Améliorer l’accès aux énergies renouvelables : un dividende pour une transition équitable vers des économies à faibles émissions de carbone

South Africa is facing an unprecedented unemployment crisis where it’s estimated that almost 60% of the country’s youth are unemployed. This high level of unemployment is a ticking time bomb as it is unsustainable and will deepen the high levels of inequality which are already very prevalent. The need to create more decent jobs is not only a necessity, but also extremely urgent. The transition to a low carbon economy holds enormous opportunity if it’s well harnessed to create decent jobs. Even though the anticipated job losses in the coal sector could be a major drawback in the short term, opportunities for job creation could be created in other related green sectors. However, this would require the prioritization of reskilling interventions and accelerated investments in the local economy in order to diversify.

Africa’s transition to clean energy is prone to global geopolitics. The current global energy resulting from the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has led to a general increase in prices of food and other related commodities around the world. This is happening at a time when many countries are gradually recovering from the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Looking at the discourse of the just transition across the world, Africa’s position and understanding need to be put within the contextual realities of the continent. Millions of people in Africa are hungry, energy impoverished, and depend on unclean energy. Additionally, over 80% of the population is in the informal sector, and they operate from the bottom of the pyramid. Given this, the discussion about the just transition in Africa needs to be centred on the socioeconomics of the continent. Africa is vulnerable to climate change because it has a very low socio-economic base. It is the least climate-resilient region and lacks the capacity and climate finance for adaptation and/ or mitigation. A just transition in Africa should ensure more access to resources. It should be about equity, putting food on the table, and more money in more pockets. Additionally, the discussions should shift to how Africa can leverage its abundance to cushion the livelihoods against shocks; because emergencies and calamities will continue. There is a need to climate-proof Africa so that the continent can be socio-economically viable and lift its people from the bottom of the pyramid.