The African Climate Paradox
“On the one hand, the West is concerned that African nations will be disproportionately impacted by climate change. Yet on the other, the West is hindering Africans’ ability to access their own energy resources in the name of environmental justice.”
In this paper, Magatte Wade lays out the need to acknowledge the trade-offs involved in Western climate policy towards Africa, and to reprioritise African prosperity, sovereignty, and flourishing.
Summary of Research Paper
What would life be like with no energy?
We take energy for granted in our daily lifestyles. This comes as no surprise to Western societies—energy is vital to economic prosperity and human development.
Yet the West has created an African Climate Paradox: claiming it wants to “shield” African nations from the dangers of climate change, whilst restricting the access of African nations to their own resources, which are vital to lifting their populations out of poverty.
For nations such as Chad, which only has enough electricity for every citizen to boil a kettle once a week, cutting emissions makes little sense as a target. Providing citizens with access to energy to transform their economic opportunities and living conditions is a far greater priority. As this paper shows, the agenda claiming to “save Africa” from the dangers of climate change does not recognise the more pressing need for the continent to use its rich resources to reduce poverty in the immediate term.
And in some cases, the drive to cut or limit African emissions is entrenching poverty. Whether by shrinking electrification projects tenfold, blocking investment into African nations or their exports of crucial revenue generating resources, or actively halting domestic use of resources within their own energy grids, Western interference is perpetuating African poverty.
And Western overreach limiting fossil fuels does not result in Africa to using renewables. Rather, it pushes African nations to Chinese money, and the plethora of issues that entails. Right now, China funds 30% of new power plants being constructed in Africa.
Rather than dictating African policy and sacrificing African prosperity, the West needs to respect African sovereignty, and prioritise the flourishing of African people. The most crucial keys to Africa making the most of its energy resources are developing strong governance structures, and space for entrepreneurship. Stability will enable Africa to harness its incredible energy potential and develop solutions for whole societies.
Hence, the priorities of investors, policymakers, businesses, and the third sector need to shift. African citizens should be free to make the best use of their resources to lift their countries out of poverty. These objectives can be met while stewarding the environment responsibly.
