confidentially speaking
The Africa Confidential Blog
Grey skies for green energy
Blue Lines
Extreme weather amid this week's storms in Western Cape in South Africa and the continuing drought in north-east Africa remind us of the
realities of climate change. Cape Town hovers between devastating
storms one month and worsening water shortages for the rest of the
year. Drought has knocked off one per cent of growth from East Africa's
economies. Fights over land and water in the Sahel, Nigeria and Côte
d’Ivoire pit farmers against herders in clashes in which
thousands of
people have died in recent years.
Even before the United States government pulled out of the Paris
climate treaty on 2 June, few funds for climate adaptation were
reaching Africa.
Africa would benefit from a better coordinated approach on
climate and environment policy, perhaps using the research capacity of
the Economic Commission for Africa and the convening power of the
African Development Bank. Political backing from the African Union
would also help. More detailed reporting on the Sahel and the Horn
should prompt research into ways to ameliorate or adapt to the
environmental devastation. Some pioneering projects for local
meteorological centres, assets for international climate research,
struggle for funding. There is a direct link between plans for a green
energy corridor up the spine of Africa, running on renewables, and
tackling climate change. Africa's massive expansion of agricultural
production and processing, together with its solar power farms, depend
on tackling the threat of climate change.
