Renewable Energy In Sub-Saharan Africa

In the days before industrialization, climate change, carbon emissions and rising temperatures were not global issues. Back then, people were concerned more with the Bubonic plague or the Crusades, instead of their EVs and solar roofs. But obviously, the times have changed. In the mid-eighteenth century, also known as the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, there were roughly 700 million people on the Earth, compared to estimates of over seven billion in 2015 (McLamb). Much of the economic progress that we, as a people have made since those times, such as a higher standard of living, more accessible education, a larger workforce/population, and more can be attributed to the exploitation of fossil fuels and other forms of unsustainable, non-renewable, …show more content…
These industrialized countries emit far more carbon than the rest of the world. The United States, for example, makes up only 4% of the world’s population, but accounts for over 25% of carbon emissions (Report 5). This raises a number of alarming questions: how can we attempt to promote clean energy in Sub-Saharan Africa, if we are unable to solve the emissions crisis at home? It is fairly common knowledge that in the United States, an average citizen makes much more money than a typical villager in, for example, Malawi. As a matter of fact, U.S. GDP is 12,000 times larger than the GDP of Malawi (GDP). It is fair to reason that people like those in Malawi will not be able to install solar panels on the tops of their homes, and are unable to invest billions of dollars in renewable energy projects. At home, non-renewables account for over 85% of energy consumption, and clean energy is usually to expensive for individuals, businesses, and governments to afford (Elliott). A major part of the American mindset is consumerism: spending money on goods that provide a person with utility, whether it be a $400 Apple Watch or a $60,000 luxury SUV. Taking into consideration the growing size of the recognition of sustainability as an issue, Americans are blaming corporations, and the …show more content…
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit focused on sustainability research, a 25% percent renewable energy standard would “create more than three times as many jobs as producing an equivalent amount of electricity from fossil fuels” (Benefits). Being attracted by the potential profits more and more firms enter the industry, and renewable energy prices will continue to come down, resulting in higher demand as corporate profits expand and enlarge the industry as a whole, while gradually shrinking the need for fossil fuels. The gigantic shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy may take decades, and a number of governments and scientist have set realistic goals for sustainable energy. Governor Brown of California has paved the way for legislation, under which “California will need to generate half of its electricity from renewable sources such as solar and wind by 2030” (Megerian). For businesses and individuals, a slow transition gives them time to invest capital, innovate to lower costs of production, and adjust to new sources of energy. According to Professor Stefan Reichelstein of Stanford GSB, if the trend of falling solar panel prices “can be maintained for the next 10 years […] there is a real prospect for solar to become cost competitive […] for commercial installations” (Snyder). If this predicament is correct, businesses may have the choice of