Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from Africa have issued five demands on renewable energy targets for the continent.
The five-point demands were issued on Monday to negotiators in the ongoing COP28 summit through Ephraim Shitima, the Chair of the Africa Group of Negotiators.
The movements argue that the climate crisis is both a development and energy issue in Africa and that establishing a decision on energy access within the just transition work stream is not an option.
“The CSOs emphasise that support for Africa to transition to renewable energy must be centred in the decision of the just transition if this is to guarantee justice for Africans,” part of the statement reads.
One of the priorities for Africa at COP28 was to secure deals that would triple investments in renewable energy on the continent after the Africa Climate Summit failed to deliver ambitious outcomes on renewable energy.
At the summit, renewable energy investments received largely lukewarm attention as the event hosted by Kenya rallied leaders behind the so-called green investments, namely carbon markets, as the solution to emissions that have been caused by fossil fuels.
In the statement, the CSOs are demanding strict adherence to human rights and protection of workers, communities and ecosystems.
They are also calling for fair and transparent processes that provide opportunities for African countries to be at the centre of energy development decision-making on energy development.
“Accountability, transparency and involvement of stakeholders in all processes must be prioritized,” it states.
Immediate phase-out of the fossil fuel era in all sectors, especially in developing countries that have benefitted from historical emissions was another demand.
They are further appealing for the scale-up of renewable energy to more than 15,000 GW in 2030 or an average of 1500 GW annually to keep the 1.5°C temperature target within reach.
According to the movement, increased political support for and shift in global policy and investment in renewable is critical in a quest to attain renewable energy targets.
To the civil society, Africa needs a rapid roll-out of people-centered, environmentally and socially appropriate renewable energy on the continent as the solution to the climate crisis, energy poverty and an enabler to Africa’s development.
For years now, the African civil society movement has been calling for an immediate stop to misaligned climate support to the continent.
Instead, they have been demanding the provision of genuine support from historical polluters to limit global temperature rise and to make it possible for the world to avert a catastrophic future.
