Heathrow Airport in the UK currently uses more energy than the entire west African country of Sierra Leone. Despite Africa accounting for less than 4% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, many of its countries face significant threats from climate change, including increased droughts, floods, heat waves and potential crop failures.
Climate change costs the continent US$5 billion to US$7 billion yearly, a figure projected to reach US$50 billion by 2030. Estimates suggest its impact could push 50 million Africans below the poverty line, while 100 million are at risk of being displaced. At the same time around 600 million people in Africa still lack access to energy, fundamental for economic development.
Tackling the twin imperatives of sustainable development – meeting the needs of the present without a negative impact on the future – and economic growth in Africa is paramount. It was a central theme at the first Africa Climate Summit, held in Nairobi last September. However, these challenges are typically seen as being diametrically opposed. Often, they are discussed in isolation. This conversation needs to change. We must acknowledge that sustainable development and economic growth are interdependent – one cannot occur without the other.
