Power People Planet: Seizing Africa's energy and climate opportunities

Africa Progress Panel

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Abstract: It always seems impossible until it?s done,? Nelson Mandela once said. He was reflecting on the struggle to overturn apartheid, but his words have a powerful resonance in 2015. This year global leaders will settle on a new set of sustainable development goals, hold a summit on financing for those goals and frame an agreement on climate change. The challenges are immense. To eradicate poverty, create jobs and sustain growth while limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we must fundamentally realign the energy systems that drive our economies with the ecological systems that define our planetary boundaries. The consequences if we fail are beyond estimation. Yet alongside the risks this is a moment of great opportunity for Africa and the world. Low-carbon energy systems are at the heart of the opportunity. Climate change raises immensely complex financial, technological and political problems, all of which point towards a single solution. Over the next few decades, governments have to break the link between economic growth and greenhouse gas emissions. Making the transition to a low-carbon future is an imperative for the well-being of future generations. It is also an opportunity to develop green energy strategies that can underpin growth, job creation and shared prosperity.