My grandfather Nelson Mandela would want us to follow in his footsteps – and end climate apartheid

He believed in the power of hope and collective action, writes Ndileka Mandela, and at Cop28 the parallels with his struggle against apartheid were there for the world to see

In the spirit of Nelson Mandela, let’s seize this moment not as a victory lap, but as a clarion call to intensify our efforts (AFP/Getty)

In the annals of history, pivotal moments redefine our collective journey, rewrite our shared destiny, and reshape global consciousness. As the granddaughter of Nelson Mandela – himself a global symbol of resilience and justice – I recognised such a moment at Cop28.

This summit transcended a mere gathering of nations; it emerged as a beacon of hope in our crucial fight against climate apartheid. This term, which refers to the stark divide between those who can afford to escape climate change’s worst effects and those who can’t, carries more than an echo of social injustice – it is a clarion call for global equity in the face of environmental crisis.

Let’s be clear: climate apartheid is a damning indictment of our global systems. It’s not just an environmental crisis; it’s a crisis of ethics and equity that reveals our current environmental crisis is as much a product of economic and social systems as it is of carbon emissions. The parallel to the apartheid regime my grandfather opposed is stark: just as systemic racial injustice upheld inequality, so too does climate apartheid perpetuate a divide where the rich insulate themselves from impacts that disproportionately afflict the poor and marginalized.