Written By Johnny Bornor Akoi
Introduction
Climate change is widely recognized as one of the most critical global challenges of the twenty-first century, yet its impacts are distributed in deeply unequal ways. Africa contributes less than three percent of cumulative global greenhouse gas emissions, but it experiences some of the most severe consequences of climate change, including droughts, floods, sea-level rise, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity (Roberts & Parks, 2007; IPCC, 2022). This disparity reveals a profound injustice within the global climate system: countries least responsible for climate change often face the greatest harm.
International environmental law has attempted to address this imbalance through frameworks such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement. Central to these instruments is the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), which acknowledges historical responsibility and differing capacities among states (UNFCCC, 1992). Despite this normative recognition, implementation remains weak. Climate finance flows to Africa are insufficient, unpredictable, and frequently delivered as loans rather than grants, undermining adaptation efforts and reinforcing dependency (OECD, 2022; UNEP, 2023).
Liberia exemplifies these structural injustices. Although its contribution to global emissions is negligible, the country faces severe climate risks, including coastal erosion, flooding, forest degradation, and declining agricultural productivity (EPA Liberia, 2020). Limited institutional capacity and reliance on external finance constrain effective responses. This article examines climate justice through the lens of international environmental law and structural inequality, arguing that while global legal frameworks acknowledge inequity, they fail to deliver meaningful justice for African states such as Liberia.
Climate Justice and Theoretical Foundations
Climate justice emerged from critiques of the unequal distribution of environmental harms and benefits under global capitalism. It draws on theories of distributive justice, procedural justice, and recognition justice, emphasizing fairness in outcomes, decision-making processes, and respect for marginalized communities (Schlosberg & Collins, 2014). From this perspective, climate change is not only an environmental issue but also a manifestation of historical and structural inequality.
Early Global South scholarship framed climate change as a form of “environmental colonialism,” arguing that industrialized states consumed the majority of the global carbon budget while limiting development opportunities for poorer nations (Agarwal & Narain, 1991). This critique informed the inclusion of CBDR in the UNFCCC. However, scholars argue that contemporary climate governance continues to reproduce colonial power relations by shifting mitigation and adaptation burdens onto developing countries with limited resources (Okereke, 2008; Zahar, 2022).
Climate justice is also closely linked to global political economy. Pogge (2008) argues that wealthy states owe compensatory duties to poorer nations because global economic structures have historically benefited the Global North at the expense of the Global South. Roberts and Parks (2007) similarly demonstrate that climate vulnerability correlates strongly with economic marginalization and historical dependency. This creates a condition of “double exposure,” where developing countries face both climate risks and structural economic constraints (Taylor, 2015).
Human rights scholarship further strengthens climate justice claims by framing climate impacts as violations of rights to life, health, housing, food, and development (Peel & Osofsky, 2018). For African states, this rights-based approach underscores the inseparability of climate vulnerability from development and dignity.
Africa’s Structural Vulnerability in Global Climate Governance
Africa’s vulnerability to climate change is shaped by both environmental exposure and structural inequality. The IPCC (2022) identifies Africa as the most climate-vulnerable region globally, with warming beyond 1.5°C posing severe risks to agriculture, water security, and public health. Over 60 percent of the population depends on rain-fed agriculture, making livelihoods highly sensitive to climate variability (FAO, 2021).
These vulnerabilities are rooted in historical patterns of colonial extraction and underdevelopment. Rodney (1972) famously argued that colonialism distorted African economies by prioritizing raw material extraction over industrialization. These legacies persist today in weak infrastructure, limited technological capacity, and reliance on external financing. Climate governance structures often exacerbate these inequalities. Although Africa actively participates in negotiations, major climate agreements are shaped largely by the political and economic power of high-emitting states (Bond, 2012; Torney, 2019).
Climate finance represents a critical weakness in the global regime. Developed countries pledged to mobilize USD 100 billion annually for developing states by 2020, yet this target has not been fully met, and much of the finance is delivered as loans (OECD, 2022). Africa receives a disproportionately small share of adaptation finance despite its high vulnerability (UNEP, 2023). Moreover, complex application procedures disadvantage low-capacity states, delaying urgently needed projects (Ciplet, Roberts, & Khan, 2015).
Liberia as a Case Study of Climate Injustice
Liberia illustrates how climate change interacts with structural inequality at the national level. The country contributes less than 0.01 percent of global emissions but faces severe climate impacts, including coastal erosion, flooding, forest loss, and food insecurity (EPA Liberia, 2020). Coastal communities such as New Kru Town have experienced displacement as rising sea levels and storm surges destroy homes and infrastructure (World Bank, 2022).
Liberia’s forests present a further justice dilemma. Hosting a significant portion of the Upper Guinea Forest, Liberia plays a critical role in global carbon sequestration. However, conservation imposes opportunity costs on communities reliant on forest resources for survival (Blomley & Teye, 2018). Without adequate compensation, Liberia bears a disproportionate share of global environmental responsibility.
Agriculture, which sustains most Liberians, is increasingly threatened by erratic rainfall and declining soil fertility. Limited irrigation, weak extension services, and insufficient climate-smart technologies undermine resilience (FAO, 2021). Adaptation efforts depend heavily on external finance, which is often delayed and fragmented, creating an “adaptation gap” that leaves vulnerable populations exposed (Ford et al., 2019).
International Environmental Law: Effectiveness and Limitations
International environmental law recognizes climate inequity but lacks enforceability. The transition from binding commitments under the Kyoto Protocol to voluntary Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement weakened accountability for major emitters (Bodansky, 2016; Rajamani & Brunnée, 2017). Climate finance obligations remain political rather than legal, allowing delays without consequence.
Access to funds such as the Green Climate Fund is hindered by bureaucratic and technical requirements that low-capacity states struggle to meet. Loss and damage financing represents a potential breakthrough, but the fund established at COP27 remains under-resourced and politically fragile (Roberts & Huq, 2023). For Liberia, these limitations translate into delayed adaptation and ongoing vulnerability.
Conclusion
Climate change exposes deep structural inequalities within the international system. Africa’s disproportionate vulnerability, and Liberia’s experience in particular, demonstrates that climate injustice is rooted not only in emissions patterns but in historical responsibility, economic dependency, and unequal global governance. While international environmental law acknowledges these disparities, it has failed to translate principles of equity into effective outcomes.
Achieving climate justice for Africa and Liberia requires enforceable legal obligations, predictable and grant-based climate finance, stronger African agency in negotiations, and sustained investment in domestic institutions and community-centered adaptation. Without such reforms, international climate law risks perpetuating the very injustices it seeks to address.
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