The latest update from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes for pretty grim reading - especially for residents of the developing world like us.

The report predicts 75 to 250 million people across Africa could face water shortages by 2020 and that rainfall fed agriculture could drop by 50 percent by the same year.

It also implies that our continent, South America and much of Asia are victims of a process set in motion by the Europeans and North Americans and that there isn't much we can do to improve our lot other than plead with the rich countries to clean up their acts.

Well, I don't think that is a very healthy attitude to take on, even if it does clear the way for us to tap into one of our greatest natural resources.

As you may well know, the government has earmarked P40 billion to develop the coal fired Mmamabula power station by 2011 so it can sell electricity to South Africa. CIC Energy, the company that is running the show claims it will do its part to reduce greenhouse emissions by using the latest clean coal technologies.

Clean coal. That sounds great, doesn't it?

Unfortunately, many top environmentalists say it is a contradiction in terms - something along the lines of jumbo shrimp.

Yes, there are ways of cleaning up coal fired emissions, but they are extremely expensive, so expensive, in fact, that not a single power station using that technology has been built on a commercial scale, and once you take those nasty byproducts out of the emissions, you still have to do something with them.

Okay, we have a lot coal here in Botswana, and a huge demand for electricity right across the border, but we also have a great deal of open space and huge amounts of another resource - sunshine.

I've never been able to understand why the government, industry and individual homeowners have not made greater use of solar power.

Botswana is perfect for that form of energy - and I'm not just talking about solar panels that generate low levels of electricity or heat small tanks of water.

It is now possible to use a series of mirrors to boil water and create the steam needed to power conventional electricity-generating turbines.

Instead of following meekly behind the western world's lead, we could be trendsetters. And who knows, we could even wind up with a new tourist attraction.