Some climate change activists from across Africa have taken the joint commitment to step up the fight to properly and efficiently address the climate change crisis on the continent.
The pledge was made during the third Annual General Strategic Meeting, AGSM of the Africa Climate Justice Collective, best known by its abbreviation, ACJC.
The event took place in Yaounde from April 16-19. The four-day strategic gathering was hosted by not-for-profit organization Green Development Advocate, GDA, convenors of the ACJC since 2022.
The aim of the AGSM was to enable members to review their activities carried out by the collective in previous years. During the meeting, ACJC members also seized the occasion to adopt a road map for 2024 and means of raising funds for their respective climate activities.
“Supporting each other”
According to the Coordinator of the ACJC, Rumbidzai Mphalo, the organization has been able to grow in membership and recorded some strides despite the spate of challenges they have encountered.
Mphalo explained that ACJC, which has been showcasing the negative impact of climate change injustices perpetrated by various national, regional and international mechanisms, have remained steadfast in the face of adversary.
Mphalo also explained that over the years they have been able to review the performance of ACJC. They have also identified opportunities to improve their work and to develop their institutional strategic objectives, mission and vision.
“We have managed to grow as a movement in terms of membership. We started with 17 organizations and now count 27 active organizations in the collective,” says Rumbidzai Mpahlo, Coordinator of ACJC.
The ACJC Coordinator added that: “We have also been able to come up with the African people’s counter cop, which is a space in which we showcase what different communities are experiencing, resilient efforts and the impact in their communities”.
“Most climate solutions are not helping the African communities and are not addressing the needs of the continent. That is why we are both supporting each other in the work that we are doing,” Mpahlo continued.
Improving mental health of activists
The Coordinator of ACJC also underscored the importance of improving the mental health of activists who put their lives on the line to change the narrative. She mentioned that mental health stress is a reality amongst climate activists and has been responsible for slowing down their commendable efforts. That explains why it was important to dedicate some time to talk about mental health.
“The mental health session was brought in to have a kind of look into the activists as people who are not super humans,” Mpahlo said.
She also added that; “when someone is stressed and overwhelmed, there is a need for that person to be addressed so that they can continue doing their work effectively,”.
Once the wellness is affected, she added, “the mental health is also affected and they will not be able to deliver well on their groups’ responsibilities”.
Zoom into climate crisis in Africa
Climate change advocates of the ACJC were unanimous that climate change has varied effects in their respective countries. Although some of the stories sound similar, the weight of the consequences hit differently.
In South Africa for example, a country in Southern Africa that heavily depends on coal as a source for power, the effects of climate change are disastrous. Trusha Reddy of the WoMin African Alliance, said they are living no stone unturned to combat this vice. She admitted that multiple disasters have hit the Southern African country like floods.
These, she added, have led to loss of lives, destruction of property and farm lands.
She told Camer Today in an interview that “What is really sad is that human activities in South Africa like building Coal Plants are worsening the climate crisis in our country. So, as we try to deal with the impact of climate change, we also have to deal with what is further worsening the climate crisis in South Africa”.
The story is almost similar in Gabon. Climate activists Claude Evny Maganga bemoaned the fact that African countries are the least polluters but suffer the most.
She revealed that, “even in Gabon, which lies in the heart of the Congo Basin, is suffering the effects of climate change through flooding, droughts and seasonal changes”.