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Coal and carbonization in sub-Saharan Africa

Author

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  • Jan Christoph Steckel

    (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change
    Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact Research, Leibniz Association)

  • Jérôme Hilaire

    (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change
    Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact Research, Leibniz Association)

  • Michael Jakob

    (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change)

  • Ottmar Edenhofer

    (Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change
    Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact Research, Leibniz Association
    Technische Universität Berlin)

Abstract

Economic development in sub-Saharan Africa has increased carbon emissions and will continue to do so. However, changes in emissions in the past few decades and their underlying drivers are not well understood. Here we use a Kaya decomposition to show that rising carbon intensity has played an increasingly important role in emission growth in sub-Saharan Africa since 2005. These changes have mainly been driven by the increasing use of oil, especially in the transportation sector. Combining investment data in the power sector with economic and population projections, we find that investments in new coal-fired capacity may become a major driver of future carbonization. Our results highlight the importance of making low-carbon technologies available and financially attractive to sub-Saharan African countries to avoid a lock-in of emission-intensive energy use patterns.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Christoph Steckel & Jérôme Hilaire & Michael Jakob & Ottmar Edenhofer, 2020. "Coal and carbonization in sub-Saharan Africa," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 83-88, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:10:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41558-019-0649-8
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-019-0649-8
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Roman Stutzer & Adrian Rinscheid & Thiago D. Oliveira & Pedro Mendes Loureiro & Aya Kachi & Mert Duygan, 2021. "Black coal, thin ice: the discursive legitimisation of Australian coal in the age of climate change," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Florian Egli & Churchill Agutu & Bjarne Steffen & Tobias S. Schmidt, 2023. "The cost of electrifying all households in 40 Sub-Saharan African countries by 2030," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    3. Guo, Jiaqi & Wang, Qiang & Li, Rongrong, 2024. "Can official development assistance promote renewable energy in sub-Saharan Africa countries? A matter of institutional transparency of recipient countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    4. Lin, Boqiang & Sai, Rockson, 2021. "A multi factor Malmquist CO2emission performance indices: Evidence from Sub Saharan African public thermal power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    5. Yang, Jun & Hao, Yun & Feng, Chao, 2021. "A race between economic growth and carbon emissions: What play important roles towards global low-carbon development?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Jing Meng & Jingwen Huo & Zengkai Zhang & Yu Liu & Zhifu Mi & Dabo Guan & Kuishuang Feng, 2023. "The narrowing gap in developed and developing country emission intensities reduces global trade’s carbon leakage," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Thomas Sterner & Richard T. Carson & E. Somanathan & Dale Whittington & Jorge Bonilla & Haileselassie et al. Medhin, 2020. "Funding Inclusive Green Transition through Greenhouse Gas Pricing," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 18(01), pages 03-08, April.
    8. Mohammed Basheer & Victor Nechifor & Alvaro Calzadilla & Claudia Ringler & David Hulme & Julien J. Harou, 2022. "Balancing national economic policy outcomes for sustainable development," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    9. Mei Zhang & Kazeem Bello Ajide & Lanre Ibrahim Ridwan, 2022. "Heterogeneous dynamic impacts of nonrenewable energy, resource rents, technology, human capital, and population on environmental quality in Sub-Saharan African countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 11817-11851, October.

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