{
  "id": 5423212,
  "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",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-03T22:04:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/unilag-study-blames-british-colonial-rule-for-africas-climate-crisis/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A groundbreaking study from the University of Lagos has established a direct link between British colonial policies and Africa's current climate vulnerabilities. The research, titled \"CO2lonianism, Ecocide, Reparations,\" argues that the structural exploitation of resources and ecological degradation experienced during colonial times constitute a unique form of harm, separate from the transatlantic slave trade. The damages caused by these practices are estimated to be in the hundreds of trillions of dollars.\n\nProf. Nkem Onyekpe, the Head of the Department of History and Strategic Studies at the University of Lagos and lead author of the report, emphasized that large-scale financial evaluations of historical exploitation are already practiced in modern economic research. He cited a 2022 peer-reviewed estimate that valued resources taken from the Global South through unequal exchange at over $10tn annually in 2015 alone. If the same valuation approach were applied to the entire colonial era across affected African states, the resulting figure could reach hundreds of trillions of dollars.\n\nThe UNILAG study presents compelling evidence of colonial environmental changes, including land degradation in Uganda's Kanungu District. Documented evidence shows a statistically significant link between this degradation and the livelihoods of farmers, leading to hunger, food insecurity, and resource constraints. Civil society groups have supported the report, arguing that addressing Africa's modern climate crises requires acknowledging its historical roots.\n\nThe legal landscape for environmental claims has evolved, presenting an opportune moment for African nations. Recent developments include the adoption of a working legal definition of ecocide, binding instruments by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and proposals before the International Criminal Court. Additionally, the African Union recently established an ad hoc committee to examine classifying massive ecosystem destruction as an international crime, providing direct institutional support for the UNILAG report.\n\nThe report also draws upon a landmark precedent from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the 1990s Certain Phosphate Lands in Nauru case, where Nauru successfully sued Australia for colonial-era environmental destruction caused by phosphate mining. Legal expert Dr. Karibi Whyte noted that the Nauru case demonstrates that such claims are grounded in established international law, and Africa is now building on this precedent to address historical environmental damage on a much larger scale.",
  "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",
        "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",
        "published": "2026-09-03T21:58:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}