Senegalese women take aim at polluting countries in march for climate justice
Senegalese women marched in Dakar for climate justice Saturday, calling for what they call “polluting countries” to curb greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) on November 11
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.About 50 Senegalese women climate activists hit the streets of Dakar Saturday to demand climate justice ahead of COP29 in a march held annually since 2021, but that organizers say is particularly pertinent this year.
Participants yelled “Down with capitalism! Down with polluting countries!” as they marched through Dakar’s Medina neighborhood, carrying banners and signs demanding protection of Senegal’s resources and calling for a decarbonized future.
“It’s been four years that we’ve been marching, and nothing’s changed. They’re spending billions to do their conferences, but they owe us billions in compensation,” said Cheikh Niange Faye, a former tour guide from Senegal’s Thiès region, referring to the countries responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Us in the rural world, women from the rural world, this year we have seen a lot of floods.”
This year saw record breaking floods across the Sahel, and Senegal was no exception. Flooding in recent months has left tens of thousands of people affected and more than 1,000 hectares of crops damaged in the north and east of the country according to government figures.
Activists in Senegal say the countries responsible for greenhouse gas emissions owe Africa for the suffering caused by the effects of climate change, citing data from the Carbon Disclosure Project that puts the continent’s share of global emissions at just 3.8%.
Khady Camara is an activist based in Dakar and the main organizer of the Senegal women’s climate march. She said ahead of the COP29 she is calling on countries to respect the Paris Agreement.
Khady Faye is an environmental activist who traveled to Dakar from her home near Senegal’s Saloum Delta, a region which has suffered devastating coastal erosion.
Production at Senegal’s first offshore drilling site at the Sangomar oil fields, off Senegal’s coast near the delta, started this year. Australian group Woodside Energy has an 82% stake in the project.
“Think about the suffering of these communities, think about the suffering of these women. Try to leave our delta alone, try to leave the gas at Sangomar underground, to let the community live normally,” Faye said.