{"id":14465,"date":"2024-08-19T16:49:28","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T16:49:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/?p=14465"},"modified":"2024-08-19T16:49:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T16:49:28","slug":"deliver-energy-before-the-just-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/deliver-energy-before-the-just-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Deliver Energy Before The \u2018Just Transition\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>By Lam\u00e9 Verre,&nbsp;Fellow of the Energy Institute | Member of the Global Future Council on Energy Transition at The World Economic Forum&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Introduction&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Africa, with a young demographic, a plethora of socioeconomic development requirements and energy poverty, amongst other pressing issues, meeting the population&#8217;s minimum energy requirements is crucial and existential. These critical issues must be reconciled when mapping Africa\u2019s development path and addressed before the drive to achieve Net Zero emissions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With geopolitical tensions rising and growing pressures to eliminate hydrocarbons from the energy mix, the continent\u2019s primary concern should be securing energy availability and affordability for its people. Currently, it is estimated that 600 million Africans lack access to electricity, creating significant barriers to health care, education, productivity, digital inclusivity, and, ultimately, job creation.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Therefore, the continent must focus on securing energy access from every source despite geopolitical tensions and increasing pressure to eliminate hydrocarbons. This natural resource is currently abundant but largely underdeveloped, a situation that applies to every country on the continent.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Balancing Decarbonisation and Energy Security&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While decarbonisation is a critical global urgency, it should not be pursued at the expense of energy security, national security or economic stability. This is especially true for Africa, which, despite housing one-fifth of the world\u2019s population, is responsible for less than 3% of global carbon emissions. The continent also grapples with extreme energy poverty, with the International Energy Agency (IEA) reporting that 43% of its population lacks access to electricity despite significant untapped hydrocarbon resources. Balancing these two priorities and the need for molecules and electrons with the growth of the continent and its young population is a complex but necessary task.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared with the ageing demographic of developed regions, Africa&#8217;s youthful population is poised to drive a significant increase in energy demand in the coming years. This growth is not just necessary but also a source of hope, as it will accommodate the aspirations of its young populace. Therefore, it is unjust to expect Africa to forego developing its natural energy resources to mitigate environmental damage caused by 250 years of industrialisation by the Global North. This expectation leaves a whole generation behind and underscores the need for global equity in addressing climate change.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ensuring a Just Transition&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A truly equitable energy transition is not just a necessity but a moral imperative that meets the needs of all countries, necessitating extensive collaboration. It is crucial to strike a balance between traditional and renewable energy sources while considering the growth of Africa\u2019s youthful population. While the continent recognises the necessity of decarbonisation, it also recognises that this cannot be achieved at the expense of its population\u2019s development.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Africa&#8217;s unique energy needs must allow it to set its own energy transition pace. The first step is access to primary energy, clean cooking, and clean water &#8211; a just transition is both an obligation and a fundamental human right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 7, ensuring affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all is crucial. It is estimated that urban homes should have 100kWh of energy for basic access, which is insufficient to operate a refrigerator. Hence, there are calls to set the modern energy minimum closer to 1,000kWh.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Discussing a just transition for those lacking basic energy access is futile. To reach that starting point, energy demand must rise. However, the current surge in global energy demand driven by Big Tech\u2019s AI integration highlights the injustice of insisting that Africa leave its hydrocarbons in the ground for Net Zero despite having no energy access.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Minimum energy requirements for human development must also come from affordable, reliable, and lower-carbon power. While the move to renewables is noble and necessary, another vital energy transition is the move from no energy to \u201csome energy.\u201d The developing world asks that everyone have access to the same amount of energy required to power a refrigerator, which is not too much to ask.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Collaborative Efforts for a Just Transition&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In conclusion, achieving a just transition while ensuring energy security and affordability for all necessitates historic levels of collaboration and partnerships. Traditional energy companies must work with emerging clean-energy firms, and the Global North must align its energy transition demands with the Global South&#8217;s primary energy needs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A truly just transition requires countries at different development stages to collaborate on understanding and addressing each other\u2019s needs. International events such as the forthcoming Africa Oil Week (AOW) in Cape Town in October provide a platform for these critical dialogues so all stakeholders can navigate the path to net zero while ensuring energy security and affordability for all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lam\u00e9 Verre,&nbsp;Fellow of the Energy Institute | Member of the Global Future Council on Energy Transition at The World Economic Forum&nbsp;&nbsp; Introduction&nbsp; In Africa, with a young