African civil society organizations have denounced the upcoming Degrees Global Forum in South Africa, calling its promotion of solar radiation modification (SRM) a dangerous form of climate colonialism.
The controversy centers on fears that unproven geoengineering technologies could compromise Africa’s ecological and political sovereignty while allowing wealthy nations to avoid emissions reductions.
The forum’s timing contradicts the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment’s 2023 resolution opposing SRM. “This undermines our ministers’ efforts to protect the continent,” said Dr. Mfoniso Xael of Nigeria’s Health of Mother Earth Foundation. Critics argue SRM could disrupt regional weather patterns, with unpredictable consequences for agriculture and water supplies across vulnerable nations.
Opposition extends beyond environmental concerns. “SRM reflects the same power imbalances that caused the climate crisis,” noted Amos Nkpeebo of Ghana’s FIDEP Foundation. African groups instead advocate for community-led solutions like agroecology and renewable energy transitions, which address root causes rather than symptoms.
The debate follows a failed attempt to legitimize SRM at this year’s UN Environment Assembly, where African delegates successfully maintained precautionary language. Josué Aruna of Congo Basin Conservation Society warned, “We won’t accept technological fixes that prioritize Northern interests over our cultural and ecological future.”
As the forum approaches, African activists demand accountability. With reports of covert geoengineering tests already emerging in Uganda, they insist any climate intervention requires free, prior, and informed consent from affected communities.
The conflict underscores a fundamental divide in climate action: whether to pursue risky technological interventions or invest in justice-centered approaches rooted in Indigenous knowledge. For Africa’s civil society, the path forward is clear. “Real solutions,” said Dean Bhebhe of Power Shift Africa, “require ending fossil fuels not dimming the sun to prolong them.”
