Global North Rhetoric vs. Global South Reality

GLOBAL – A prominent former Australian politician has described his country's climate change debate as being "mostly driven by emotion and virtue signalling," sparking a conversation on the disconnect between political discourse in developed nations and the severe, lived realities of the climate crisis in countries like Kenya. Keith Wolahan, a former Liberal Member of Parliament, made the comments to Sky News on Friday, 14 November 2025 (EAT), arguing for a policy discussion based on "logic, by facts and by what’s in our national interest."

While the debate over tone and motivation occupies politicians in Australia—one of the world's largest exporters of coal and natural gas—Kenya and its neighbours are grappling with the escalating consequences of global emissions. According to the World Bank, over 70% of natural disasters in Kenya are linked to extreme climate events, with droughts costing the economy an estimated 8% of GDP every five years. Projections for 2025 indicate worsening water scarcity, reduced crop yields for staples like maize and beans, and heightened food insecurity for millions.

A Tale of Two Priorities

Australia's domestic climate policy has significant global ramifications. The country is the world's second-largest exporter of thermal coal and the largest exporter of metallurgical coal. Emissions from its fossil fuel exports are nearly triple its domestic emissions, placing it behind only Russia in terms of climate damage from exported fuels. Despite a national target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and reduce emissions by 43% from 2005 levels by 2030, the country's continued investment in fossil fuel projects creates a complex international picture. The process of extracting and shipping these exports is responsible for an estimated 18% of Australia's total domestic emissions.

This contrasts sharply with Kenya's position. The nation has emerged as a continental leader in the green energy transition, generating over 90% of its electricity from renewable sources, primarily geothermal, hydropower, and wind. Kenya is home to the largest geothermal producer and the largest wind farm in Africa. The government's Vision 2030 plan aims for 100% clean energy use by 2030, positioning the country not just as a victim of climate change but as a proactive innovator in mitigation.

The Stakes of a Polarised Debate

Wolahan's comments reflect a deep political polarisation in a key developed nation that directly impacts international climate cooperation and finance—a critical issue for Africa. At the second Africa Climate Summit, which concluded in Addis Ababa in September 2025, African leaders issued the "Addis Ababa Declaration," a unified call for systemic reform of the global financial architecture to unlock climate funding. The declaration underscored the continent's need for grant-based, predictable finance to manage adaptation and loss and damage, rather than debt-creating loans.

African nations have repeatedly highlighted the unfulfilled 2009 pledge by developed countries to mobilize USD $100 billion annually for climate action in developing countries—a goal that was only met for the first time in 2022. The United Nations estimates that developing countries will need approximately $1.1 trillion in climate finance from 2025, rising to $1.8 trillion by 2030. The political debates in wealthy, high-emitting countries like Australia are crucial, as their policy decisions determine the speed and scale of the global transition away from fossil fuels and the availability of funds for vulnerable nations to adapt.

Interestingly, a 2025 survey by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and IPSOS noted a decline in public concern about climate change in Kenya (from 42% in 2022 to 30% in 2025), with worries about conflict taking precedence. However, the same survey found that Kenyans rank highest globally in concern for deforestation (47%) and express high levels of concern for droughts and floods (40%), suggesting that while the term 'climate change' may be losing traction, its tangible impacts on forests, water, and livelihoods remain a top priority. This underscores the need for a global conversation grounded not in political signalling, but in the scientific and human reality of a changing planet.