For Sub-Saharan Africa, 2015 is a turning
point. The summits on sustainable development, financing and climate
change are swinging the spotlight not only onto Africa’s needs to
accelerate development and adapt to global warming, but also onto the
region’s urgent energy crisis. Two in three Africans lack access to
electricity.
But this crisis is also a moment of great
opportunity, as we demonstrate in the Africa Progress Report 2015, Power
People Planet: Seizing Africa’s Energy and Climate Opportunities.
Demand for modern energy is set to surge, fuelled by economic growth,
demographic change and urbanisation. As the costs of low-carbon energy
fall, Africa could leapfrog into a new era of power generation. Utility
reform, new technologies and new business models could be as
transformative in energy as the mobile phone has been in
telecommunications.
Renewable energy is at the forefront of the
changes sweeping Africa, which is registering some of the most
remarkable advances in solar, geothermal and wind power. With world
leaders due to meet in Paris in December to settle on a new global
climate change deal, Africa has a chance to show the way to a low-carbon
future – while putting in place the policies needed to reduce its
vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
A “triple win” is
within the region’s grasp, as renewable technologies create
opportunities to increase agricultural productivity, improve resilience
to climate change, and contribute to long-term reductions in dangerous
carbon emissions.
The Africa Progress Report 2015 explains the
bold steps that leaders globally and in Africa must take to achieve this
vision. Above all, the report shows that the global climate moment is
also Africa’s moment – Africa’s moment to lead the world.
Access the full report @ http://app-cdn.acwupload.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/APP_REPORT_2015_FINAL_low1.pdf
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