Christian Aid has just launched the report: Low-carbon Africa: Leapfrogging to a green future. The report shows Africa’s potential to generate clean energy. EJN of FOCISSA wrote the South Africa study. The SA paper has some interesting Case Studies but concludes that: A leapfrog fund has the potential to initiate a just transition towards requiring a less energy intensive economy, made possible through renewable energy, ecologically friendly buildings, sustainable agro-ecological agriculture, improved public transport, integrated urban and rural planning, and sustainable infrastructure development.
For this transition to take place, a climate response requires a bottom-up approach and needs to be at the core of national development strategies. If this is not done, we risk the status quo remaining, with a few uncoordinated projects in the short term, but ecological and human disaster in the longer term.
The report demonstrates the considerable potential Africa has to achieve the twin goals of tackling poverty and the threat of climate change by pursuing a low-carbon development pathway. The report argues that it is possible to lift Africa out of energy poverty without increasing Greenhouse Gases emissions.
This report further demonstrates that Africa has a big opportunity to transition to a safe and sustainable low-carbon development path and at the same time still expand access to energy services. With the right financial and technological support to rise to the occasion, Africa can be a low-carbon leader. It also gives examples of the potential for low-carbon energy in six sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Nigeria. These countries share common features, such as high levels of energy poverty and dependence on biomass (wood and charcoal) for domestic needs, power shortages, unsustainable dependence on imported fossil fuels and lack of access to finance to invest in energy security. Nigeria and South Africa in particular continue to be bound to economic growth based on unsustainable fossil fuels, with limited plans for reducing this high carbon dependence.
However, all six countries have a huge potential for renewable energy and for improving energy efficiency, and a potential to leapfrog over dirty or unsustainable energy practices and ‘brown’ technology to move towards a green development pathway.
The full Africa report can be accessed at:
*By Rebekka Madsen