ENERGY FOR ALL Climate change and Energy Poverty in Africa

Transcription

1 Climate change and Energy Poverty in Africa ENERGY FOR ALL 2030 Author: Teodoro Sanchez, Energy Technology Advisor, Practical Action February 2010 European Comission External Cooperation Programmes

2 Abstract Energy is a basic need. Access to the right energy fuels and services provide opportunities for development and improving wellbeing. One fourth of humanity has no access to electricity and nearly half of the world s population cook with solid biomass using inefficient technologies keeping them trapped in poverty with little or no chance to escape from it. This paper shows that the quantity of energy required by the poor to fulfil their needs is generally very small. In Sub-Saharan African, most countries with less access to modern energy services are not on-track to meet the MDGs. It also shows that universal access to modern energy services in Africa and particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa would contribute negligible amounts CO2 emission, independent of the sources used to provide access (fossil fuels or renewables) and therefore argues that in Sub-Saharan Africa, the full mix of energy technologies should be considered and used based on their economic performance rather than on environmental consideration. A short case study to show how the voluntary sector of carbon trading is contributing to mitigation of greenhouse gases as well as benefiting the poor in Sudan is also included in this article. 2

3 CONTENTS 1. Energy a human need 2. Energy needs and energy consumption of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa 3. Affordability and unequal opportunities on energy access 4. Climate change and appropriate energy options for the poor 5. The moral responsibility of rich countries 6. Case Study: Promotion of LPG for cooking in Al Fasher, Darfur, Sudan 7. Conclusions 8. Practical Action 9. References Disclaimer This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of Practical Action and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union. OBČANSKÉ SDRUŽENÍ NGO 3

4 01. Energy a human need Energy is critical for human development. It allows people to access a range of basic services, including drinking water, health, education, transport, communication and other essential services. In its Energy and Sustainable Development Overview, UNDP states None of the Millennium Development Goals can be met without major improvement in the quality and quantity of energy services in developing countries. [1] The UN also recognises that eight years after the Johannesburg Summit when the MDGs were validated, the poorest countries are off-track regarding achievement of the MDGs. And from the existing information, most of those that are off-track have invested less in energy access for the poor. There are 1.44 million people around the world in developing countries without access to electricity and more than 2.5 million are forced to cook and heat their homes with solid biomass, most of the time using inefficient and polluting technologies. Despite the huge global investment forecast for the energy sector of about $26 trillion for the coming two decades, of which about one third is expected to be invested in developing countries even optimistic forecasts estimate that about 1.4 billion people will still remain without access to electricity by Presently, a large proportion of the world s population is confronted with absolute energy poverty. The situation in Sub-Saharan Africa regarding energy access and achievement of the MDGs is of particular concern. Of 30 Sub-Saharan African countries, only 14 are on course to reduce the number of people living with hunger by at least 25% by 2015 [2]. In Sub-Saharan African countries by 2008 the average electrification rate was only 28.5% in 2008 and in rural areas it was less than 12%, this figure is smaller still when South Africa is excluded. According to the World Bank, in Sub-Saharan Africa, 56% of total energy use comes from traditional biomass. If one ranks countries of the World, the top 20 biomass dependant are all African countries, with the exception of Nepal (fourth in the list), Haiti (eleventh) and Myanmar (twelfth) [3]. In this region there has been no progress on energy access during the last decade. In fact, while globally the number of people without access to electricity was reduced by 160 million between 2005 and 2009, in Sub-Saharan Africa the number of people without electricity has increased from 526 million in 2004 [4] to 585 million in

