Emmanuel Addeh
Secretary General of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has said that any discussions around the energy transition must take cognisance of the over 2.6 billion people worldwide without access to clean cooking fuel.
While insisting that climate change and energy poverty were two sides of the same coin, Barkindo stated that all the focus currently seems to be on one side.
Speaking at the 20th Coordination Meeting on Climate Change, the secretary general stressed that the world cannot solve one of the problems, which is high carbon emissions, and ignore the other, which is access to reliable energy.
He argued that no country can reach the objectives of the Paris Agreement without achieving access to reliable, affordable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.
“The world must be reminded of the stark fact that 2.6 billion people have no access to clean cooking fuel, 930 million of which are in my home area — sub-Saharan Africa.
“Additionally, 759 million in the world do not have access to electricity, 570 million of which are also in sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, almost 3.8 million people die prematurely worldwide per year due to indoor pollution from using solid biomass,” he said According to the OPEC helmsman, while the gap in financial support promised and that received is substantial, there needs to be more ambition on predictable finance, while developing nations must finally realise the promised $100 billion a year for climate action.
He added that various other funding sources created in recent years — including the Global Environment Facility, Special Climate Change Fund, Least Developed Countries Fund, Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund — should be fully funded and disbursed in a timely and predictable manner in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.
Barkindo argued that it was of utmost urgency that this financing, and aid from a new finance goal, finds its way to the developing countries that need it the most.
He emphasised that the increasing pressure to address climate change is giving life to a lot of new and interesting ideas, including ways and means for individuals to play a personal role in reducing greenhouse emissions.
Barkindo added: “For example, a new ‘premium’ black card not only tracks the CO2 emissions of personal purchases, but stops individuals from spending beyond their monthly, UN-determined CO2 limit.
“A different movement in the US, started in the city of Berkeley in 2019 and which has spread to dozens of other US major cities, seeks to ban gas stoves and water heaters in all new construction to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Gas appliances are meant to be replaced by electric ones. The electrification would, however, increase US electricity consumption by 40 per cent”.
Above all, he urged the world to remember that people in many developing countries are struggling just to survive, noting that their right to be able to turn on a light or have electricity in hospitals and schools, must be urgently prioritised.
“According to the NDC Synthesis Report, developed by the UNFCCC Secretariat, new or updated NDCs submitted by the end of July account for about 49 per cent of global GHG emissions and are likely to reduce emissions by 12 per cent in 2030 compared with 2010. If fully implemented, it means global emissions could peak before 2030, though cumulative emissions from 2020 to 2030 would likely use up 89 per cent of the remaining carbon budget.
“Currently, a total of 144 parties have submitted their new or updated NDCs, accounting for 55 per cent of global emissions — including OPEC Member Countries Angola, Congo, Iraq, Kuwait, Nigeria and UAE—and eight DoC participants. To date, about 70 countries have stated they will be seeking ‘carbon neutrality’ by mid-century. More parties are expected to submit their new or updated NDCs before COP26.
“It is important to recognise that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is an extremely challenging goal, even for advanced economies. It is highly optimistic to think that fossil fuel use can be quickly eliminated, ”he argued.
Barkindo stated that an energy transition that is not properly planned and smoothly executed could create instability in the energy markets, with a knock-on effect on geopolitics.
The OPEC chief, also speaking at another conference, the CERA Week India Energy Forum, referred to surging energy prices and said not tackling energy affordability, energy security and reducing emissions at once could lead to unintended consequences.
“We need a diversified energy mix, cleaner and more efficient technological solutions, and a stable, inclusive, just and equitable energy transition,” he said. “The oil and gas industry can and must play a key role,” he stated.
