By Yemi Olakitan
Greenpeace Africa has urged African leaders, governments, to take immediate actions to lessen the catastrophic effects of the climate change on Africans’ quality of life.
Dr. Oulie Keita, executive director of Greenpeace Africa warns against making Africa the frontier of a new race for oil, gas, and coal, led by former colonial powers.
He made the statement in a letter delivered to the summit’s secretariat, prior to the Africa Climate Summit.
While the worst drought in recorded history grips East Africa, wildfires and scorching temperatures are wreaking havoc in northern Africa, and flash floods are ravaging nations all over the continent.
According to scientists, greenhouse gas emissions that cover the Earth and trap solar heat are what are causing long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns. Without human actions like the exploitation and combustion of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, this issue would not have occurred.
“Communities across the continent are being destroyed by more severe and frequent floods and droughts as avaricious multinationals continue to vie for Africa’s coal, oil and gas. If we as a society do nothing, this human-caused climate problem will only worsen,” according to Dr. Oulie Keita, executive director of Greenpeace Africa.
As seen by the greatest drought on record that Kenya experienced a few months ago, extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and landslides are having a significant negative influence on farming and crop harvests.
This has negative consequences on food security and drives up food prices, which the population of Africa finds difficult to bear.
“Africa’s reliance on energy produced by burning fossil fuels is stealing our future and causing a climate catastrophe that is only getting worse. If we act now as a community, Africa has the capacity to build more sustainably and effectively than past generations did.
Dr. Keita said, “We have the ability and collective responsibility to reduce the effects of the climate issue.
“Our governments and leaders must have the guts to envisage an alternative future and map a new developmental course away from Western civilization’s destructive models; a course that puts the welfare of people and the environment above personal gain. Our leaders, civil society organisations, scientists, young activists, and other interested parties can express our viewpoints, needs, and solutions at this summit.”
Renewable energy has the ability to provide distributed energy access to everyone in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the World Bank estimates that 600 million people have little to no access to power.
Africa can lead the world in a just transition to 100% renewable, secure, and affordable energy that empowers communities and workers rather than promoting the continuous extraction of finite fossil resources.
The use of renewable energy has advanced rapidly in recent years, making it the most affordable source of energy and creating a wave of new jobs.
“Greenpeace Africa urges African leaders to steer the continent away from the fossil fuel trap and towards a clean, renewable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy future. The very high potential for decentralised renewable energy on the continent requires regulations that encourage investment,” Dr. Keita said.