By Oforiwa Darko
Countries have debated how to combat climate change since the early 1990s. These negotiations have produced several important accords, including the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. Governments generally agree on the science behind climate change but have diverged, and now discussions are being held on who is most responsible, how to track emissions reduction goals, and the urgency of compensating harder-hit countries.
Ghana’s Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, is therefore urging developed countries to support developing countries in meeting their net-zero targets. This, according to the Minister can be done by these countries by redeeming funding pledges they made to support developing countries towards the reduction of GHG emissions.
The Minister made this call when he addressed a high-level SDG Summit Action on the theme “From Billions to Trillions -Scaling-Up Energy Compacts to Deliver n SDG7” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA.
New World Resources Institute’s research reveals that most developed countries are not contributing their fair share toward meeting the $100 billion goal. Three major economies provided less than half their share of the financial effort, based on objective indicators such as the size of their economies and their greenhouse gas emissions. In total, more than a dozen developed countries were falling short of their responsibilities.
According to Dr. Prempeh, developing countries face the challenge of achieving the SD7 target of providing clean and affordable energy by 2030 due to the intense financial commitment required. Most developing countries, he said, heavily rely on wood fuel to meet their energy needs and therefore argued that, in the face of the global Energy Transition, this type of fuel, if not controlled, will erode the little gains made these few years in the quest to combat climate change.
He further noted that energy is the heartbeat of every economy, and it is important that Africa has enough of it to support its socio-economic development in order to enhance the welfare of the citizenry. “Our right to develop our energy resources for the benefit of our people must therefore be respected and with no interference,” he said.
“We recognise that the electricity, cooking, and transportation sectors are key areas in reducing greenhouse (GHG) gas emissions. Consequently, steps must be taken to transition these sectors towards a net-zero emissions future,” he added
“To attain this, we must transition to the production and utilization of clean energy and the implementation of measures to mitigate any emissions that occur in the process. This will ensure that we contribute our quota to the reduction of global GHG emissions, and more importantly, achieve decarbonization, energy access, security, and efficiency.”
Ghana’s Ministry of Energy, the Minister said, is also aggressively promoting clean cooking, with focus on achieving 50% access to the use of LPG as fuel and delivering 3 million improved efficient charcoal stoves by 2030. “We have rolled out a number of programs, notably the LPG for Development, Cylinder Recirculation Model, and Carbon-for-Free Stoves program for the biomass sector,” he remarked.
He reiterated Ghana’s commitment to partner investors to explore new energy frontiers in order to support sustainable, environmentally sound, and gender-responsive economic growth.
Globally, the Energy Transition Index (ETI), shows that the average score has increased each consecutive year over the last decade, but the growth has changed in the past three years, due to rising challenges to the equity and inclusiveness of the transition.
Energy market volatilities resulting from macroeconomic and geopolitical developments have led to extreme price shocks, exacerbating energy poverty and stalling energy access. High fuel prices have affected the cost-competitiveness of energy intensive industries, and the rising subsidy burden poses a risk to economic growth.
