Back to the roots in greening Africa

The old business model that seems to be connected to the circular bioeconomy is that nothing is wasted. Everything is used and reused, with Nature as the powerhouse.

To effectively address the impact of climate change do the following: eat less meat, turn off the light if you do not need it, re-use old goods, adopt eco-friendly products, spend more time outside. And the list goes on.

These are some of the basics that we used to apply while growing up in rural Kenya and they were considered primitive.

We, therefore, introduced “modern products” such as coolers in place of biodegradable clay pots for chilled water, waste products went into dumpsites, we converted forests into pastureland for livestock farming and invested in carbon-emitting conveniences. And slowly we are contributing to global warming.

Already, we are experiencing the ill effects of environmental deterioration on many fronts, including the impact of climate variability. With climate change affecting us at our doorsteps, Africa can either decide to blame the developed world for the mess we are in or set a strategic framework for the green economy.

For Africa to realise green economic transformation, it should pursue inclusive policies, invest in sustainable infrastructure projects, better manage natural resources, build resilience to natural disasters, and enhance food security.

In mitigating climate change, we need to revisit the past and pursue green solutions for a safer world in the days to come. Currently, over 600 million Africans are without electricity. This means that there is no legacy on energy issues.

Moving forward the continent should therefore exploit her abundant green sources of energy such as solar, geothermal, hydro and wind. In other words, our solutions must be seen from our context that is different from other parties at the ongoing 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, UK.

An article by McKinsey & Company details how the global climate agenda creates opportunities for Africa to build resilience, catalyse sustainable growth, and contribute to the net-zero transition.

It estimates that, in the next 30 years, more than 900 million Africans could be exposed to one or more climate threats as the planet warms.

At the same time, changing global consumption patterns as the world advances toward a low-carbon future—including a global drop in oil demand—could further destabilise Africa’s economy.

The McKinsey article acknowledges that the continent’s development trajectory is significant for the rest of the world.

Noting that while African per capita emissions are still less than half of those of OECD countries, the continent nevertheless accounts for around 10 percent of global yearly greenhouse gas emissions when land-use emissions and all greenhouse gases are taken into consideration.

If no action is taken, Africa's contribution of emissions would likely increase over the next 30 years due to high population and economic expansion.

African states should start preparing ways to address these environmental threats. However, it is worth noting that many of the countries are already aware that living in a net-zero society offers opportunities.

The continent therefore can drive economic growth and make a big contribution to the global net-zero transition if it can responsibly and effectively use its vast renewable energy generation potential and rich natural capital endowments.

This can make African countries profit from the global decarbonisation agenda by winning international support for low-carbon development paths that will deliver a safer, healthier, and wealthier future for their people.

Because the continent has yet to develop greenhouse gas (GHG) generating industries, Africa has the best chance of succeeding in green manufacturing that can help in creating jobs. This is an opportunity for Africa to forego high-emitting manufacturing technology in favor of the low-carbon manufacturing industry from the ground up.