Reparations can combat the effects of colonialism and the climate crisis
While the impacts of the climate crisis are becoming increasingly visible in industrialized countries, they have long been a bitter reality in many parts of the world, especially in countries of the Global South. The current climate crisis is an undeniable fact and the direct result of an economic system built on plunder and enslavement during the colonial era, economic and ecological exploitation, and the "development policy" of states like Germany.
Even though they now call themselves "donor countries" due to limited "development aid," the countries of the Global North continue to profit from the exploitation of the resources of the South. They have established a system of "structural adjustment policy" that supposedly serves to lead countries out of their economic crises. The programs imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in exchange for loans primarily meant a drastic cut in government spending: social systems, education, health care, and subsidies for their own industries were to be cut. Revenues, in turn, go towards debt repayment.
This primarily benefits companies from the Global North, who continue to have favorable access to resources from the Global South and, at the same time, have markets for their products. Through unfair trade practices and corporate power, the countries of the Global North secure their geopolitical dominance. Such measures perpetuate the unequal global economic structure, including the resulting climate and humanitarian emergencies.
One example is Cameroon, a German colony from 1884 to 1916. Largely unknown to the German population, this period was characterized by the systematic brutality of German colonial rule. The violence was not limited to political oppression but extended to an entire system of economic and ecological exploitation, with complete disregard for the local population and their traditional ways of life.
The colonial administration began a large-scale expropriation of land to establish an export-oriented trade and plantation economy. Commercial monocrops such as cocoa, tobacco, and palm oil were introduced, which had devastating effects on Cameroon's soils. The rapid expansion of plantations, particularly in the western highlands, led to increased soil erosion and biodiversity loss. These problems were further exacerbated by unsustainable agricultural practices such as slash-and-burn agriculture and intensive land clearing. Forests were also cleared on a large scale for export to Germany, which in turn increased the risk of landslides. Such practices irreversibly altered local ecosystems.
German colonialism had devastating consequences not only ecologically but also socially. The dispossession of entire communities and their exclusion from their lands led to massive inequality and the spread of poverty. The Germans also systematically used forced labor on plantations geared toward export.
Colonial rule continues to leave its mark on Cameroon. The country is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and unable to combat persistent socioeconomic inequalities.
All these changes have significantly reduced the resilience of ecosystems to climate change and created environmental vulnerability that persists to this day.
The wealth generated by the acquisition of raw materials and labor flowed back to Germany and fueled coal-based industrialization. This contributed to Germany now ranking fourth in the world in historical greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels—with only about one percent of the world's population.
Although many countries in the Global North are the largest historical contributors to climate change, the Global South bears the brunt of the crisis—with dramatic consequences such as forced migration, food insecurity, and economic collapse. The current climate crisis cannot be resolved without first addressing a comprehensive question of debt and justice. This is not just about a lack of financial resources, but about dismantling a system that, through debt, forces countries in the Global South into dependency, inequality, and extractivist economic structures.
The answer to this is climate reparations – not as paternalistic development aid or facilitation, but as an instrument to restore justice, to end the illegitimate financial debts of the South to the North, and to enable the countries of the Global South to achieve economic and political self-determination.
Climate reparations are about recognizing the structural causes and initiating appropriate measures. The structural roots of the current crisis must be identified: colonialism and its continuities, also known as neocolonialism, as well as climate injustice. However, the historical causes require not only recognition but also an apology.
But recognition and apologies cannot be enough – they create financial and moral obligations, even if centuries of suffering cannot be undone. Legally binding mechanisms are needed to finance the fight against climate change, compensate for losses and damages, and restore justice. Such measures have long been part of international climate negotiations, but their funds are notoriously underfunded – thus, bilateral options are necessary.
Finally, a repetition of injustice must be prevented. This requires a fundamental overhaul of the current political and economic system. This begins with the rules of international trade and debt policy, but also includes commitments from polluters to accelerate decarbonization.
Only in this way can the (neo)colonial exploitation of people and nature be ended and a fairer distribution of power and resources be achieved.
Learn more
What Germany owes Cameroon
On the need for climate reparations
Why colonial rule and climate destruction are linked and why climate justice remains an empty promise without a consistent reappraisal of the past.
Climate debt and reparations
Building blocks for climate justice
Debt relief for countries in the Global South and reparations for the climate catastrophe caused by the Global North – now!