HOMEF Demands Radical Reforms To Address Systemic Inequalities, Climate Injustice

Participants on a webinar titled; “The Emission Gaps and the Road to Conference of Party (COP) 29” (United Nations Framework for Climate Change Conference UNFCCC), have declared that the current voluntary emission targets—known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), has fallen short, thereby pushing the world dangerously close to catastrophic temperature increases.

This was as the panelists agreed on the need for a global resistance movement to unite feminists, labor unions, indigenous communities, and environmental activists to challenge structures perpetuating climate injustice.
They also critiqued COP’s structure, saying that it has continue to benefit wealthy nations and the private sector at the expense of vulnerable communities.
The webinar considered critical and convened by Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), brought together environmental experts, activists, and public interest lawyers to discuss urgent issues surrounding global climate policy, emissions reduction, and the upcoming COP29.
Speakers reviewed the evolution of COP conferences and pointed to critical milestones, such as the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 and the Paris Agreement of 2015.

In her presentation, Ruth Nyambura, an African ecofeminist with Ramani Collective, argued that the emissions gap reflected more than just figures, adding that it represented an ongoing injustices that included; wars, inequality, and human rights abuses.

Nyambura highlighted how the fossil fuel industry and military-industrial complex drive environmental devastation and land dispossession, especially across African nations and the broader Global South.
In her words; “For participatory frameworks to ensure these funds serve communities genuinely impacted by climate change and avoiding absorption by elites or corrupt governments. A decentralized approach to climate policy would better meet the real needs of frontline communities”.

Nyambura called for a critical reevaluation of COP data and narratives to dismantle rather than reinforce colonial power structures while highlighting the limitations of current multilateral structures, prioritizing powerful nations and sidelining local voices.
In his own remarks, Fadhel Kaboub, an associate professor of economics at Denison University and Senior Advisor with Power Shift Africa, noted that global warming targets would be impossible to achieve under current fossil fuel extraction rates, leaving Africa’s renewable potential largely untapped due to a lack of financing and technology transfer.

Kaboub advocated for climate reparations, structured as grants rather than loans, to address the historical carbon debt owed by industrialized countries.
He said; “These reparations would finance Africa’s self-sufficiency through renewable energy and food sovereignty initiatives. As COP 29 approaches, we must center the voices of those most affected by climate injustice, especially in the Global South. African leaders must stand against further fossil fuel exploitation and demand policies that truly transform our continent”.
Thuli Makama, a public interest attorney and Africa Senior Advisor at Oil Change International emphasized that the “pipeline of resistance” needed to counter false narratives around climate action that profit corporations while harming vulnerable communities.

Makama encouraged civil society to resist co-optation by COP processes and instead invest in counter-COP forums, which allow for open discussion on the root causes of climate change.
“COP 29 should focus on accountability. The calls include climate finance, technology transfer, and addressing loss and damage—a COP where fossil fuel interests do not dominate and where the voices of impacted communities are prioritized. African leaders should reject fossil fuel expansion and promote biodiversity protection and renewable energy solutions aligned with Africa’s sustainable development,” he said.
Speaking in turn, Nnimmo Bassey emphasized that fossil fuel interests remain heavily represented within COP, creating a shield from accountability despite their contribution to the climate crisis.

In his words; “The COP process has prioritized market-based solutions that do not address the systemic causes of emissions, such as extractive capitalism and entrenched global power structures. Instead of driving meaningful climate action, these ‘solutions’ are deepening the crisis”.
A statement by Kome Odhomor, HOMEF, Media and Communication Lead as well as Oilwatch Africa Communications Officer, said that the dialogue, led by HOMEF’s Director, Nnimmo Bassey, called for radical reforms to address COP’s historic failings and the inequalities that persist in climate negotiations.