As the COP comes to a close, one of the key issues is how fossil fuels will feature in the final text.
ECO joins campaigners and activists in demanding a decision text which calls for an equitable phase out of coal, oil and gas, without loophole language like “unabated” and “inefficient” which weaken the phase out requirements.
The decision will have important ramifications for Africa where activists have issued a clear message: “Don’t Gas Africa”. They join African leaders like Ruto in Kenya who called for a rapid and just transition and committed to 100% clean energy by 2030 powered by renewables.
Despite these calls, a small group of gas exporting ministers have colluded with the oil and gas industry to pretend that gas expansion is necessary for Africa’s energy access, development, and transition. In reality, the opposite is true.
The best way to deliver energy access to the 650 million Africans already being failed by fossil fuels is to rapidly scale up our commitment to renewable energy solutions. The worst way would be to invest in new fossil infrastructure which takes decades to come online, is predominately for export purposes, and doesn’t serve rural communities.
The best way to deliver development for Africans is to focus on building out distributed renewable energy systems which put energy ownership in the hands of communities and local businesses. The worst way would be to invest further in new fossil mega projects which reserve profits for the elite few and worsen the same climate crisis which undermines every aspect of real development, such as in our people’s health and livelihoods.
The best way to deliver a transition for Africans is to invest now in the future of renewables and embrace the opportunity we have to leapfrog the past. The worst way would be to double down on new fossil fuel projects which will only pull investment away from renewables, make further fossil fuel expansion cheaper, and lock Africa into holding stranded assets for the coming years. We urge African leaders to join Tuvalu, India, US, UK, EU, AILAC, and Norway to phase down all oil, gas, and coal.
We wouldn’t tell an African that the best way to call a loved one is to build a fixed line telephone. And we wouldn’t say the best way for an African to get to work is to ride a donkey. So why now are we pretending the best way for an African to get energy access is the fossil fuels of the previous century? We don’t just a have a right to development – we have a right to a better development. Let’s make sure the final text ensures that.