Today, the Oilwatch Africa General Assembly opened in Accra, Ghana. Representing communities from Africa who are resisting the destructive activities of oil companies, were 25 activists, academics, attorneys and community based campaigners from South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Mali and Congo Brazzaville.
Having the Oiwatch meeting take place in Ghana is very timely as oil discovery is the rage. All over – be it in governance or in civil society and community discourse, our Ghanaian colleagues tell us, the issue of oil is a hot one. US President Obama made his first trip to Africa since being elected president of the United States. Many contend that his visit is linked to the new oil finds in the area.
The theme of this particular assembly is “Keep the oil in the Soil”. This is in line with Oilwatch’s aim to stop the expansion of socially destructive and environmentally damaging oil activity in the tropics and other parts of the global South.

Introductions
In his opening address, Rev Nnimmo Bassey of Environmental Rights Action and Chair of Friends of the Earth International, highlighted the fact that the fossil fuel civilization has been built on crude oil, tar sands and coal, and the refusal of the world to do something about the climate crisis has secured a resounding failure of the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen in December 2009 hence the reason why it is imperative to look beyond Copenhagen.
Nnimmo strongly suggested that the assembly should reject carbon colonialism (carbon trade,) that we should demand climate justice and the payment of ecological debts, demand the liberation of the commons, of the atmosphere and most importantly, Keep the oil in the soil!

Expectations
In expressing their expectations, the participants expressed a desire to strengthen the network through solidarity, to engage in joint actions of resistance to fossil fuel activities, to present a development model that does not centre on fossil fuels among others.

Country report from Chad highlighting issues of environmental injustice
The issue of Chad’s ban of the use of firewood and charcoal was raised in the meeting. That the government of Chad has banned the use of firewood and charcoal as cooking fuel due to the need to combat desertification and deforestation. Citizens are expected use gas cookers rather than firewood hearths. Nnimmo Bassey expressed the view that while that maybe a great theoretical solution to the climate challenge, it is expected that any such law must take cognizance of the economic realities of the citizens. Are the alternatives accessible and affordable? What investment is the government making to improve the lot of the people? Is any of the crude oil currently being extracted from Chad used in the country?

All measures to combat the health impact of using inappropriate fuels must be taken. And the first is not to quench the fires beneath our cooking pots, the first step is to halt the gas flares toasting our skies.

Keep the oil in the Soil…but how….?
In his talk, Nnimmo Bassey made a very impassioned but reasonable proposal. The benefits of keeping the Oil in the Soil are that the carbon is kept underground which is a solution for climate change, no oil spills and gas flares from new oil fields, no destruction of communities or high sea environments, no socio-economic ills related to oil field activities, citizens have a direct stake in how national revenues are spent, there would be greater accountability and transparency, there would be a halt to the corrupt nature seen in the oil blocks allocation exercises, no bunkering since the oil will be left in the ground, safe and clean environments and reduction and ultimately elimination of violent conflicts in the oil fields

The Proposal...
Africans should learn that there is no future in crude oil as the major revenue earner. We propose that, as a starting point, Nigeria should lead the way by not making any new oil block concessions. Meanwhile existing fields could continue to be exploited, while non- fossil fuel alternatives are vigorously sought for. Halting the giving out of new oil blocks would not mean a major loss in revenue. To start with, the current lowering of oil prices is also leading to production cuts. This means that the current fields can meet Nigeria’s quota for quite some time. Leaving the oil in the soil does not translate to losses but savings. We must learn to save. The oil under the ground is still our oil. We must not exploit every resource simply because we have it. This is simple wisdom. Nigeria must step back and think!
We propose that rather than exploit new oil fields with the attendant pollutions, human rights abuses and malformed political system, we should keep the oil under the ground and require that every Nigerian pays $156/year as a crude oil solidarity fund (for want of a better name). This will bring additional revenues to whatever the country makes from current oil fields, including the corked ones.

We recognise that not every Nigerian can afford to pay $156/year into the national coffers. We can reasonably expect about 100 million Nigerians to enthusiastically make this payment if the benefits are carefully made public. Those who can pay multiples of the minimum amounts would take up the amount the remaining 40 million Nigerians could not pay. International aid agencies, philanthropists as well as other countries can be approached to symbolically buy some barrels and the entire budgeted income would be met.
 

