Making a world of difference in energy security
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- Created: Wednesday, 11 September 2024 10:36
By Edith Kikonyogo, Local Division Manager, Southern Africa Cluster, ABB Process Automation, Energy Industries
Since the dawn of time, humans have used energy sources to keep us warm and safe. But, in the face of rapid industrialization and technological advancements, modern society has relied and become dependent on fossil fuels for power generation.
The scientific community has warned us that unmitigated carbon emissions will exacerbate global warming and threaten our health, agriculture, water supply, biodiversity, and natural ecosystems. The Paris Agreement, adopted at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) on 12 December 2015, became our roadmap for climate redemption.
The effect of this crisis is felt most in Africa, the second largest continent on our planet and home to more than a billion people. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa accounts for around 20 percent of the world’s population but attracts less than three percent of spending on energy. Africa also has the lowest emissions per capita of any region as per the IEA’s 2022 report. With severe climate change impacts and lower investment on energy, Africa faces a rising demand for an uninterrupted electricity supply.