5 02. Energy needs and energy consumption of the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa The energy needs linked to meet the MDGs are related to cooking, space heating, and lighting; and small amounts of motive energy to use appliances or equipment to access improved services of health, education and communications as well as income generation activities. The quantity of energy required to meet all the MDGs for an individual or group depends on a range of factors; the physical environment where they live (people living in warm regions will require little or no space heating compared to those living cold regions); the type of activities that the poor engage in to make a living (farming, fishing, business, etc); the physical capital that they possess, for example subsistence farmers may require energy only for cooking and lighting while farmers with more land may see opportunities for adding value to their harvest by transforming their products to sale at a better price in the markets. The priorities that each individual or groups put on its needs in most cases those priorities are associated to social or cultural issues. During the last two decades there have been several studies to determine the energy consumption of the poor, in order to have a clearer idea of what it would take to provide energy for all, and the policy and financing requirements to make that possible. Most literature references, surveys, case studies, impact assessments, etc (see Kaufman et al., 2000; World Bank, 2001; ESMAP [5], University of Cape Town [6], others) agree that the amount of energy required/consumed by the poor is small; the electricity consumption of families in rural villages or in peri-urban settlements range from about 10kWh/ month to 50 kwh/month, and its growth is very small with time, partly because the opportunities to engage in productive or transformative activities are limited. Regarding cooking fuels, literature shows that the amount of clean cooking fuel required to displace these solid fuels is modest and is estimated to be about 35 kg of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) per person per year [7]. From the above figures, the present electricity requirement to provide this service to the 585 million without electricity in Sub-Saharan African Countries amounts to 70.2 billion kwh per year, this represents only 0.43% of the total electricity consumed worldwide (16,378 Billion kwh [8] ), however comparing this with the total consumption in Africa the requirement is significant (12.8%). Similarly the requirements of modern fuels for cooking (assuming that 90% of the population that presently cook with solid biomass switch to LPG); it will require 29.4 million tons of LPG, which is about 13% of the total consumption of LPG worldwide (2006 the total consumption of LPG worldwide was 223 million tons) [9]. 5

6 03. Affordability and unequal opportunities on energy access In developing countries, the percentage of the family budget spent on the purchase of low quality energy fuels for lighting and cooking is generally higher than that spent by people with access to electricity and liquid and gas fuels. The most common strategy used by the poor to cope with their energy needs is to find the cheapest option; however that strategy does not always work for all; for example in many cases people living in peri-urban areas cannot buy subsidised LPG simply because they do not have money to pay the upfront cost of the cookers (or cylinders in the case of LPG) and consequently have to cook with charcoal or wood fuel paying more to do the same. A study carried out by Practical Action in Al Fasher, Darfur, in Sudan revealed that people kept cooking with wood and charcoal despite the fact that the cost of wood and charcoal was three times higher than LPG, simply because they could not afford to purchase gas cookers and cylinders, instead they had to buy a few kg of charcoal or wood on a daily basis (see case study). Most rural inhabitants cook with costless biomass resources such as agricultural residues, dung and wood (other than the cost of the time taken to collect it), however in some cases the poorest and those that are landless have to make greater effort to collect cooking fuels because of the longer distances to access community forests. The shortage of wood fuels for the poor also sometimes ends up affecting the quantity and/or quality of food eaten. It is often the case that, the poorer the family is, the smaller the agricultural land that they own and consequently the less access to cooking fuels it has. Therefore the poorest families generally have to invest more time to collect fuels for cooking, or they have to cook for reduce the number of meals during the day. People with access to electricity are more likely to use it for lighting, however in many cases costs or unsuitable billing may be the main constraint; for example when a grid is extended into poor peri-urban or rural areas, in many cases households are disconnected soon after because people cannot afford to pay a regular monthly bill, simply because they have no regular monthly income. Those without access to electricity use a range of energy sources for lighting, kerosene, wax candles, dry and wet batteries, all of these resources are generally used through inefficient technologies, therefore people end up expending a significant proportion of the family budget. 6

7 03. Affordability and unequal opportunities on energy access A World Bank survey [10] on fuel switching in eight countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America confirms that there are differences in fuel consumption in urban and rural areas. It shows that, while solid fuels are used in much lower proportions in urban areas than in rural areas and that the use of solid fuels in urban areas declines as family income increases; in rural areas solid fuels are widely used even within the top expenditure brackets. The study also shows that urban people expend a larger share of their budget on cooking fuels, it accounts for about 5% of a household budget as an average for all users. But it also shows that those using biomass expend a higher share of their budget on cooking fuels (about 10% to 15%). The different percentages are influenced by differences in accessibility, in large towns and cities the supplies of liquid and gas fuels are more reliable and costs are cheaper than in small isolated towns. The study concludes that for large groups of households particularly in rural areas of low-income countries, biomass fuels are the most likely fuel for cooking for the foreseeable future. 04. Climate change and appropriate energy options for the poor The threat of climate change to humankind and to the planet as a whole has gradually become more evident and there is a clear and frightening link between energy and climate change. According to the World Energy Assessment Overview 2004 Update (Johansson and Goldenberg, 2004), 82% of anthropogenic carbon emissions come from energy-related activities and the other 18% derive from activities that include agriculture, deforestation, savannah burning, forest burning, agricultural residues and other uncontrolled burning. The UN has recently proposed an international objective on energy access for all Ensure Universal Access to Modern Energy Services by 2030 [11]. The UN also considers that access to modern energy services must be reliable and affordable, sustainable and, where feasible, from low-ghg-emitting energy sources. The aim of providing universal access should be to create improved conditions for economic growth, contribute to attaining the MDGs, and enable the poorest of the poor to escape poverty. 7

