.
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