Transcript Slide 1

Energy, Poverty and
Sustainable Development:
When do we draw the line between
Deforestation and Development in
Africa?
A paper presented on the 4th
NAEE/IAEE International conference
28th-29th April 2011
Monica Chidia Maduekwe
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Outline
1
Introduction
2
Present Energy Situation in Africa
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Energy and Development
4
Energy, Poverty and Sustainable Development
5
Conclusion
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Question
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Introduction
 There is a growing awareness and concern about the effects of climate
change
 Increasingly, we are witnessing longer droughts, increased temperature,
melting of the ice caps, and greater incidence of floods in parts of the world
 Africa given its unique economic conditions is particularly vulnerable to the
effects of climate change
 Currently, parts of the continent are experiencing droughts, floods and other
environmental issues resulting from climate change
 Unfortunately some practices in the continent such as deforestation are
exacerbating the occurrence of climate variability
 Deforestation is a particularly difficult challenge as wood serves as a major
source of fuel
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Present Situation
Prevalence of energy poverty
Traditional biomass accounts for a significant
source of primary energy
Lowest electrification rate in the world
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Present Situation (Cont’d.)
The figure below presents the numbers of people without access to electricity
in selected developing regions (million), 2009
Latin America
31
Region
Other Asia
387
India
404
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China
Africa
587
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Population
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Present Situation (Cont’d.)
The figure below presents the number of people relying on Traditional
Biomass in selected Developing regions (million), 2009
Latin America
85
Region
other Asia
659
India
855
China
423
Africa
657
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Population
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Present Situation (Cont’d.)
The figure below presents the number of Africans without access to electricity
(million), 2009
500
465
450
400
Population
350
300
250
200
120
150
100
50
0
Rural
Urban
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Present Situation (Cont’d.)
The figure below presents the number of Africans relying on traditional
biomass (million), 2009
600
Population
500
477
400
300
176
200
100
0
Rural
Urban
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Present Situation (Cont’d.)
The figure below represents the traditional biomass mix used in SSA
80%
70%
Percentage
60%
50%
40%
69%
30%
20%
10%
0%
11%
1%
coal
1%
charcoal
wood
Dung
Energy Source
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Energy & Development
ENERGY
OTHER
INPUTS
ECONOMIC
OUTPUT
 Energy is a very important input for economic development
 Levels of economic development influences the kinds of energy consumed
 Energy ladder
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Energy & Development (Cont’d.)
Advanced Level
Advanced
LevelLevel
Advanced
Intermediate Level
Intermediate
Intermediate
LevelLevel
Lowest Level
Lowest
Level
Lowest
Level
Biomass
Commercial fossil fuel obsevered
Commercial fossil fuel
Sunlight
Animal power
Electricity
Human
effort
Charcoal
Source of primary energy
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Energy & Development (Cont’d.)
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Energy, Poverty and Environment
Energy/Poverty Nexus
Energy/Poverty/Environment Nexus
Poverty
Lack of
Energy
Access
Poverty
Increased socioeconomic and
environmental
cost
Preference for
traditional
biomass
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Economic And Environmental Implication Of
Deforestation For Energy
Deforestation leads to ecological problems which imposes economic cost to
already poor countries in Africa.
Country
Environmental damage
Year
% GNP
Burkina Faso
Crop, livestock and fuel wood losses 1988 8.8
due to land degradation
Ethiopia
Effects of deforestation on fuel wood 1983 6.0-9.0
supply and crop output
Malawi
Soil erosion and deforestation
1988 2.5-15.2
Mali
Effects of soil erosion on crop output
1988 0.9-12.5
Nigeria
Soil degradation, deforestation, water 1989 17.4
pollution, other erosion
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Energy, Poverty and Sustainable Development
Eradicating poverty will involve 3 approaches:
Lessen the
descend of
already poor
households into
deeper poverty
Assist poor
households to
move out of
poverty
Mitigate
potential causes
of poverty for
the non-poor
Without the access to modern energy,
poverty eradication and sustainable
development cannot be achieved
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Energy, Poverty and Sustainable Development
The place of energy in sustainable development (SD) in Africa
 SD ensures inter and intra generational equity. SD typically considers the
following factors:
 Social;
 Economic; and
 Environment.
 Currently, the energy situation in Africa does not fulfil the factors listed
above
 Thus, the fourth pillar of SD (energy security) should be considered in any
program for development.
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Energy, Poverty and Sustainable Development
Energy security considers the degree at which energy
needed is available, accessible and affordable.
Energy security refers to “a reliable and adequate supply of
energy at reasonable prices”.
Bielecki (2002)
Energy security means ensuring that clean and modern
forms of energy are available and affordable at the different
household levels in the society.
Jain (2010)
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Flattening the Environmental Kuznets Curve
(EKC) for Deforestation in Africa
Deforestation
The concept of the EKC
Per capita income
 The Kuznets Curve has been used to explain the relationship between
deforestation and income in developing countries
 At early stage of development, environmental degradation is inevitable
 This trend peaks and begins to decline (the turning point) as per capita
income grows
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Flattening the Environmental Kuznets Curve
(EKC) for Deforestation in Africa
Regulation could be utilised to discourage deforestation; however, this
approach is fraught with a lot of problems.
Regulation a one-sided solution?
 Restricting deforestation will not solve the problem of energy
security.
 It may lead to a worsened case of welfare loss for poor households
 Low income countries have no incentives to reduce deforestation
 The need for the adoption of an incentive mechanism which ensures
the implementation of a comprehensive forest-carbon management
technique
 And provide finance streams for economic and energy development
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Energy, Deforestation and Development in
Africa
Afforestation
Reforestation
Deforestation
NATIONAL INVENTORY
APPROACH
Forest
Degradation
Forest Fires
Forest
Conservation
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Conclusion
 Energy is a significant driver of economic development and there is
generally a positive relationship between energy consumption and
economic development.
 The low per capita energy consumption in Africa and its heavy reliance on
firewood for fuel presents unique challenges for the continent
 The current situation is unsustainable and requires urgent and deliberate
intervention by policy makers
 The paper recommends the adoption of the National Inventory Approach
 It will enable Africa decouple deforestation from energy use while providing
the necessary financial streams to provide modern energies to its populace.
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Questions/Comments
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