Page 12 - AfrElec Week 39 2021

AfrElec CLIMATE CHNAGE AfrElec

African cities need billions to

cope with climate change by 2050

AFRICA INVESTMENTS of some $280bn will be needed in cities.”
to combat the effects of climate change in 35 cit- Africa is the fastest urbanising continent
ies in South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia by 2050, and is also likely to be the hardest hit by climate
new research shows. change. The report found that 79 of the fast-
A report released on Monday, 27 September est-growing African cities, including 15 African
from the Coalition for Urban Transitions, which capitals and many of the continent’s key com-
advises governments on economic development mercial hubs, are at ‘extreme risk’ from climate
and global warming, warned that Africa’s urban change.
development was “likely to confront unprece- By 2050, mean atmospheric temperatures
dented biophysical risks”. in Africa will almost certainly be at least 2°C
It found South Africa would need $215bn in above the long-term average. Consequently
investment in its cities, while Kenya would need Africa’s urban development is likely to confront
$27bn and Ethiopia $42bn. unprecedented biophysical risks. Low capacity
“Three pillars will be crucial for low-carbon, to withstand the impacts of natural disasters
climate-resilient urban development: compact costs Africa an estimated $832mn every year,
urban growth, connected infrastructure and with a growing share of this cost being borne
clean technologies,” the report added. by cities.
It warned that trillions of dollars of invest- But it emphasised how switching to a green
ment would be needed across the continent. economy could also stimulate economic growth.
The report said that across 35 major cities in By 2050, investment in urban climate inter-
Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa, investment ventions in major cities in Ethiopia, Kenya and
in more compact, clean and connected cities is South Africa could deliver $240bn, $140bn and
anticipated to deliver total benefits equal to $1.1 $700bn in benefits, respectively – equivalent to
trillion by 2050, supporting hundreds of thou- 250% of annual GDP (2020) in Ethiopia, 150%
sands of additional jobs compared to conven- in Kenya and 200% in South Africa.
tional fossil fuel investment. New investment in urban climate interven-
Hurdles to raising the capital include “weak tions is also expected to generate significantly
municipal creditworthiness and inefficient rev- wider economic benefits, including additional
enue-collection mechanisms,” it said. “Mobi- employment compared to traditional fossil fuel
lising finance at scale will necessitate that the energy consumption, resulting in an average
regulatory and financial frameworks and poli- of 210,000 net new jobs in Ethiopia, 98,000 in
cies are reformed rapidly to unlock investment Kenya and 120,000 in South Africa by 2050.™

P12 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 39 30•September•2021