8 04. Climate change and appropriate energy options for the poor An important emerging issue is the reluctance, or low level of support, from many policy makers, international aid agencies and environmentalists, to consider the full range of energy options to meet the energy needs of the poor on the grounds of the need for reducing GHG to the atmosphere. In some cases this may end up forcing the use of uncompetitive options for particular realities, for example pumping underground water either for drinking or farming in some cases may be cheaper using small diesel engines than renewable energy systems. In Africa and especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa, the full energy mix should be considered for poor communities with a different emphasis according to location and opportunities. For urban inhabitants, grid extension for electricity supply and liquid and gas fuels for cooking are often the most appropriate solutions, although in many cases, biomass for cooking in smaller towns may still be required. For rural inhabitants, the most appropriate option may be a combination of grid for those living close to the transmission lines, with decentralized renewable energy options (including solar PV, micro-hydro and small wind) for off-grid electricity supply; for cooking biomass is likely to remain the main fuel option for the majority, though more efficient and cleaner cooking devices may be used. Emissions of carbon dioxide in Africa represent only a small fraction [12], 3.6%, out of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per year worldwide, yet 14% of the population of the world lives in this continent. However the share of the CO2 emissions among African countries is very unequal. Regionally, emissions (both per capita and in total) are at their highest in North Africa and in the country of South Africa; Libya, the Seychelles and South Africa are on the level of the lowest among OECD (i.e. over 7 CO2 tons per person per year), while 2/3 of Sub-Saharan African Countries emit less that 0.5 CO2 tons per person per year. Furthermore, the poor, without access to modern energies, have not shared in the benefits of wealth created from the intensive use of energy in the last century; however they are the most affected by the impacts of climate change due to greenhouse gas emissions. 8

9 04. Climate change and appropriate energy options for the poor Therefore it is important to clarify the issue of climate change and energy access for the poor. Because the poor may need fossil fuels for their development just as the developed world needed them. In fact, several estimates show that the provision of access to electricity and modern fuels to all will increase emissions marginally (less than 1% of the current emissions) [13]. If we consider that the poor in the Sub-Saharan Africa use the same intensity as the poor in the rest of the world, the total carbon emissions to provide modern fuels and electricity to all in the Sub-Saharan Africa would increase present emissions by about 0.4% of the global present emissions. 05. The moral responsibility of rich countries Anthropogenic CO 2 emissions are primarily the responsibility of rich countries; their increase has been based on the development of more technologies and more intensive use of fossil fuels to power them. The range of technologies developed and their use has gone beyond the technologies associated with basic development to include production, transformation, transport, communications, improvement in living standards, comfort and recreation, and even sophisticated weapons of mass destruction. All of these technologies have meant an increase in energy consumption per capita in developed countries. This energy consumption has gone beyond a contribution to prosperity, but has also been expended on pleasure and comfort, while poor countries have had opportunities neither for development nor for pleasure or comfort. Therefore the developed world has a moral debt to the poor, and now it is time to help them leave the trap of underdevelopment by providing access to energy for at least basic needs. 9