Decades of oil extraction in Nigeria have translated into billions of dollars that have spelt nothing but misery for the masses of the people. It is time for Nigeria to step back and review the situation into which she has been plunged. The preservation of our environment; the restoration of polluted streams and lands; the recovery of our dignity will only come about when we stand away from the pull of the barrel of crude oil and understand that the soil is more important to our people than oil.
 

Let every African contribute to the national purses. This will make it clear to politicians that when they misappropriate public funds they are indeed stealing from the suffering people.  
Keeping oil in the Soil has been tried and tested in Ogoniland, and it is a very real possibility not just for oil, but for other potentially destructive fossil fuels.

From Kyoto to Copenhagen; turning climate change to climate justice.
Abdulai Darimani, Programme Officer of the environmental unit at Third World Network, Ghana gave the group an explanation of the impact of climate change, interrogated the question of  who should bear responsibility for climate impacts, and gave description of how the climate negotiations work and  gave some strategies towards obtaining climate justice.
Abdulai expressed that increased consumption and production have resulted in increased emissions especially the burning of fossil fuels and a rapid shrink of carbon sinks especially from land uses and land cover change. That climate change impacts threaten the existence of billions of people who depend on the environment and natural resources for livelihoods and development as all sectors of social and economic life are affected.
Unequal responsibility, unequal impacts
The industrialized countries and transnational corporations are the cause of the climate change problem. They contribute at least 60% of green house gas emissions, Africa are at a maximum of 7%, and the rest of the world 33%. By contrast, the poorest regions, countries and people in the world have contributed least to the problem, but are most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts.
Negotiations
At the First conference of parties in Berlin 1995 set up Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC,) a scientific body of UNFCCC. IPCC provided a three-pillar approach to addressing climate change, i.e. Adaptation-strategies for phasing out and also anticipation,  Mitigation-avoid spoiling sinks and improve sink sources, and Capacity and knowledge-investigative and modelling.

Some of the challenges highlighted during the discussions

• During various stages of climate negotiations, the US complained about the apparent unfairness in Kyoto Protocol, which did not commit developing nations to the same levels of reductions in global warming pollutants.
• Current climate change negotiations are deviating from the core causes of climate change i.e. increasing fossil fuel use. Instead of addressing fossil fuels, the developed countries want to reduce emissions from developing country forests.
• The World Bank has set up a parallel funding mechanism on Climate finance and this functioning against the adaptation fund set up by the UNFCCC. In this direction, industrialized countries are putting money in the World Bank climate fund instead of into the UNFCCC climate change fund. This undermines the objective of the UNFCCC adaptation fund to support adaptation in developing countries. These WB fund are given mostly as loans which the countries have to repay .
• Some industrial countries and the World Bank usually send their missions on climate change to Africa to negotiate with African governments often at a time when country negotiators are out negotiating at international climate meetings. This is a justice issue and is underhanded.

Strategies for climate Justice
Abdulai and the participants made some proposals and strategies for climate justice before, during and after Copenhagen Climate negotiations;

1. Develop an African position (Position should take account of current structure of African economies which enable the transmission of climate impacts on continent and its people)
2. Analyse and respond to the various country positions relating to climate change responses and coordinate our position with other CSOs in the Africa region.
3. Work with Northern civil society allies
4. Identify areas of collaboration and identify capacity needs
5. Analysis of gifts/grants/loans to national governments and regional bodies
6. Lobby the governments to understand civil society position
7. CSOs review paper of climate impacts
8. Monitor technical committee meetings such what took place in Bonn  and monitoring government commitments.
9. Run campaigns with bearing to climate to sensitize and educate  communities and the public on the issues
10. Advocate through media, publications, statements etc.
11. Call for developed countries to take full responsibilities for their actions.
12. Developing countries have the right to “develop” although they should redefine their concept of development
13. Capacity building on climate justice issues such as REDD -  Red card for REDD
14. Build resistance movements on REDD
15. Challenge Forest carbon trading in Africa
16. Challenge/resist land grab in Africa for agrofuel production
17. Oppose non-ecological agriculture in Africa.
18. Demand development and use of renewable energy in place of bio-fuels and fossil fuels
19. Hold parallel meetings at international negotiations to state our positions
20. Conduct side/corridor lobbying
21. Develop alternative strategies to address climate change
22. Lobby for funding support for adaptation programmes
23. Call for technology transfers
24. Demand climate debt from industrialized countries
25. Oilwatch should be one of the vehicles for carrying out the strategies
26. Need to commence action, Now!