A coalition of more than 32 organisations, Make Big Polluters Pay, MBPP, on the marking of the 2026 Earth Day has called on governments across Africa to take urgent and concrete action to address the escalating climate crisis and environmental degradation on the continent.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the group urged strict accountability for major polluters, including Shell, Chevron, and ExxonMobil operating in the Niger Delta, as well as industrial actors in other parts of Africa.
The group stressed that Africa, despite contributing the least to global emissions, continues to suffer disproportionate impacts from climate change, including biodiversity loss, extreme weather, and displacement.
Reject exploitative climate solutions
Highlighting this year’s theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” the group warned that the climate emergency is already a present and intensifying threat.
It rejected what it described as exploitative practices such as unchecked extractivism, carbon offset markets, and externally imposed climate solutions that fail to address structural inequalities.
The coalition reaffirmed the Polluter Pays Principle, insisting that corporations responsible for environmental harm must be held accountable.
It also called for an immediate halt to new fossil fuel exploration and a structured phase-out of existing infrastructure, noting that continued exploitation of Africa’s resources worsens climate conditions and undermines livelihoods.
Call for systemic climate action
MBBP further urged governments to adopt governance frameworks that prioritise ecological sovereignty and community rights, particularly for indigenous populations and local communities.
The group criticised the commodification of nature through carbon markets and biodiversity offsets, warning that such mechanisms often shift environmental burdens onto the Global South while allowing continued emissions elsewhere.
Emphasising the importance of soil health for food security and climate stability, the coalition cautioned against threats from industrial agriculture, mining, and poorly regulated carbon projects.
It concluded that meaningful climate action must go beyond symbolic observance of Earth Day and focus on enforceable climate justice, ending fossil fuel dependence, and strengthening community-led environmental stewardship.
The coalition includes; Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA Nigeria, Health of Mother Earth Foundation, Nigeria, GenderCC South Africa, Climate Awareness Advocacy and Resilience Initiative, CAARI.
Others are; DWB Foundation, Kenya, Green Climate African Campaign, Household Disaster Resilience Project, Help-Gambia, Africa Institute for Energy Governance, AFIEGO Uganda.
Still others are; CherieHomes Global Initiatives, Nigeria, Centre pour la justice environnementale, CJE Togo, Tell That Story, Nigeria and Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre.
Also, Liberty Pro Bono Initiative, Uganda, Lekeh Development Foundation, Nigeria, Youth Go Green Network-Liberia and Vision For Accelerated Sustainable Development, VAST Ghana
They maintained that without holding major polluters accountable, global climate goals will remain unattainable.
