Zimbabwean youth climate activists are calling on wealthy countries and major polluters to pay for climate-related damage, as communities in the Global South continue to face the effects of a warming planet.
The Zimbabwe Youth Climate Justice Working Group (ZYCJWG), with support from ActionAid Global Platforms Zimbabwe, joined the Global Week of Climate Action under the message “Pay the Harm”, demanding greater accountability from countries and companies they say have contributed disproportionately to the climate crisis.
The campaign was taken to the Good Seed and Food Festival in Harare, bringing together young people, farmers and climate activists.
ZYCJWG representative Melissa Murwira said young people must have a meaningful role in shaping climate action.
“We are here to make sure that young people meaningfully participate in these events, and also make sure that our statements during this Global Week of Climate Action are well articulated,” Murwira said.
“Our message is ‘Pay the Harm’. We want the countries who are responsible for the climate crisis to pay for the damages that are already being caused. We are the ones facing these challenges, especially here in the Global South.”
Murwira also warned that climate action should not create new pressures on communities already struggling with the effects of climate change.
“Climate solutions cannot cost us our food, our land and our future,” she said.
Climate Action Network Zimbabwe national coordinator Wellington Madumira said the campaign is also pushing for a just transition away from fossil fuels across sectors including agriculture and energy.
“We are saying it is high time we move away from fossil fuels in a way that is funded, fair, feminist and fast,” Madumira said.
He called for greater international support for Zimbabwe’s transition towards renewable energy, including solar and hydropower.
“We need a funded just transition in Zimbabwe, supported by the Global North in the form of grants, not loans,” Madumira said.
Youth representatives say the issue is also about communities living with the consequences of extraction and environmental degradation.
Climate Control Zimbabwe representative Elaine Chiroto said those responsible for environmental damage should contribute towards addressing its consequences.
“Why should we be the ones to adapt when those who caused the damage are waiting for us to do something?” Chiroto said.
Teach For Zimbabwe representative Admore Dube said communities affected by mineral extraction and pollution should not be left carrying the cost while companies benefit from the resources.
“We are saying, as young people in Zimbabwe, let the companies or investors that are extracting or doing business and causing harm to the environment pay for the harm,” Dube said.
The campaign comes as youths across the world push for a transition away from fossil fuels while demanding climate finance, accountability and greater protection for communities affected by climate change. In Zimbabwean youth messages are closely tied to food security, land and livelihoods, “climate action must protect the communities it is intended to serve”.
