Transition to Green Energy Likely to Cause Africa “social, ecological devastation”

The JENA official adds that while Africa’s natural resources should be the source of shared prosperity and wealth, “colonial models of resource extraction endure, resulting in human rights abuses, ecological degradation, and poor governance in many resource-rich countries.”

Scaling up the colonial models of extracting the minerals “would be a disastrous way to meet rising materials demand in a decarbonizing economy,” the Jesuit Scholastic further says, and adds that the environmental effects of mining are significant. 

He highlights the case of Kolwezi in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he says mining activities have polluted the soil and water that crops can no longer grow.

In addition to the direct impacts poorly managed mining operations have on local ecosystems and livelihoods, Galligan says mining “can also have much more widespread effects by causing unplanned migration and urbanization and through conflicts with logging, hydrocarbon, and conservation allotments.”

JENA’s research and policy analyst for food and climate justice adds that the worst scenario would be for the world’s wealthy nations, which are responsible for high carbon emissions, to transition to green energy while the damage to Africa’s ecosystems and her people continues. 

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The Jesuit researcher further says that damage to communities and the ecosystem must be avoided “by documenting the social and environmental destruction caused by mineral supply chains (and) holding countries and corporations accountable for their violations of international ethical norms.”

He further underscores the need to advocate for “a just transition to green energy that achieves the goals of the Paris Agreement while supporting sustainable development, climate resilience, and shared prosperity in the Global South.”

Magdalene Kahiu is a Kenyan journalist with passion in Church communication. She holds a Degree in Social Communications from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA). Currently, she works as a journalist for ACI Africa.