Western Developed Economies Asked to Spend Equally on Warfare and Climate Debt

By: Michael Mike

Countries in West Africa have been asked to come together to fight for climate justice as separate agitation would yield no result.

The Western developed economies have also been asked to allocate the same resources being spent on warfare on issues around problems climate change.

These are the agreements of environmental crusaders from countries of West Africa during the West Africa Climate Justice Roundtable in Abuja on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Roundtable, the Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey said the rich countries spent $2.7 trillion in warfare in 2024, insisting that the same amount should be spent as climate debt especially to Africa and other developing countries who bear the major brunt of climate change.

That’s how much is spent, a military armament. So to me, climate debt per year can be equated to how much money they’re spending on warfare and destruction.

Bassey, while speaking on “Linking Challenges and Creating Connections: Building a Regional Climate Movement in West Africa,” noted that undoubtedly, climate change represents the most significant challenge facing the West Africa, both in terms of its impact and the urgent necessity for action.

He noted that: “The shifting climate has extensive implications and consequences in every aspect of human existence, spanning nations and climes. The challenges extend beyond the global shifts in weather; they also encompass the ways these changes interact with and impact people’s lives, including their livelihoods, security, and overall wellbeing. In addition to the direct impacts of climate change, the repercussions of inadequate efforts to tackle the issue have frequently led to complications that worsen the challenges faced by individuals, particularly within local communities.”

He lamented that: “West Africa stands as one of the world’s most susceptible areas to the effects of climate change, affecting sectors such as energy, agriculture, health, water and sanitation, security, ecosystem resilience, and migration patterns.”

Bassey noted that: “At present, the increase in temperatures in West Africa surpasses the global average, and this pattern is anticipated to persist in the foreseeable future. The effects of climate change in West Africa will be significant under both the 1.5 degrees and 2.0 degrees Celsius temperature target scenarios being bandied in climate policy circles around the world. West Africa is expected to experience a significant increase in the number of hot days across all these scenarios.”

He decried that: “Regrettably, policy makers in Africa persist in their inability to take action and implement measures that effectively tackle climate change issues. African leaders and policymakers have frequently allowed the continent to serve as a testing ground for unproven and controversial climate change response strategies and misleading solutions, such as the so-called ‘smart agriculture,’ GMOs, REDD+, and carbon markets… blue carbon… solar radiation management & other geoengineering experiments.”

He stated that: “The vast majority of people in West Africa who are impacted by climate change have frequently been overlooked in the policies and responses designed to tackle the crisis,” stressing that:
“The mechanisms for responding to climate change frequently adhere to the same neo-colonial and exploitative frameworks that caused the crisis in the first place.”

He revealed that: “The West Africa Climate Justice Movement recognises that within the West African context, climate justice entails ensuring that those most affected have a say in developing the solutions,” noting that: “For many of these frontline communities, effective solutions entail protecting lands and water bodies from reckless extractivism and pollution, protecting rainforests and mangroves, and stopping mega-projects and industrial agriculture.”

He said: “Simultaneously, there is a need to support and promote transformative economies through agroecology, the establishment of community-owned and controlled energy democracies, food sovereignty, and just transitions.”

He insisted that: “Climate justice efforts in West Africa also focus on holding corporations and historical polluters accountable for their contributions to climate change and demanding that they address the damage they have caused.

Bassey decried that: “Climate change is already causing significant loss and damage in West Africa, including displacement, loss of livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure.”

He noted that the West Africa Climate Justice Movement aims to engage all crucial stakeholders and actors across the region—be they campaigners, policymakers, or frontline communities—to unite in the pursuit of building popular power.

He added that: “The movement focusses on developing strategies, enhancing solidarity across nations, sharing knowledge, and supporting collaborative climate justice initiatives grounded in a mutual understanding of the interconnectedness of the climate crisis and the necessity for unified action.”

Bassey, while noting that West Africa Climate Justice Conference, Abuja, Nigeria
builds on previous engagements with frontline civil society organisations, communities, academics and movement leaders across the region, disclosed that: “Between 2021 and 2024, the movement held meetings, organized collaboratives events and presented a united front at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties.”

He said: “The upcoming conference aims to further develop and share critical climate change impact connections and interpretations across West Africa, strengthen platforms for interactions between communities in the region around different climate change impact and amplify the voices of West African climate actors, communities and organisations in the global climate change conversations.

“One of the key outcomes of the conference will be the adoption of a common West Africa Climate Change resolution as a core demand of the region at COP 30.“
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