“Contradictions abound in Europe’s climate policy,” argue two former officials in a guest essay for The Economist
of Ukraine leaves Europe scrambling for alternative sources of energy. Africa has lots to offer. But co-operation on this new priority cannot be divorced from fraught-Africa relations more generally, and climate more specifically. Tension has mounted over delayed summits and Europe’s inadequate provision of covid-19 vaccines to Africa. This makes the27 climate-change conference, due to be hosted in Egypt in November, critical.
’s proposed carbon border-adjustment mechanism , which would tax the embedded carbon content of imports to the, still does not include waivers for goods originating in low-income countries. Those affected by it understandably viewas unjust and hypocritical coming from a continent that enriched itself through fossil-fuelled development. By contrast, Europe seesas a means of encouraging African economies to leapfrog past fossil fuels towards economies powered entirely by renewable energy.
Such help has not been sufficient to date. Europe offers modest support through the expansion of renewable electricity generation, rural electrification and the provision of clean cooking fuels. In 2019 the International Energy Agency estimated that for Africa to provide its citizens with reliable electricity, power-supply investment would need to increase fourfold, to $120bn a year by 2040.
The scale of the investment required to realise Africa’s huge potential is enormous. Take hydrogen. Producing it at scale—either from gas or renewables—will at a minimum require theto help boost Africa’s electricity-generation capacity to power electrolysers, even as many countries are struggling to meet the energy demands of their rapidly growing populations.
Rapid decarbonisation serves both European and African interests. Without it Africa’s economic development will be condemned to another generation of stagnation. At27 Europe’s pledges must be backed up by a proper plan and adequate assistance for African countries. In turn African countries should grasp the opportunity to form partnerships with Europe that are still–just–within reach.Donald Kaberuka is the former president of the African Development Bank.
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