Nearly 600 million people across the African continent still lack access to electricity. Close to one billion rely on traditional biofuels for cooking. Africa is also very vulnerable to climate change, even though it has contributed less than 5% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions over the past 170 years. Speeding up the move to renewable energy is a key topic on the agenda of the Second Africa Climate Summit in Ethiopia in September. Regional development and climate change specialist Abay Yimere sets out what’s likely to be discussed.
Why does Africa need its own summit on climate change?
African countries have made binding commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. To do this, they will need to shift to renewable energy and stop mining and using fossil fuels like oil and coal. However, many African countries continue to rely on coal, oil and gas, with solar energy accounting for just 3% of electricity generation. Renewable energy currently supplies just 24.1% of Africa’s electricity, 76% of which comes from hydropower, a source increasingly affected by climate change.
