Climate and energy

At the UN’s COP 22 climate conference in Marrakech, the international community closed ranks despite (or perhaps because of?) the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president. Thanks to its swift ratification by currently more than 110 countries, negotiations on the technical implementation of the Paris Agreement could begin. The pace must increase significantly, however, if the 1.5°C limit is still to be met.

Simon Ilse summarizes the study “80 Gigawatts of Change” by the Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) and hbs. Civil society groups can use the study to compare social and ecological impacts, and use its findings as a tool for advocacy.

The Egyptian Center for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) in partnership with Heinrich Böll Stiftung (North Africa Office) launches “80 Gigawatts of Change, Egypt’s Future Electricity Pathways”, the first report of its kind to be modeled and analyzed by civil society. ‘80 GWs’ models how Egypt’s electricity sector could look in 20 years’ time if technical, social and environmental constraints and community impacts are taken into account.

  The word “energy” derives from the Greek words “en” and “ergon” which mean “in” and “work.” The meaning of the word fits perfectly with the nature of energy as a phenomenon. As humans trot this globe contributing to its technological advancement and urbanization, they increase in number and work more. The larger the number of people, the more energy they consume, for energy is a vital commodity as essential as food and water. Furthermore, energy is no stranger to the stress-nexus where energy, food and water resources are at a risk of falling short of rising demand. Hence,it is without doubt that energy is and will always be in demand, and a lot of high-density spots on Earth are suffering from the downsides of an energy crisis. Egypt being a developing country with a notable population spurt heads the curve of locations that suffer from an energy deficit.