Democratizing low-carbon energies for climate-compatible development in Central Africa
Africa remains the least electrified continent in the world with only 42% of its population having access to electricity. At the same time, scientists continue to warn about the staggering projections of climate change and its chaotic effects on a planetary scale. Thus, a temperature rise of 3° to 7°c is expected before the end of this century. And as if that were not enough, statistics report that "9 million deaths are recorded per year as a result of air pollution and that 110 million human beings are exposed to droughts and floods as a result of climate change »
Worse, the bill for climate change remains colossal: “In 2021, the global cost of climate change was estimated at $329 billion per year (IDDRI)”
Like the rest of the developing countries, Africa is paying and will pay the heavy price of the double energy and climate crisis, while its share in global GES emissions does not exceed 4% compared to 75% of the so-called developed countries From this, the climate crisis intertwined with the energy crisis is also a strongly indicative of the global economic injustice! Human being remains solely responsible for global climate change through his overconsumption of fossil fuels, his productivism and his practices that are devastating to the environment. “The current energy system is bringing humanity closer to an enormous catastrophe,” the UN recently warned.
From all this, it goes without saying that the productivist economic model based on fossil fuels (oil, coal, wood products, etc.) has shown its selfishness, its limits and its ravages with regard to the preservation of ecosystems and natural balances. Under these conditions, African countries as the rest of humanity remain faced with two interconnected challenges: energy poverty and the climate crisis. A large majority of the African population has no other choice than wood resources (wood, charcoal) and remains deprived of reliable access to modern energy sources and dignified means of subsistence. In Central Africa, the electrification rate does not exceed 20% . Yet, Central Africa has 149 GW (gigawatt), that is to say more than the half (57%) of African hydroelectric potential (mediaterre)
However, it should be noted that electricity production in Central Africa only represents a small percentage of its impressive energy potential. According to the International Energy Agency, “530 million Africans will be without electricity by 2030.”
Who are excluded from modern energy services? Isn’t the poor, the low-income earners, the informal workers, the deprived households?
Furthermore, humanity is committed to a trajectory towards a global energy system that is greener, more decarbonized and more sensitive to climate change. In this register, the Paris climate agreement aimed at reducing the global temperature to 1.5° c -2° c was been one of the battles won; However, the procrastination of the parties to this agreement risks leading to defeat and/or delaying victory in the climate and energy war which threatens all of humanity!
Indeed, the energy remains at the heart of global climate issues and all countries around the world are unanimous on the imperative to accelerate the transition to a global low-carbon energy and economic systems.
Since 2015, “affordable and clean energy are one of the sustainable development goals adopted by States around the world, with the aim of universal access to energy and an increase in the global percentage of renewable energies as key targets”
Despite these good intentions, there is often the ambivalence or hypocrisy on the part of the so-called rich countries, the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, when it comes to implementing their commitments to reduce carbon emissions and to assume their historic responsibilities in the face of climate change and its devastation in developing countries. As a result, in their frantic quest for (unlimited) super economic growth, rich countries continue to emit enormous quantities of greenhouse gases while investing massively in renewables. Will the much-touted energy mix lead towards 100% renewables or would it be a joke to maintain fossils?
From all of the above, it is imperative to effectively solve the various points of divergences concerning the implementation of commitments to reduce the carbon footprint of global economic systems; this will make it possible to reduce the planet's temperature to at least 2°c and agree on the bill to be paid by rich countries to support developing countries in addressing climate change while maintaining their low emission thresholds of carbon. The renewal of multiple commitments by industrialized countries relating to the reduction of their carbon emissions and/or financing is a step in the right direction if they are followed by concrete effects.
In developing countries, particularly in Africa, the climate issue is not a priori perceived seriously as being a cross-cutting issue; priorities are rather focused on matters linked to poverty, hunger and/or basic public utility services (health, schools, drinking water, agricultural, roads, etc.) Shortfalls in financial resources are often deplored and technologies necessary to implement their transition to renewable energies while the phantasmagoric promises of billions of dollars by the countries of the North are slow to materialize. Meanwhile, fossil fuels (wood, charcoal, oil, etc.) remain cheap and widely available and accessible. What's more, the link between 'overconsumption of fossil fuels' and 'climate change' is not very clearly perceived by a large majority of the population in more than one country in Africa. However, it is undeniable that deforestation remains one of the major factors of climate change across the planet. In the DRC, for example, deforestation for wood energy purpose is responsible for 20% of forest degradation and climate change in the country (MEDD, 2016)
In African countries, renewable energies are seen a priori not as a major climatic or environmental issue but rather as complementary or substitute energy for basic services in households (lighting, cooking, etc.) However, renewable energies represent a way to spare women and children from eye and respiratory diseases and to reduce carbon emissions; They are an opportunity to challenge energy poverty in which thousands of inhabitants languish on the continent.
African countries have everything to gain from becoming aware of the link between 'low-carbon energy' and 'climate safety and responsibility'. Certainly, improving livelihoods, equitable redistribution of income, economic justice, the fight against poverty remains a priority for many African countries where the human development index remains lower. In any case, it is important to be aware that 'poverty' and 'access to energy' are closely linked and that energy, like climate safety, remain one of the factors of socio-economic development which cannot be left behind of public investments and budgets!
Would a socio-economic development process without a massive carbon footprint be an illusion for Africa?