demographic, a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/deliver-energy-before-the-just-transition\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7442,11],"tags":[63,3312,9358,730,2954,7991,11639,11638],"class_list":["post-14465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-countries","category-top-news","tag-africa","tag-africa-oil-week","tag-decarbonisation","tag-electricity","tag-energy-security","tag-energy-transition","tag-global-future-council-on-energy-transition","tag-lame-verre","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Kom-Ombo-solar-park.jpg?fit=800%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5JWkQ-3Lj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11610,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/energy-transition-central-to-africas-economic-future-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":0},"title":"Energy Transition Central to Africa&#8217;s Economic Future &#8211; Report","author":"","date":"January 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"An integrated policy framework built around the energy transition could bring a wave of new sustainable energy investment to Africa, growing the region's economy by 6.4 per cent by 2050, results of an analysis published today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in collaboration with the African Development Bank\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/EGYPT-WIND-FARM-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10290,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/afentra-offers-new-opportunities-for-the-energy-transition-in-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":1},"title":"Afentra Offers New Opportunities for the Energy Transition in Africa","author":"","date":"May 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Afentra plc, the upstream operator focused on opportunities in Africa, has been launched with a clear mandate to look at opportunities to invest in the energy transition in Africa. Spearheaded by CEO Paul McDade, the foundations have been laid with the development of a comprehensive corporate strategy and appointment of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Paul-McDade-2.jpg?fit=699%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Paul-McDade-2.jpg?fit=699%2C466&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Paul-McDade-2.jpg?fit=699%2C466&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11390,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/africa-to-continue-exploiting-hydrocarbon-resources-while-exploring-the-use-of-renewable-energies-appo\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":2},"title":"Africa to Continue Exploiting Hydrocarbon Resources While Exploring the Use of Renewable Energies &#8211; APPO","author":"","date":"December 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The Council of Ministers of the African Petroleum Producers\u2019 Organization (APPO) just ended its 41st\u00a0Ministerial Session with a resolve to continue the exploitation of its Member Countries\u2019 huge oil and gas resources for the economic emancipation of its people while also exploring the use of renewable energies. The Session which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Sudan-Oil.jpg?fit=768%2C469&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9893,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/energy-chambers-energy-transition-committee-advocates-for-a-unique-energy-mix-for-african-countries\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":3},"title":"Energy Chamber\u2019s Energy Transition Committee Advocates for a Unique Energy Mix for African Countries","author":"","date":"February 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The African Energy Chamber\u2019s\u00a0Energy Transition Committee held its first meeting of the year, to discuss the pressing issues surrounding the global trend towards energy transition, from the viewpoint of African countries. The energy transition phenomenon has gained significant traction as a direct result of the coronavirus shutting down economies and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Energy-Transition-Call.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Energy-Transition-Call.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Energy-Transition-Call.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Energy-Transition-Call.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Energy-Transition-Call.png?fit=1200%2C514&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8695,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/africa-oil-week-releases-opportunities-for-africa-in-the-energy-transition-report\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":4},"title":"Africa Oil Week releases \u201cOpportunities for Africa in the Energy Transition\u201d report","author":"","date":"July 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Africa Oil Week\u00a0has launched of first in a series of complimentary reports, produced in association with Wood Mackenzie. The report \u201cOpportunities for Africa in the Energy Transition\u201d, will be accompanied by a free-to-attend webinar taking place this Wednesday (29 July, 15:00 GMT+1). Posing the question \u201cWhat does the energy transition\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AOW-Report.jpg?fit=794%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AOW-Report.jpg?fit=794%2C395&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AOW-Report.jpg?fit=794%2C395&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/AOW-Report.jpg?fit=794%2C395&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9527,"url":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/irena-and-african-development-bank-partner-to-scale-up-renewable-energy-investments-in-africa\/","url_meta":{"origin":14465,"position":5},"title":"IRENA and African Development Bank partner to scale up renewable energy investments in Africa","author":"","date":"December 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the\u00a0African Development Bank\u00a0have agreed to jointly support investment in low carbon energy projects, a move expected to advance Africa\u2019s energy transition. The two entities signed a Declaration of Intent to coordinate on a range of activities, including co-organizing renewable energy investment forums as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Countries&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Countries","link":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/category\/countries\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/wind-1-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C884&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14465"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14466,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14465\/revisions\/14466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oilnewskenya.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}