By Stephen Leahy*
UXBRIDGE, Canada, Dec 14, 2010 (IPS) - Development in Africa could falter as climate change grips the continent, increasing the length and severity of droughts and floods by altering precipitation patterns, among other impacts.
The region needs a major shift in its economic development policies and thinking towards decentralised, green economic development, experts now say.
"The world's big economies are largely living off financial transactions which are unconnected to development," warns Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
"Export growth does not automatically result in green economic growth, we must look at trade for development," said Panitchpakdi.
In a rejection of failed neoliberal economic policies, Panitchpakdi said strong national policies on investments, taxation, protection of local industries, including subsidies, and changes to less restrictive intellectual property regimes are what is needed to green economies in Africa and elsewhere.
"Green economic development underpins environmental protection, economic growth and development," he said.
The tentative global economic recovery this year is largely a jobless recovery because the current economic growth model is designed to make "people redundant", said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).
"It favours large concentrated power grids, for example, which require very few people," Steiner told IPS.
A low-carbon economy is not for the rich countries, it is for the poorest because it is more resource-efficient, employs more people and brings development at a lower cost, he said, adding, "We have to grow the economies of Africa but only through green sustainable development, delinked from increasing resource use."
"After 50 years of development, 80 percent of Kenya's population had no access to electricity. Now, after a 2008 shift to renewable energy, more Kenyans have access to electricity than ever before," he noted.
Kenya's feed-in tariff, similar to Germany's, is expected to produce about 1300 MW of electricity generation capacity from biomass, geothermal, biogas, solar energy, wind, and small hydro this year. A feed-in tariff offers long-term contracts at a set price based on the cost for renewable energy generation.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53856
UXBRIDGE, Canada, Dec 14, 2010 (IPS) - Development in Africa could falter as climate change grips the continent, increasing the length and severity of droughts and floods by altering precipitation patterns, among other impacts.
The region needs a major shift in its economic development policies and thinking towards decentralised, green economic development, experts now say.
"The world's big economies are largely living off financial transactions which are unconnected to development," warns Supachai Panitchpakdi, secretary-general of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
"Export growth does not automatically result in green economic growth, we must look at trade for development," said Panitchpakdi.
In a rejection of failed neoliberal economic policies, Panitchpakdi said strong national policies on investments, taxation, protection of local industries, including subsidies, and changes to less restrictive intellectual property regimes are what is needed to green economies in Africa and elsewhere.
"Green economic development underpins environmental protection, economic growth and development," he said.
The tentative global economic recovery this year is largely a jobless recovery because the current economic growth model is designed to make "people redundant", said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).
"It favours large concentrated power grids, for example, which require very few people," Steiner told IPS.
A low-carbon economy is not for the rich countries, it is for the poorest because it is more resource-efficient, employs more people and brings development at a lower cost, he said, adding, "We have to grow the economies of Africa but only through green sustainable development, delinked from increasing resource use."
"After 50 years of development, 80 percent of Kenya's population had no access to electricity. Now, after a 2008 shift to renewable energy, more Kenyans have access to electricity than ever before," he noted.
Kenya's feed-in tariff, similar to Germany's, is expected to produce about 1300 MW of electricity generation capacity from biomass, geothermal, biogas, solar energy, wind, and small hydro this year. A feed-in tariff offers long-term contracts at a set price based on the cost for renewable energy generation.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53856
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