10 Case Study Clean cooking Darfur Low Smoke Stoves Project, Sudan 10

11 Case Study Clean cooking Darfur Low Smoke Stoves Project, Sudan Practical Action, in Collaboration with the Women s Associations Development Network- WADAN of Darfur, is implementing a project on the dissemination of LPG for cooking. It aims to reduce carbon emissions through the dissemination of the use of LPG for cooking in households in Darfur Sudan. This project is implemented with the financial support and guidance of Carbon Clear. In this case Carbon Clear is making a direct investment in this project and in exchange it will gain ownership of the carbon credits produced by the use of LPG to reduce emissions from burning unsustainable biomass (fuel wood and/or charcoal), which is the fuel of the great majority in Darfur. The Low Smoke Stoves project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by facilitating the switch to more energy efficient stoves and cleaner-burning fuel in low income communities. This initiative replicates and scales up a successful pilot project of the promotion of LPG as cooking fuel that was funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) which started in July 2002 and ended in March The dissemination of LPG stoves and LPG containers is made through a system of loans. Carbon Clear provides the financial support against the carbon credits, Practical Action manages the project and provides training and channels the financial resources for loans through to WADAN; WADAN provides credits to households through it associations. The leaders of the different associations are responsible for providing loans to households and recovering the loan recovery. This project started in November 2008; so far more than 5,000 poor families have been benefiting with loans and are now cooking with LPG in Darfur. 11

12 Case Study Clean cooking Darfur Low Smoke Stoves Project, Sudan The project objectives are to: > > Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with burning non-renewable biomass in a resource-deprived region. > > Improve the livelihoods of poor families and address energy poverty by switching to a clean energy source, LPG, for cooking purposes. > > Reduce indoor air pollution from burning firewood and charcoal, thereby improving the health and quality of life for women and of children below age five. > > Contribute to environmental conservation by reducing pressure on dwindling forest resources in Northern Darfur LPG can help the shift towards a low-carbon economy because the fuel features significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, N2O andch4) than other commercially available fossil fuels such as coal and kerosene, or biomass fuels like dung, firewood, and charcoal. This project helps to improve local health by reducing indoor air pollution. Biomass solid fuels such as wood, crop residues, and dung release large amounts of particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants when burned in simple inefficient traditional stoves. According to the World Health Organization, prolonged exposure to biomass smoke is a major health risk, contributing to acute respiratory infections in children and other ailments. The growing scarcity of biomass fuel (firewood and charcoal) in North Darfur increases the energy poverty faced by poor women and their families, and exacerbates the problems caused by local conflicts. The switch to modern fuels helps to improve living conditions and reduces the environmental impact of unsustainable wood harvesting practices. 12

13 07. Conclusions Energy poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is a big concern, while in other parts of the world the number of inhabitants without access modern energy services is decreasing in the Sub-Saharan Africa it is increasing. Urgent action is needed to reverse the situation. Pro-poor policies, financing and better partnerships of all sectors are what s needed. In Africa, and especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, the full energy mix should be considered for poor communities with a different emphasis according to location and opportunities; grid and non-grid solutions for electricity supply; liquid and gas fuels, as well as biomass for cooking. Renewable energy technologies should be welcomed but their choice should be based on social and economic grounds rather than solely on environmental considerations. Financing energy access for the poor in Sub-Saharan African Countries and especially for those living in small and isolated villages is a big challenge. It requires the intervention of all stakeholders; the governments need to design pro-poor policies and strategies on energy; the international aid need to increase the amount of funds for energy access for the poor and the private sector needs to adopt a more social approach and reduce its profit margins. 08. Practical Action Practical Action is an international development charity with a difference, working together with some of the world s poorest women, men and children, helping to alleviate poverty in the developing world through the innovative use of technology. Practical Action s particular strength is its simple approach: finding out what people are doing and helping them to do it better. This enables poor communities to build on their own knowledge and skills to produce sustainable and practical solutions: driving their own development. Practical Action is currently implementing a range of projects related to energy access for the poor in Sub-Saharan Africa. The charity works in the development and dissemination of appropriate technologies and enabling the poor to bring their voice to policy debate as well as raising awareness in Europe and lobbying the EC for more support to Sub-Saharan African countries to tackle energy needs for the poor (see the project: Energy Access for the poor in the Sub-Saharan Africa to meet the MDGs, funded by the EC). 13

14 09. references [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] 48cd20ca737308c1256f1f00423ac2/$FILE/Goldemberg%20et%20al.pdf [8] [9] [10] [11] AGECC%20summary%20report%5B1%5D.pdf [12] [13] 14

15 European Comission External Cooperation Programmes