With the dwindling oil and gas prices and climate change looming large accross the globe, the continent has so far organised a fund of over $51USD in order to combat the effects of climate change.
One of the major solutions to this impending issue is investing in more renewable energy sources. I have always been an advocate for Solar and Wind Energy, the intensity of the sunshine in Lagos alone should be enough to reduce our over-reliance on Hydro stations. of 2015, 6 countries stand out as beacons of the change to new, clean future energy sources on the continent. Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco and Mauritiana have become pioneers in the field. “Africa’s potential for renewable is enourmous” said Achim Steiner of the UN Environment Programme. I could not agree more with this statement, and a dacade ago only South Africa had began implementing renewable energy as a key pillar in its energy strategy.
Now we have over 30 countries beginning to see the light and making heavy investments in clean energy. Considering the fact that Africa (especially Sub-Saharan Africa) already registeres very high temperatures, climate change would further turn up the heat. This will in turn affect agriculture, wildlife and eventually our industries. Its great to finally see that alternative energy is starting to make its impact in the continnet – slowly but surely the right moves are being made. According to International Energy Agency 620 million people on the continent do not have access to electricity, however studies show that those numbers are incaccurate as household solar panels have gained a foothold on the continent and are usually not used durring data collection – most likely as a result of them not being connected to the national grid.
According to NewAfrican in West Africa, Cameroon leads the charge towards green energy and sustainable urban development as Climate change gradually eats away at many major sources of natural water (Lake Chad for example is now below 10% of the landmass it occupied in 1960) due to increasing global temperatures.
More to follow as the series continues. Do we need to prepare for Climate change? Share your thoughts on the subject as we delve into the scientific side of modern Africa.