Somalia didn’t cause climate change. Let’s be clear about that. Our carbon footprint is a fraction of a fraction compared to the industrial giants pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And yet, Somalia is one of the countries paying the highest price for a crisis it did not create. That is the definition of injustice.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s recent call for stronger global cooperation on climate change should ring alarm bells well beyond Mogadishu. He reminded the world that the worst drought in four decades devastated 7.8 million people in Somalia alone. Families displaced. Livelihoods destroyed. Entire communities pushed to the brink. If this scale of human suffering doesn’t jolt the conscience of global leaders, what will?
Yes, Somalia is doing its part. The government has submitted an updated Nationally Determined Contribution, launched a tree-planting campaign to put 10 million saplings in the ground, and established a National Climate Fund. These are not small steps for a nation already battling insecurity, poverty, and fragile institutions. But let’s not kid ourselves: Somalia cannot plant its way out of a climate crisis manufactured elsewhere.
The world loves to talk about “climate justice.” Now is the time to prove it. That means real money, not empty pledges. It means technical support, not token statements. It means treating Somalia — and Africa at large — not as an afterthought, but as the frontline of a battle that ultimately threatens us all.
Because here’s the hard truth: climate change doesn’t respect borders. If Somalia falls deeper into crisis, instability, displacement, and migration will ripple outward. Today it’s Baidoa and Beledweyne. Tomorrow, it could be Berlin, Brussels, or Boston feeling the knock-on effects.
President Hassan Sheikh’s appeal is not just Somalia’s cry for help. It’s a warning flare for the planet. The question is whether the world will answer the call — or keep sleepwalking toward disaster.