University of Lagos report values British colonial environmental damage in trillions

A new report from the University of Lagos, titled ‘Colonial Carbon, Ecological Genocide, Reparations’, argues that the environmental damage caused by British colonial rule in Africa should be a central component of reparations discussions. The study suggests that the long-term ecological harm constitutes a distinct category of damage from the humanitarian impacts of the slave trade, with potential valuations exceeding hundreds of trillions of dollars.

Lead author Professor J. J. Nkem Onikpe noted that similar valuation exercises have been conducted previously. He referenced a 2022 estimate that valued resources taken from the Global South through unequal exchange at over $10 trillion annually in 2015. Applying this logic to the entire colonial period across all affected African nations could result in figures reaching hundreds of trillions of dollars.

The report was presented to academics, legal experts, and activists in Lagos on August 28, 2026. It has been formally submitted to the African Union’s Expert Committee on Reparations (AUCER) and the Legal Reference Group on Reparations (AULER). These subcommittees are part of the African Union’s Justice and Reparations Decade (2026-2035), which aims to create a unified methodology for assessing African reparations claims.