The ambitions of African countries to accelerate their economic growth are legitimate: Nevertheless, it would be beneficial to ensure that we embrace an economic growth process oriented towards phasing out fossil fuels and or sensitive to renewables; this would prevent African countries from following in the footsteps of greedy and ecologically irresponsible Western energy consumerism. Otherwise, an African trajectory of economic growth based on fossil fuels would be synonymous with the massive and irrational exploitation of natural resources, the degradation of forests and ecosystems, the escalation of land conflicts, socio-economic inequalities and harmful climatic repercussions (droughts, floods, hunger, the resurgence of infectious diseases and ecological migrations, etc.)
It should also be mentioned that maintaining low levels of carbon emissions and or reducing them in African countries also requires the rational and sustainable exploitation of natural resources. It is worth noted here that Africa holds a significant share of the world's mineral reserves necessary for the energy transition. In that vein, if we must save the forests of the Congo Basin, one of the lungs of humanity , it is urgent to take courageous and ambitious measures to replace wood energy by green and sustainable energies! Given the high levels of impoverishment of populations in African countries, it may be useful to synchronize climate and energy programs with existing or envisaged collective anti-poverty measures.
The world is in an energy gridlock; And yet, renewable energy is one of the ways to restore energy justice and significantly reduce global carbon emissions. In recent years, renewable energies have experienced unprecedented technological and economic expansion. Africa has many rich potentials for the development of renewable energies (bio energies, solar energy, micro hydraulics, geothermal energy, wind energy, etc.) This potential should be rationally valued and harnessed in the different countries. This is how solutions to the thorny issue of expanding access to modern energy services other than petroleum or wood products can be explored and invented in Africa.
African countries could also count on their precious natural resources (forestry, etc.) as an asset in their levers for mitigating carbon emissions and/or adapting to climate change. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the tropical forest massif of the Congo Basin with its capacity to significantly sequester greenhouse gas emissions and to offer livelihood opportunities. In this context, the support of developed countries to African countries, burdened by energy poverty and the consequences of climate change, remains vital in order to enable them to build their capacities to implement their national determined contributions (NDCs) to maintain and pursue a process of low-carbon socio-economic development that is climate sensitive. The support mechanisms linked to the Paris climate agreement and the different climate financing channels (green climate fund, loss and damage funds, etc) have a major role to play.
Therefore, increased support from Northern countries remains essential to help Southern countries make better techno-energy choices that are beneficial to their populations and more appropriate to their socio-economic contexts.
The recent years have seen the development of various renewable energy technologies (solar kits for various applications, solar power plants, waste to energy options, wind turbines, hydrogen, etc.) These technologies, particularly mobile solar kits (solar lamps, etc.) have strongly penetrated and conquered the market in many African countries; However, they are not yet affordable for all budgets. It is also observed that African governments tend to favor large energy infrastructure projects (case of the Inga dam in the DRC) which often essentially benefit industries or businesses while mini energy systems would be likely to benefit a larger majority of poor populations!
Energy inclusion remains an immense challenge for many African countries; Most of these countries have ratified the Paris climate agreement and formulated their national determined contributions (NDCs). Also, they have adopted public policies dedicated to the energy transition and or the improvement of energy services on a national level.
Notwithstanding these commitments, the deficit in the public budget allocated to renewable energies, the weak political will, the attraction of profits from fossil fuels and the weak collective awareness of the merits of green energies remain serious challenges for the energy transition towards renewables in Central Africa sub region.
Faced with all these challenges, it would be profitable to explore and invent innovative and sustainable means of financing the energy transition and climate adaptation and make climate action one of the drivers of development in Africa. The recent commitment by African countries at the Nairobi climate summit to reach 300 GW of renewable energy in 2030 as well as the commitment of nations during the COP 28 in Dubai to transitioning away from fossil fuels to reduce the temperature to 1.5°c are laudable step in the right direction given that financial resources and concrete actions follow.
Increasing public and private investments would be one of the fruitful strategies to significantly increase the share of renewables in the energy system of Central Africa countries. It is also important to raise awareness of small-scale entrepreneurs of the potential of renewable energies as a business opportunity.
A synergy of efforts between public authorities, scientists, the private sector, investors, entrepreneurs and social actors remain decisive for accelerating the implementation of climate adaptation and low-carbon energy systems for all. It is with this in mind that the mandate of the Central Africa Network for Renewable Energies (RACEN) falls, which consists of promoting renewable energies, energy saving, energy efficiency as well as equitable access to renewable energy with low greenhouse gas emissions and resilience to climate change across Central Africa. The RACEN was created in 2016 in Kinshasa during a sub-regional conference which brought together representatives of NGOs, social enterprises, universities and state representatives from Central Africa countries. Since then, the RACEN has established the following thematic working groups:
(1) Energy, housing & basic needs
(2) Energy, business, enterprise & industry
(3) Energy & modern household needs
(4) Energy & Health
(5) Energy & Education
(6) Energy & Agri-Food
(7) Energy & mobility
Faced with enormous budgetary constraints which hinder the implementation of its activities, the RACEN remains open to partnerships, collaborations and support for its action plan dedicated to sustainable climate and energy solutions across Central Africa.
Pierre PANDA
Regional Coordinator; RACEN
« racencentralafrica@gmail.com »
