The state of Africa’s transition to renewable energy is anything but
positive. While the continent is home to bountiful wind and solar potential,
not to mention raw materials like cobalt needed to make green energy possible,
progress toward a green energy future has been uneven at best.
اضافة اعلان
South Africa,
the continent’s most industrialized country, is a prime example of the dire
state of green energy. The country of roughly 60 million is the world’s 13th
biggest source of climate-warming greenhouse gases and gets more than 80
percent of its electricity from coal. Across the continent there is less
reliance on coal and more on natural gas and hydropower. But overall,
renewables usage remains well below the global average. As the latest round of
international climate talks, known as COP27, just started in Egypt, it is time
to take a hard look at how climate change will unevenly affect Africa and what
anyone can do about it.
South Africa’s
energy woes stem from its network of aging coal-fired power plants operated by
the national electric utility, Eskom. After nearly a decade of mismanagement
and corruption under former president Jacob Zuma, Eskom cannot keep the lights
on. Power plants regularly break down resulting in rolling blackouts, known
locally as load shedding. The energy shortage is taking a heavy toll on the
economy as load shedding can mean several hours of no power each day.
President Cyril
Ramaphosa has made the power crisis his government’s top priority but it has
been tricky. South Africa has several laws designed to ensure that Eskom has a
monopoly over energy production even though the country is blessed with ample
wind and solar resources ideal for renewable energy projects. Ramaphosa has
rolled back some of these provisions to enable private energy producers to
create more energy. The city of Cape Town has taken the matter into its own
hands and built hydroelectric energy solutions to manage the bite of load
shedding. But these efforts are merely Band-Aids on the larger problem.
Ramaphosa is looking
to foreign investors and governments for the capital needed to fund South
Africa’s shift toward renewable energy. A study carried out by the Blended
Finance Taskforce and Center for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch
University found that South Africa will need to spend $250 billion over the
next 30 years to close down its coal-fired power plants and transition to green
energy. The South African government is in the process of negotiating $8.5
billion in climate grants and concessional loans with wealthy nations. This
transition and its financing was a major topic of discussion at the COP26
climate summit in Glasgow and will be on the agenda this week in Egypt.
As a bid to
pressure governments into honoring their commitments, South Africa plans to use
COP27 as a platform to call for deeper support of “just transitions” in Africa
starting with energy transitions. According to Environment Minister Barbara
Creecy, South Africa will advocate for the establishment of a people-centered
Just Energy Transition Financing Framework. In comments to the South African
press, Creecy argued that COP27 should be seen as an “implementation COP”,
including by ensuring that the gap between climate finance pledges and actual
flow is closed.
… South Africa will need to spend $250 billion over the next 30 years to close down its coal-fired power plants and transition to green energy.
“We need to
rebuild trust between developed and developing countries by fulfilling
commitments [and] we need clear commitments to supporting just transitions in
developing countries,” she said.
More financing
from the rest of the world will not fix South Africa’s energy problems alone.
Internal corruption and gross mismanagement of resources are one reason the
country is facing an existential energy crisis. However, the larger point about
wealthier countries supporting just energy transitions in the emerging world is
the right theme for COP27. There is a growing concern (and anger) that rich
countries are continuing traditions of exploitation in Africa when it comes to
energy transitions.
As the home to
vital raw materials needed for green energy projects, African nations continue
to see their resources shipped off to places like China and Europe with little
care given to local needs. Moreover, Africa’s population is rapidly growing and
urbanizing, which makes extreme weather events caused by climate change a major
concern for authorities across the continent. Africa is one of the world’s
least developed continents and produces roughly 4 percent of global greenhouse
gas emissions. Yet, it will suffer disproportionately from climate change.
These challenges
will be addressed during COP27. Undoubtedly, there will be grand promises and
pledges made to African nations for help in funding green energy. It is
unlikely, however, that these promises will be fully realized in the long term.
At best, rich nations will pledge loan support to countries like South Africa
in their green energy transitions, but such initiatives do not get to the root
causes of the problem, nor do they protect future generations.
The sordid
history of exploitation by outside forces continues in Africa under the guise
of climate change and global green energy transitions. Setting the course for a
greener future will need to factor this reality into future plans.
Joseph Dana is the
former senior editor of Exponential View, a weekly newsletter about technology
and its impact on society. He was also the editor-in-chief of emerge85, a lab
exploring change in emerging markets and its global impact. Twitter: @ibnezra.
Syndication Bureau.
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