Power Shift Africa Trains Journalists on How to Better Report on Climate Change

By Thuku Kariuki

My name is Mohamed Adow, and I’m the Executive Director of Power Shift Africa, a climate and energy think tank based in Nairobi that operates across the continent.

We’ve gathered here in Mombasa to help train African journalists to cover climate change from an African perspective—one that centers on the continent's needs and priorities.

Journalists have shown great interest in this subject. How crucial is it for them to learn and engage with climate change?

Climate change is a scientific issue, and unless we help journalists understand it, the opportunity to tell the African story and amplify African voices will be lost.

The purpose of the meeting was to equip journalists with a solid understanding of the climate phenomenon and the issues at stake. This knowledge will enable them to explain and contextualize climate change for African audiences, linking it to the continent’s realities. One key issue that stood out during our discussions was carbon credits, particularly in Africa.

Delegates and Journalists at a Powershift Africa  Training 

The Rich World Owes Us a Climate Debt

How should Africa approach the issue of carbon credits?

We need to be cautious about commodifying Africa's natural resources. Our focus should be on addressing climate change at its source. The bulk of the emissions causing climate change originate from industrialized countries. Without these countries decarbonizing at the source, rather than offsetting their emissions through Africa, we cannot realistically keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.

If we are serious about tackling climate change and holding warming to below 1.5 degrees, the rich world must lead by example in decarbonization. Only then can we inspire the rest of the world to follow suit. 

It is unacceptable to continue polluting at the source while buying cheap offsets and sustaining lifestyles that support the fossil fuel industry. This practice commodifies Africa's nature and displaces indigenous communities—the best custodians of our forests—in the name of carbon markets. We must recognize these markets for what they are: pollution permits, and we must reject them.

Given that we have already exhausted much of the remaining carbon budget, the need for decarbonization is urgent. Without massive, rapid emissions reductions, particularly by the major polluters, there is no viable economic model that relies on offsets and grants for Africans to commodify their natural resources. What we need instead are alternative sources of finance.

Africa’s desperation for climate finance is leading our governments to accept these flawed solutions. But we must recognize that countries which have contributed the least to climate change now have the opportunity to become green leaders. 

These countries are owed a climate debt, and that debt must be paid to enable them to develop in a climate-compatible way. The idea that carbon markets can provide the necessary climate finance is simply unrealistic.

Looking Ahead to COP29: What Should Africa's Message Be?

There can be no climate action without finance. COP29 is a finance conference, and we have the opportunity to make a strong case for climate finance—grants, not loans.

Africa cannot afford to take on more debt to solve a problem it did not create. The rich world owes us a climate debt, and it is crucial for them to fund our adaptation and mitigation efforts. This will allow Africa to contribute to the global fight against climate change. 

If Africa, together with the rest of the Global South, presents a united front, we have a good chance of securing the much-needed climate finance and technology transfer that will enable us to develop in a climate-compatible and resilient manner.