NGOs decry African leaders' plan to push for fossil fuel use in COP27

A coalition of African NGOs has spoken out against the “shameful” and “unacceptable” decision by leaders of the African Union to push for the continuous use of fossil fuels to guarantee access to electricity amid the climate crisis.

“A technical committee of the African Union – made up of energy, not climate ministers – has recently proposed an ‘African Common Position on Energy Access and Transition’’ centers on fossil gas and nuclear energy, at the expense of renewables, and is proposed for adoption by African Heads of State and launched at COP27,” the NGOs wrote in a statement released on August 2.

...Describing the committee's approach as a “shameful betrayal of African people,” campaigner Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa, warned of “African leaders use [of] this November’s COP27 climate summit on African soil to lock Africa into a fossil fuel based future.”