Fighting energy poverty means embracing a just transition

Friends of the Earth Africa rejects the claim that fossil fuel expansion serves African interests, asserting that such projects lead to environmental degradation and human rights abuses rather than energy access. The organization advocates for a people-led transition to clean energy, the rejection of gas as a transition fuel, and the demand for technology transfers and grants to cover ecological debts owed to the region.

• Fossil fuel extraction in Africa over the last 60 years has primarily served the global North and elites, resulting in severe negative outcomes including oil pollution, gas flares, land grabs, and human rights abuses, while 600 million Africans still lack energy and 700 million lack clean cooking energy.
• The belief that fossil fuel exploration brings development is described as an illusion; in Mozambique, despite coal exploitation in Tete and gas in Inhambane and Cabo Delgado, only 40% of the population has energy access.
• The organization opposes the use of gas as a transition fuel and the construction of crude oil export pipelines like the EACOP, arguing instead for inclusive, community-owned clean energy projects that could create over 7 million jobs.
• African leaders are urged to prioritize the transfer of technology and the demand for the payment of ecological debts as grants rather than loans to fund adaptation, mitigation, and the transition to socially-owned renewables.

APA

Fandel, G. (2024). Fighting energy poverty means embracing a just transition. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/embracing-a-just-transition-to-fight-energy-poverty/

Chicago

Fandel, Ghislaine. Fighting energy poverty means embracing a just transition. Friends of the Earth International, 2024. https://www.foei.org/embracing-a-just-transition-to-fight-energy-poverty/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Fandel |first1=Ghislaine |title=Fighting energy poverty means embracing a just transition |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=25 July 2024 |url=https://www.foei.org/embracing-a-just-transition-to-fight-energy-poverty/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{fandel2024fighting, author = {Fandel, Ghislaine}, title = {{Fighting energy poverty means embracing a just transition}}, publisher = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://www.foei.org/embracing-a-just-transition-to-fight-energy-poverty/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }