Action must help diminish fossil fuel extraction

 

A cloud of pollution released by an industry. [Getty Images]

The world marked the International Day of Climate Action last Thursday under the “Climate Action for a Sustainable Future” theme, amid a need to address fossil fuel proliferation in Africa and tame climate disasters.

The day also precedes the COP29 global climate talks in Azerbaijan, where Africa, through the African Group of Negotiators (AGN), will demand climate justice, at a time when appetite for the continent’s fossil fuels is highest.

A 2023 report by Oil Change International shows how oil and gas extraction in Africa has expanded fast. The “Big Oil Reality Check 2023” echoes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warnings that more fossil fuel investments negate efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C.

According to UNEP, Africa harbours 30 per cent, 8 per cent and 12 per cent of the world’s mineral, natural gas and oil reserves respectively, which foreign companies target without allowing nations to process and sell the same locally. When the products return to Africa, they are still expensive.

For the many years that countries such as Nigeria, Angola and Mozambique have depended on oil and gas exports, poverty has worsened and local communities’ health, environment and food security have deteriorated. For instance, communities in Ogoniland in the Niger Delta, where oil has been drilled and transported offshore since the 1950s, are some of the poorest in Africa.

UNEP says life expectancy in Ogoniland is 45 years. People here rely on contaminated water sources and land to produce food. Fish and cassava absorb oil from the oil-laced water and soil. There are also respiratory diseases linked to gas flaring that heavily pollute the air locally. Other than the unrewarding menial jobs, the return on such investments for communities has been intimidation, poverty and abuse of several rights. The same is likely to be the case in Uganda and Tanzania, where a 1,443-km East African Crude Oil Pipeline’s construction beckons.

Meanwhile, in the last two years alone, Africa has experienced destructive climate events, Cyclone Freddy killed 300 people, displaced over 200,000 and destroyed property in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Cyclones were unheard of in Africa a few years ago. In June, Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan were flooded and hundreds of thousands were displaced, farmlands and property destroyed, leading to food insecurity and waterborne diseases.

In the Horn of Africa, the effects of the worst drought in 40 years that messed up over 20 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya linger. All these confirm the IPCC projections of extreme weather events unless global carbon emissions drastically reduce. The IPCC’s 2023 Sixth Assessment Report says even if global temperatures rise by just 1.5°C, Africa’s food security and poverty will worsen.

Africa needs substantial climate finance and technical support to transition to climate-resilient development. The International Day of Climate Action 2024 provided a rallying call for climate justice, which can be achieved by ending fossil fuel dependency since the continent has options. Kenya has, for instance, done it, with over 90 per cent of its electricity sourced from renewable sources such as geothermal and wind energy. Just transition must remain. Countries such as South Africa, with a long reliance on coal, need support for just transition.

The COP29 talks are crucial for shaping the future of Africa’s energy sector. With major fossil fuel projects underway locally, African leaders must weigh the short-term economic benefits of extraction against the long-term climate change risks. At the same time, Africa must smartly reduce its investment in fossil fuel infrastructure to avoid losses in the long run occasioned by stranded assets.

Finally, since these demands are not just about survival; but justice, Africa must not relent on its push for compensation for loss and damage caused by climate change.

The writer advocates for climate justice. [e-mail]