COP27: "Africa is already greener than anyone else", says Mo Ibrahim
Billionaire Mo Ibrahim spoke in Brussels on the challenges of COP27.
(illustrative image) ASSOCIATED PRESS - ALASTAIR GRANT
Text by: Sabine Cessou Follow
5 mins
The Sudanese billionaire Mo Ibrahim, whose foundation is a member of the Africa-Europe Foundation, spoke on October 27 in Brussels during a limited press briefing on the challenges of COP27, seen from Africa.
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Mo Ibrahim will be among the African personalities who will travel to COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, without expecting great progress.
He does not hide his concern about
the lack of discussions and agreements
that is looming.
“
The war in Ukraine and the international shocks associated with it have diverted the attention of some leaders from the climate issue.
The competition between powers complicates the necessary cooperation, with a long-term vision
”.
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation launched in March 2020, with the Friends of Europe, a new structure called the
Africa-Europe Foundation
, in partnership with the African Climate Foundation and ONE.
Its role is to organize partnerships to “
transform into opportunities
” the relations between the two continents.
As usual, Mo Ibrahim does not mince his words.
He is hardly surprised by the trends highlighted by the latest report by the Australian think tank Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) on
“Ecological threats”
.
This document notes a drop of -1.5% in the interest of public opinion in the world on the climate (48%) between 2019 and 2021, with sharp drops in Namibia and Zambia.
To which Mo Ibrahim objects that “
600 million people, or half of the population, do not have access to electricity in Africa.
Why should these people care about the climate?
They emit nothing at all, since they have no current!
".
22 African countries depend on renewable energy
The big boss regrets that "
Africa has no voice
" in international discussions, while paying a very high price for climate change, caused by other regions of the world.
In a
high-level panel
organized in January on energy and climate, the Africa-Europe Foundation saw experts and decision-makers recognize, on both sides, a deep state of inequality "
which is worsening and which 'we must watch,
believes Mo Ibrahim
, because it creates resentment
'.
Africa, 17% of the global population, only accounts for 3.4% of energy consumption in the world.
Europe, 5.8% of the world's population, consumes 10.4% of the energy.
In Africa, only four countries provide universal access to electricity: Egypt, Tunisia, Seychelles and Mauritius.
Moreover, the energy mix of many countries is much better than that of European countries, underlines Mo Ibrahim, whose Foundation strives to establish facts and break down prejudices.
“
Do you know that 22 African countries depend mainly on renewable energies,
continues Mo Ibrahim.
The continent emits 3% of annual global emissions, while the Congo Basin alone absorbs 4%.
In fact, the African record is negative in emissions.
Nobody has to teach us about adaptation, because we are already greener than anyone
”.
Gas at the heart of the debates
Around 40 countries and development institutions, including France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, announced at COP26 in Glasgow that they would no longer support investment projects in fossil fuels abroad by the end of 2022. Since then, the war in Ukraine has reshuffled the cards.
Africa, now courted for its gas, is in a strong position to discuss its needs at COP27.
The objective, supported by the African Union (AU): that natural gas be considered as a transition energy, in the same way as in Europe.
"
It is very hypocritical of Europeans to say that gas is good for their transition, but not for Africans.
It's crazy !
Gas is used in Europe for air conditioning, swimming pools, and not for questions of survival
”.
If all of sub-Saharan Africa, excluding South Africa, turned to gas to allow universal access to electricity, emissions would only increase by 1.6%, according to the Africa-Europe Foundation.
"
Let's be honest, Europe needs Africa more than the opposite,
" says Mo Ibrahim.
In addition, all the minerals needed for green technologies are found in Africa.
We must not take the continent for granted and give it instructions, because it has many partners
”.
Ensuring universal access to electricity, the priority
The priority in terms of climate for Africa is to consider the transition with a clear vision and to allow access to electricity for all.
“
The 10 most climate-vulnerable countries are all African.
How will we build their resilience?
The 100 billion dollars a year, which were not donations, but loans, which was in question from 2020 during the Paris agreement for the countries of the North to help the countries of the South to face the climate change, have not materialized
”.
The solution lies in the free play of the market, in his view.
“
Without a global carbon price, we won't get anywhere.
Why not leave it to the market and treat carbon as a common good that has to be paid for?
Unfortunately, most of our countries are run by politicians who only think about the next elections, and there is a big difference between them and heads of state.
We have probably destroyed the future of our children and grandchildren
”.
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