Victor Ogunje in Ado-Ekiti
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof. Damilola Olawuyi (SAN), has called on the Federal Government to scale up responsible energy investments needed to defeat rising energy poverty levels and energy injustice across the world.
Olawuyi, also Global Vice Chair of the International Law Association, pointed out that emphasis on decarbonisation, without commensurate flow of investments, funding and technologies to Africa might result in unjust transitions, massive economic crises.
He canvassed the position in the text of the Inaugural J. B and Maurice C. Shapiro Distinguished Lecture on Global Climate Change and Energy Law he delivered recently at the George Washington University Law School in Washington DC, United States.
The lecture was titled, “The Search for Climate and Energy Justice in the Global South: Shifting from Global Aspirations to Local Realisation.”
The lecture series featured globally recognised experts and leaders invited to address pressing issues in climate change and energy law, and to inform and inspire the legal and global community in the United States and beyond.
Delivering his lecture, Olawuyi analysed how efforts to address development concerns, such as delivering clean, affordable, low carbon energy to address climate change, might complicate energy poverty and injustice, in vulnerable and low-income communities, especially in Africa, if appropriate safeguards are not put in place.
He also lamented how continued emphasis on decarbonisation, without commensurate flow of investments, funding and technologies to Africa that is required to scale up renewable and low carbon energy programs, might result in unjust transitions, massive economic crises.
The law scholar also argued that emphasis on decarbonisation could weaken the ability of countries in the Global South to accelerate progress on all aspects of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
He said: “In 2022, more than 1 billion people (13 percent of the world’s total population) still lack access to electricity, with about 600 million of those in Africa.
“Even in communities with energy access, reliability and affordability remain key issues.
“Environmentally preferable transition fuels, such as natural gas, have key roles to play in addressing the current energy poverty emergency facing our current world.
“There is therefore an urgent need for business enterprises, governments, and all key stakeholders to scale up energy and climate-smart infrastructure investments needed to defeat rising energy poverty levels and enhance a just, inclusive, and rights-based energy transition that leaves no one behind.”
He called for coherent laws, policies, and capacity development programs to ensure sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes in energy transition actions and projects, so that efforts to achieve low carbon transition do not result in social exclusions and human rights violations, as underscored by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
After the delivery of the lecture, the Dean of the George Washington Law School, Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew commended and thanked Olawuyi for his ongoing leadership and commitment to climate and energy justice across the world, and for accepting the law school’s invitation to serve as the very first speaker in the series.
This year’s lecture was attended by lawyers in government, business, and academia, as well as non-lawyers in financial, engineering, science, and sustainability spheres.
