Reagan Elijah -MAPA Times Editor
According to a statement issued by End Fossil Occupy Uganda, the climate crisis is escalating at a fast rate and the most vulnerable communities in the global south are facing the worst impacts. In the statement campaigners attribute the consequences of more than a decade of burning of fossil fuels together with greenhouse gases as is the root cause of climate change.
In the “Insure our future” campaign which begun early this month, End Fossil Occupy campaigners have slammed Insurance companies for increasing the wound of climate injustice by insuring fossil fuels production rather than a just transition.
We all know that insurance companies have a big role to play in fighting the climate crisis. Without insurance, fossil fuels projects cannot be built or operated. Insurance companies have the power to speed up the shift to renewable energy and support a just and equitable transition.
Now is the time that insurance companies choose people and the planet over fossil fuel companies. We need to hold insurers accountable to protect our communities from climate induced losses and damages.
The MAPA Times reached out to Nicholas Omonuk one of the faces leading this campaign across Africa for his opinion.
The purpose of this campaign is to restructure the fossil fuel industry and push us a step forward towards a phase out of fossil fuels. We are all aware that financial institutions like insurance companies play a huge role in the success of any fossil fuel project. Our planet is dying, our people are dying and we cannot wait for corporations to act but rather push them to act now. Nicholas told The MAPA Times.
Nicholas Omonuk Okoit is the visionary founder of “End Fossil Occupy Uganda”, a student movement with a mission to occupy schools and universities with an effective mission to bring an end to the fossil fuel era. Nicholas and activists under the End Fossil umbrella are not impressed by the role Insurance companies are playing in facilitating more fossil fuels production.
Nicholas envisions a future where communities like his no longer struggle with food and water security, where mothers and girls are not compelled to sacrifice their education to fetch water due to the worst impacts of climate change. A future where children are free from malnutrition and where there’s equal access to water and clean energy. However, this future is at the moment stalled by the unwavering support of Insurance companies in financing fossil fuels production.
Sea levels are rising, inflation is rising, inequality is rising, temperatures are rising, debt is rising, drought is rising, food prices are rising, wildfires are rising, rent is rising, extinction is rising, cost of living is rising, energy prices are rising and corporate profits are rising – so the people are rising too.
Nicholas and a group of activists at End Fossil Occupy see hope in the Insure our future campaign. They believe their voices are being heard given an influx of Insurance companies have signed out of the EACOP project.
At the moment several insurance companies have drawn out of the EACOP because of pressure from the Climate movement. Now it’s time we put more pressure such that they can withdraw from other projects.
These climate justice activists also believe that seeing a huge drop out of several insurance companies from fossil fuel projects is a positive sign because no fossil fuel project can survive without insurance.