Study: “Wealthier … African nations … show lower levels of climate ambition”
14 hours ago
Essay by Eric Worrall
Do you think there might be a connection?
Africa’s climate change balancing act: green energy vs economic development
Published: January 17, 2025 11.50pm AEDT
Oluwafikayo Akeredolu
PhD Candidate, University of Oxford
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I research climate finance and investigated what drives sub-Saharan Africa’s climate ambitions. I also wanted to find out whether wealthier sub-Saharan African nations were more likely to prioritise economic development over aggressive climate commitments than the region’s more impoverished nations.
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I found that wealthier sub-Saharan African nations (measured by gross domestic product per capita) show lower levels of climate ambition. Nigeria and South Africa, for instance, are wealthier than many others in Africa. But they’re under political and economic pressure to expand energy access and industrial capacity. This can limit them from curbing greenhouse gas emissions.
It’s clear from my study that gross domestic product per capita was the only statistically significant determinant of climate ambition among sub-Saharan African countries. This reveals how economic priorities often shape countries’ climate commitments.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/01/18/claim-wealthier-african-nations-show-lower-levels-of-climate-ambition/
