Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa

The document argues that while Africa's shift toward renewable energy is essential for climate goals and poverty reduction, it risks a "green resource curse" where green energy projects and mineral mining fuel conflict. It identifies three primary conflict trajectories: the establishment of projects (often involving land disputes and "green grabbing"), the mining of critical minerals (linked to weak institutions and rebel financing), and energy production (related to grid access and geopolitical shifts). While most conflicts are local and non-violent, the authors warn of potential for large-scale civil unrest and geopolitical tensions as the global energy balance shifts away from fossil fuels.

• The "green resource curse" describes how the transition to green energy in Africa may mirror traditional resource curse dynamics, potentially leading to violence and conflict through three main activities: the establishment of renewable energy projects, green technology mineral mining, and renewable energy production.
• The establishment of renewable energy projects often triggers local conflicts over land use and ownership, exacerbated by a lack of consultation with landowners and the use of "green grabbing"—the appropriation of land for environmental purposes justified by claims that the land is degraded.
• Mining for minerals essential to green technologies (such as cobalt, lithium, and copper) is prone to conflict due to weak state institutions, the potential for "Dutch disease," and the use of mineral profits to finance rebel groups and organized crime, specifically noted in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Renewable energy production can cause conflict when local communities in energy-producing areas are excluded from the electrical grid or when actors compete for control over energy system structures and sources.
• The shift to renewable energy is expected to alter global geopolitics by reducing the asymmetrical dependency on oil and gas suppliers, potentially creating new regional tensions over energy co-dependence and the economic decline of former fossil-fuel-dependent states.
• Local conflicts over green energy can lead to project failure, as demonstrated by the Kinangop Wind Farm in Kenya, where community protests over land dispossession and health fears resulted in a death and the eventual abandonment of the project.

APA

Rustad, S. A., & Dupuy, K. (2023). Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7fdd5433-7d38-4755-a3b4-f1cf30e1683b/Rustad Dupuy - Green Curses Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa PRIO Policy Brief 08-2023.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Rustad, Siri Aas, and Kendra Dupuy. Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2023. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7fdd5433-7d38-4755-a3b4-f1cf30e1683b/Rustad Dupuy - Green Curses Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa PRIO Policy Brief 08-2023.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rustad |first1=Siri Aas |last2=Dupuy |first2=Kendra |title=Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=August 2023 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7fdd5433-7d38-4755-a3b4-f1cf30e1683b/Rustad Dupuy - Green Curses Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa PRIO Policy Brief 08-2023.pdf?inline=true |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rustad2023green, author = {Rustad, Siri Aas and Dupuy, Kendra}, title = {{Green Curses: Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7fdd5433-7d38-4755-a3b4-f1cf30e1683b/Rustad Dupuy - Green Curses Renewable Energy and the Potential for Conflict in Africa PRIO Policy Brief 08-2023.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }