Page 5 - DMEA Week 46 2022

DMEA COMMENTARY DMEA

Three bodies, the Climate and Clean Air Coali- He made the point that Africa is not respon-
tion (CCAC), the United Nations Environment sible for historic CO2 emissions or for the cur-
Programme (UNEP) and the African Union rent climate crisis.
Commission, said in their report, called Inte- Since the industrial revolution, developed
grated Assessment of Air Pollution and Climate countries have emitted around 2,400bn tonnes
Change for Sustainable Development in Africa, of CO2, leaving only around 400bn tonnes in the
that African governments needed to reduce pol- global carbon budget if the world wants to meet
lution by focusing on pollutants like methane its temperature goal, Adesina said.
and black carbon. “And so Africa, that did not really emit,
Air pollution is the one of the greatest should not now be penalised for not even being
environmental threats to human health and able to use a little bit of gas to complement its
is responsible for about 7mn deaths each year natural resources.”
globally. The report identified 37 measures that He noted that even if Africa were to triple its
would reduce pollution, led by cleaner vehicles gas production, its contribution to global emis-
and more public transport, more clean cooking sions would only rise by 0.67%, he said.
technology and renewables, reducing methane Put simply, Africa would be able to create the African nations
emissions from agriculture and developing bet- most economic impact on people’s lives for each are responsible
ter waste management systems. unit of gas used, lifting people out of poverty and
Again, the report stressed that African driving economic growth. for a small
nations were responsible for a small fraction of Meanwhile, the AfDB, the continent’s mul-
global GHG emissions but bear an outsized bur- tilateral development bank (MDB) is seeking fraction of GHG
den of negative climate impacts. to raise $25bn through its African Adaptation
“This assessment comes at a timely moment, Acceleration Programme, the biggest yet by any emissions but
as COP27 is focused on implementation,” said MDB, Adesina said. bear an outsized
Måns Nilsson, executive director, Stockholm While most of this is being invested in green
Environment Institute (SEI). “Through this projects, gas still has its place. On the other hand, burden of
report, African governments, the private sec- the bank has already divested from coal projects
tor, non-governmental organisations and local and has urged Africa not to fund any more coal negative climate
communities now have the scientific evidence mining ventures of coal-fired power projects.
on different options for action that can enable His comments come as reducing the use of impacts
the continent to meet its development objectives fossil fuels and cutting emissions are the two
while mitigating pollution and GHG emissions,” methods to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees
he added. Celsius above pre-industrial average
Indeed, the report warned that without On the other hand, climate campaigners said
action to tackle pollution, GHG emissions will that any gas development would lock Africa into
triple by 2063, causing a ripple effect. Outdoor using fossil fuels for many years, holding back
air pollution will get worse, causing about effort to fight climate change and to meet the
930,000 premature deaths per year in 2030 and Paris goals.
about 1.6mn premature deaths per year in 2063. Greenpeace Africa said that Africa had 60%
Without action, pressures on resources, the of the world’s solar power potential, but only
environment and human health could increase 1% of global installed solar capacity at present,
inequalities and limit Africa’s ability to achieve stressing that Africa offered vast untapped solar
sustainable development. potential.
“Fossil fuels must be phased out; they must
Historic emissions be kept in the ground. Africa’s backyard will not
However, Adesina’s argument is not totally at become Europe’s forecourt,” Greenpeace Africa
odds with the UN’s pollution warning. said in a statement. ™

(Photo: Twitter/@Min_of_Mines)

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