- The OPEC Secretary General said the continent contributes the smallest greenhouse gas emissions globally.
- Africa holds around 13% of the world’s natural gas and 7% of its oil but has the world’s lowest per capita energy use.
OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais said Africa should be treated fairly while addressing global climate challenges. This is because the continent contributes the smallest share of greenhouse gas emissions globally. He said this while addressing an energy conference in Cape Town. The head of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said oil demand in Africa was expected to rise close to 80 per cent between now and 2045.
This calls for the continent’s need for more support and collaboration. Al Ghais said two-thirds of all primary schools in sub-Saharan Africa have no access to electricity, and Heathrow Airport consumes more energy than Sierra Leone. Africa holds around 13% of the world’s natural gas and 7% of its oil but has the world’s lowest per capita energy use. He added that the same environmental yardstick should not be used to compare regions at vastly different stages of development.
In addition, he said utilising Africa’s natural resources like oil and gas will help deliver energy affordability and alleviate energy poverty, a position often repeated by the fossil fuel industry to increase oil production on the continent. Despite its vast solar, wind and hydrogen potential, around 600 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live without electricity and almost 1 billion without access to clean energy for cooking. Climate change experts have disclosed that in African countries with large fossil fuel reserves, proceeds have mostly filled the coffers of corrupt political elites and have not helped alleviate general poverty or energy poverty.