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Greenpeace Africa to demand climate justice, increased funding at COP31 – EnviroNews
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Greenpeace Africa says it will demand increased climate financing, accountability from major polluters and an accelerated transition to renewable energy as world leaders gather in Antalya, Türkiye, for the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31).
The environmental organisation said a delegation of its experts and campaigners would participate in the conference to push for concrete actions that address Africa’s growing climate challenges and protect the continent’s environmental and economic interests.
In a statement ahead of the conference, Greenpeace Africa said it was shifting the narrative around Africa’s climate vulnerability from victimhood to leadership, while demanding that developed countries and corporate polluters take responsibility for financing the continent’s climate resilience and clean energy transition.
The organisation noted that Africa accounts for less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions but continues to experience disproportionate climate impacts, including devastating floods, prolonged droughts and other extreme weather events.
It expressed concern that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had warned that the world was heading towards breaching the 1.5-degree Celsius global warming threshold, adding that the consequences would be particularly severe for vulnerable African communities.
Outlining its priorities for COP31, Greenpeace Africa called on developed countries to fulfil their fair share of the $300 billion New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance.
It insisted that the funding should be delivered through predictable, multi-year public grants rather than loans that could worsen Africa’s debt burden.
The organisation also called for progressive taxation of major fossil fuel companies to replenish the Loss and Damage Fund and provide resources for climate adaptation in communities bearing the greatest impacts of global warming.
According to Greenpeace Africa, the anticipated billions of dollars in profits by leading fossil fuel corporations in 2026 make it necessary for polluters to contribute more towards addressing climate-related losses and damages.
On energy transition, the organisation expressed support for the global “35 by 35” electrification goal, describing it as a baseline for scaling renewable electricity generation to at least 75 per cent by 2035.
It urged governments to prioritise decentralised, low-carbon energy systems that would expand electricity access across Africa without committing countries to expensive fossil gas infrastructure that could become stranded assets.
Greenpeace Africa further called for an actionable accountability framework at COP31 to ensure the achievement of the 2030 forest and biodiversity targets.
It specifically highlighted the need to protect high-integrity ecosystems, including the Congo Basin, from commercial logging and corporate exploitation.
The organisation said the outcome of the negotiations would have significant implications for individual African countries, particularly Kenya, which faces growing climate-related economic and environmental pressures.
It noted that Kenya’s exposure to recurring floods and prolonged droughts, alongside its debt challenges, made access to grant-based climate finance essential for implementing adaptation measures.
Greenpeace Africa warned that climate adaptation funding should not come through commercial loans that would further increase the country’s debt obligations.
The organisation also highlighted Kenya’s renewable energy achievements, noting that the country already generates the vast majority of its electricity from geothermal, wind and solar sources.
It said a strong COP31 outcome on the “35 by 35” goal could unlock additional technology and capacity-building support to help Kenya achieve 100 per cent clean energy and expand off-grid solar electricity access in rural communities.
On loss and damage, Greenpeace Africa said recent devastating floods that displaced thousands of people in Kenya underscored the need for a fully operational and adequately funded Loss and Damage mechanism.
It maintained that the financial burden of addressing climate-related destruction should be borne by countries and corporations historically responsible for greenhouse gas emissions rather than taxpayers in vulnerable countries.
The organisation called for COP31 to deliver financing and policy commitments that would enable African countries to strengthen climate resilience, expand renewable energy and protect their natural ecosystems.
