Can Ukraine War Boost Push for Renewables? #AfricaClimateCrisis

For Africa, the most visible impact of the war in Ukraine has been rising fuel and food prices, inflation and financial instability. Following the invasion, oil and gas prices rose rapidly, which increased the likelihood of gas-to-coal switching for electricity generation across Europe and the world.

The Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) and The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) have launched a series of webinars focusing on the implications of the invasion for the African continent. In their latest webinar titled "The future of energy: Can the war support the transition towards fossil fuel alternatives?", hosts Professor Mark Swilling, Co-director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at the Stellenbosch University and Dr Olena Pavlenko, a Deputy Head of the EITI MSG in Ukraine and President of DiXi Group Think Tank weighed in on how this war could impact the transition away from fossil fuels amid the climate emergency and whether it will hasten the transition or not.

While the war may have provided a short term set back to global climate goals, it is likely that in the long run it will accelerate the energy transition. If companies and nations are incentivised to adopt of a range of lower carbon energy sources, the transition would happen faster. The question is whether such a shift can happen rapidly enough to allow the world to meet its climate action goals.