Phaseout Fossil Fuels for Climate Justice in East Africa - Oil Change International
Phaseout Fossil Fuels for Climate Justice in East Africa - Oil Change International
For Immediate Release
December 5, 2023
Contact:
Al Johnson-Kurts, al@priceofoil.org
Torrential rains and flash floods have killed more than 300 people and displaced over 1 million across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
In response, Charity Migwi, Africa Senior Campaigner at Oil Change International, said:
“In the wake of flash floods in East Africa, which have led to the loss of over 300 lives, the governments of Uganda and Tanzania are still hellbent on constructing the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline that cuts across sensitive ecosystems in the region and has already displaced hundreds of thousands of people. We cannot continue in this trajectory of loss and damage where people’s lives are less valued than profit. COP28 can be a pivotal moment towards climate justice and a provide relief for vulnerable communities facing the stark consequences of climate change – by delivering a negotiated full, fast, fair, and funded fossil fuel phase out.”
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”