Small-scale renewable energy projects have tremendous potential to power rural areas in the DRC. Rural areas in the country have very little access to electricity.
Government strategies promoting economic growth through the development of the biodiverse Salween river basin should not be at the cost of human rights.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, under construction on the Blue Nile, will bring electricity and wealth to East Africa, but could also have harmful environmental and political impacts.
Mega development projects can have a positive impact. But there are risks. Between 2004 and 2013, some 3.4 million people were ‘physically and economically displaced’ by World Bank projects alone.
Photovoltaics and wind energy now have such a large head start that no other low-emission generation technology has a reasonable prospect of catching them.
Ethiopia is a country particularly vulnerable to climate change. It will hope to attract climate finance at CoP21 to help battle the effects of climate change.
China offers an alternative to traditional donors and investors in low- and middle-income countries. Adding to its appeal is its focus on infrastructure projects.
Mozambique has long standing energy challenges and widespread energy poverty. To change this, particularly for people living in rural areas, it needs to democratise the way it supplies energy.
Willem Landman, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
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