Last October, US climate envoy John Kerry propose that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) should give up some of the oil lots it had put up for auction. However, for the people of the DRC — one of the poorest countries in the world — this could mean years of more pollution and disease from dirty cooking fuels like charcoal. welcome to 21st Century climate imperialism in Africa.
climate imperialism
One prominent form of modern slavery is climate imperialism, or ecocolonialism, in which energy-restrictive policies are devised and promoted by politicians in Western economies. imposed on some of the world’s poorest countries. Though considered eco-friendly, these strange policies stifle economic growth for those who need it most in Africa’s poorest countries.
According to the World Bank, in 2019, more than 41% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa lived in extreme poverty. Poor households in Africa often lack access to essentials such as clean water, electricity, cooking fuel and healthcare. The region’s weak economy coupled with poor infrastructure impedes access to education and employment opportunities, exacerbating poverty.
The West’s war on fossil fuels, fueled by draconian policies in the developing world, adds to the obstacles to overcoming this shortage.
DRC .’s coal problem
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 63% of the population — some 60 million people — live in extreme poverty, over less than $2.15 a day. Only 23% of the population has access to electricity. And one of the biggest threats to health is the country’s reliance on dirty cooking fuels.
More than 90% of DRC citizens cook with charcoal, which emits smoke in the home that is a major health concern. In addition, the use of charcoal requires people — often girls and women — to collect firewood, robbing them of valuable time that could otherwise be spent educating and acquiring valuable skills. more economic value. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, wood harvested for coal sometimes exceeds the amount taken by loggers, contributing to the country’s deforestation.
One solution to an over-reliance on charcoal is gas stoves, recently vilified by climate warriors for claiming without scientific basis that burning emissions are dangerous.
Gas displaces fuels such as charcoal, wood, coal and manure, all of which contribute to indoor air pollution — estimated to cause 4.3 million premature deaths annually globally. When burning cooking gas, the gas emitted is steam and carbon dioxide, both harmless
Imperialism, an obstacle to gas stoves and gas production
The DRC government is pursuing policies to make oil and gas prices more affordable to the people and boost the economy. Last year, 30 oil and gas lots were put up for auction. The move was met with fierce criticism from many sides, including the fossil fuel-hostile US administration, the United Nations and the highly-funded mainstream media.
The DRC’s restriction of oil and gas production would disrupt the legal path to a safe and prosperous life that every other developing country in the world is pursuing – the transition from coal. dirty to a clean and safe gas stove.
The transition to gas is a well-established international policy directive by many agencies such as the World Bank. In 2022, the Bank’s Energy Management Support Program announced $500 million investment for clean cooking fund in developing countries. Many Asian countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Myanmar have benefited greatly from such efforts. Today more than a billion people Only in India use gas stove.
Efforts to limit the production or use of fossil fuels will increase the price of these extremely useful sources of energy, making them less available to those who need them most. In the case of the DRC, carbon imperialism has gone the way of leaving Congolese people in a state of extreme poverty.
The governments of developing nations under pressure from climate imperialism — whether abandoning coal-fired power plants or banning gas stoves — are failing to serve their people. So far, the DRC government has resisted this.
The DRC government should follow the examples of Asian countries that have committed to providing their people with access to abundant and reasonably priced fossil fuels. Otherwise, the miseries of poverty, including smoky kitchens, could haunt the Congolese for a long time to come.
This commentary was first published at daily callerFebruary 3, 2023, and can be accessed This.
Vijay Jayaraj is a research associate at CO2 Alliance, Arlington, Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, UK and resides in India.
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