{
  "id": 5422034,
  "title": "UNILAG study blames British colonial rule for Africa’s climate crisis",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/unilag-study-blames-british-colonial-rule-for-africas-climate-crisis",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-03T21:58:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch",
    "slug": "punch",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/unilag-study-blames-british-colonial-rule-for-africas-climate-crisis/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A comprehensive study by researchers at the University of Lagos has drawn a direct link between Britain's colonial policies and modern-day Africa's climate vulnerabilities, calling for reparations to address environmental devastation. The report, titled \"CO2lonianism, Ecocide, Reparations,\" argues that the structural exploitation and ecological degradation caused during colonial times constitute a unique category of harm separate from the transatlantic slave trade. The damages inflicted are estimated to be in the hundreds of trillions of dollars. Lead author Prof. Nkem Onyekpe highlighted that monetary valuations of historical exploitation already exist in modern economic research, projecting such valuations across the full duration of colonial rule could result in hundreds of trillions of dollars in damages. The report, presented to academic and activist groups in Lagos, was submitted to the African Union's sub-commissions on reparations, which are working towards a unified claim against former imperial powers under the AU's Decade of Justice and Reparations initiative. The report underscores the urgent need to address the long-term impacts of colonial environmental changes, such as land degradation in Uganda's Kanungu District, which has led to farmer livelihood struggles, hunger, and food insecurity. Civil society groups support the report, emphasizing that addressing Africa's modern climate crises must include confronting its historical roots. The legal landscape for environmental claims has evolved, with recent milestones including the adoption of a legal definition of ecocide by the Independent Expert Panel and proposals before the International Criminal Court. The study draws on the Nauru case from the 1990s, where Nauru successfully sued Australia for colonial-era environmental destruction caused by phosphate mining, setting a precedent for such claims in international law.",
  "summary": "A UNILAG study links British colonial rule to Africa’s climate crisis, urging reparations for ecological damage. Learn about the “CO2lonianism, Ecocide, Re Read More: https://punchng.com/unilag-study-blames-british-colonial-rule-for-africas-climate-crisis/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "UNILAG study blames British colonial rule for Africa’s climate crisis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/unilag-study-blames-british-colonial-rule-for-africas-climate-crisis-5423212",
        "published": "2026-09-03T22:04:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}