The Climate conference in Paris France left many shocked especially in developing countries. Major polluters – the  rich nations of the Global North - pledged some funds to help poor nations to make do with a new climate drive of cutting down greenhouse emissions.  Their move aimed at protecting their interests and inculpating poor countries that have nothing to do with climate change. however they are suffering gravely must watched carefully by poor  countries. A 22 billion tag put on the effects and impacts of climate change.

Canada was the first to toss a bite to poor countries. According to the National Post on November 27, 2015, the Canadian government will contribute $2.65 billion over the next five years to help developing countries combat climate change.  Again, pledging and fulfilling the pledge are two different things. How much will each African country get and what impacts will such amounts have compared to the effects of climate change that each country is facing?  How did they calculate the impacts and effects that the world has already suffered or is going to suffer from? Why make trillions of dollars for over 200 years then offer such peanuts? Who is responsible for global warming?   

African leaders need to stay put to see to it that whatever deal entered should put a stop to environmental degradation by rich nations. So, too, the deal must force the beneficiaries of climate change to clean their mess and redress the victims globally. Many rich countries polluted the world in order to produce massively thereby generating capital for their economies. As well, they must dig deeper into their pockets to redress other countries that became victims of their blunder. We know they have money. For instance, if you consider the amount rich countries want to offer to poor countries and compare to the budget of the  Department of Defence (DoD) of $610.096 billion for the year 2013/14 (Source: SIPRI) you don’t get any logic or sincerity in this deplorable offer. Redressing the victims of climate change is not an offer but an obligation.          

Were our leaders prepared with their own agenda based on the problems their citizens face from climate change? How did they address the interests of their people? What and whose was a driving agenda? Isn’t this Eco-imperialism in which Africa will even suffer more due to African leaders’ myopia and compliance? How will African economies survive on expensive renewable energy such as solar energy that doesn’t exist in Africa and needs a lot of money to invest in? Rich countries are telling poor countries to stop using coal while many big polluters such as China and India still do. They must stop first because they have alternatives on top of have profits resulting from long time pollution. Africa has nothing to do with global warming and she does it is not of the same magnitude with countries in the Global North.       

US President Barack Obama was quoted as saying, “I’ve come here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second-largest emitter to say that the United States of America not only recognizes our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it.” This is an admission that needs to be worked on by African leaders instead of receiving order while their countries are the ones to bear the brunt of climate change so heavily. He added, “No nation — large or small, wealthy or poor — is immune.”

According to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change 2015, in Copenhagen in 2009 and in Cancún in 2010, developed countries committed to jointly raise $100 billion per year by 2020 to help developing countries cope with climate change. What positive impacts and effects did this money bring? How was it distributed especially in poor countries if it was actually raised?   If Africa accepts the terms of the Paris UN Conference on Climate Change, she will – once again – consent to Eco-imperialism that will cost her dearly.

By Nkwazi Mhango

The author is a Peace and Conflict scholar based in Canada and  author of Saa ya Ukombozi, Nyuma ya Pazia, Souls on Sale and  Born with Voice.