Gracelin Baskaran and Qull Robinson of CSIS write about the importance of natural gas to Africa.
- Africa is home to over 600 million people who do not have access to reliable energy, a figure that must change to reduce emissions and global poverty.
- Access to reliable, affordable energy is one of the fastest ways to increase prosperity which in turn reduces climate risk and emissions.
- Natural gas will have a critical role to play in accomplishing these goals as it is easy to transport and has a lower greenhouse gas profile than coal.
- Developed nations must recognize this and refrain from implementing restrictive energy policies to Africa.
“Natural gas is central in delivering both energy justice and climate progress in African countries. Without it, there is a risk that the disparity in energy consumption will continue to grow. On a per capita basis, when excluding South Africa, consumption of energy in Sub-Saharan Africa is just 180 kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to the United States’ 13,000 kWh and Europe’s 6,500 kWh. Expanding the supply of energy by leveraging natural gas ensures that demand that decarbonization does not come at the expense of inclusive economic development.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
