The Solutions: Taking Action to Reduce Climate Change

By Clive Mutame Siachiyako

Picking it up from the previous article on “how climate change affects Africa,” today I am narrowing it down to some steps to reduce climate change especially in the area of energy production. Energy is the driver of many aspects of life. It runs almost every aspect of humanity, thus its extraction versus care for the environment is precarious. With the advent of climate change, the need to re-look at energy generation becomes more necessary.

What types of energy are friendlier to the environment? What technologies allow us to power our homes, industries and agriculture using cleaner energy? And in what ways can each individual get involved in this important movement?

“Climate change is a matter of life and death,” this is how Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai [Kenya

environmentalist] described the potential devastating impacts of a changing climate on Africa. Wangari Maathai also had a strong sense of optimism that our generation, the first to really feel the impact of climate change, will also be the first to do something about it. The threat of climate change [to Africa and the world] is very real. But there are ways to stem and even reverse the dangerous path we are on.

Energy sources take many forms, including fossil fuels, like oil and gas and coal, and renewable sources, like solar, wind and hydropower. These primary energy sources are converted into electricity, a secondary source, which then flows through power lines to our homes and businesses. Today, four-fifths (4/5) of all electricity in southern and eastern Africa is generated from fossil fuels.

As mentioned in the previous article, burning these fuels produces carbon dioxide emissions which trap the sun’s energy, and this makes the earth too warm and contributes to extreme weather events. But other types of cleaner energy, known as renewable energy sources, offer tremendous potential. With the right infrastructure, half of all electricity in southern and eastern Africa could come from clean, cost-effective renewables by 2030. With such amounts of energy from the renewable, we would see a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. We can now look at some of these renewable sources in more detail.

Solar energy

This is simply the light and heat that comes from the sun. It is the most abundant energy resource on Earth. The amount of solar striking the Earth each day is more than 10,000 times the world’s total energy use. There are two common ways to convert solar energy into electricity: photovoltaic and solar- thermal technologies. When sunlight hits photovoltaic cells made of silicon or other materials, a chemical reaction occurs. This results in the release of electricity. These cells can then be packaged together to make solar panels. And solar-thermal technologies concentrate the sun’s rays with mirrors to heat a liquid and create steam. This steam is then used to power a generator and create electricity.  

In a country like Zambia where there is sunshine for about 8 hours a day, generating solar energy can do such much to produce cleaner energy. Investing in such type of energy would not only address power shortfalls experienced in most countries in many African countries, it would contribute largely to saving the environment. Generating power from solar can be done at industrial levels [solar farms or houses] and at household level. Each home can have solar membranes on their roofs to generate energy for their use and possibly to channel to the national grid in case of surplus home use.

 Whether drought or not, generating energy from solar is more viable than depending on hydro power generating from water. With poor rainfall mostly due to climate change effects of weather patterns, looking somewhere makes a lot of sense. We all have to think outside the box and use other sources to generate the much needed cleaner energy.

The wind, like the sun, is also a clean and renewable energy source. For thousands of years, people have used windmills to grind grain and pump water. Today, modern machines called wind turbines are used to make electricity. To produce electricity on a large scale, many wind turbines can be placed together on wind farms. And this is catching on: Wind power has been the fastest-growing energy source in the world since 1990.

And finally, the energy inherent in water and steam can also produce electricity. If you have ever stood in a fast moving stream, under a waterfall, or on the ocean shore as waves come crashing in, then you have felt the power of moving water. Now this power is captured through hydroelectric power plants, which force flowing water through wheels or rotors known as turbines, and that produces energy. Most of us are familiar with hydro power energy.

Another source of energy is the heat built up inside the earth itself. Now if you dig a deep hole straight down into the earth and you encounter what is known as geothermal energy. At geothermal power plants, wells are drilled 1 to 3 kilometres into the earth to pump steam or hot water to the surface to make energy.

Now these renewable sources are not only exciting, but they offer tremendous potential for Africa. Think about it. Africa contains bountiful solar and wind resources and some of the world’s largest hydropower and geothermal resources. Much of this energy is untapped. The World Bank estimates that only 7 to 8 percent of Africa’s hydropower potential is currently utilised. The good news is that many African countries are starting efforts to use these clean and renewable resources. Kenya was the first African nation to begin drilling for geothermal power.

In other countries like South Africa, wind farms are beginning to produce energy. But we have only begun to unlock the potential of our continent’s clean, renewable resources. There is so much more to be done to ensure that our generation and future generations can benefit from this clean energy. Each of us can get involved and join this environmental movement, which is so important for all of us and our beloved continent, Africa.

Reach out and join some of the many community and national organisations that are working to promote clean energy sources and preserve Africa’s forests. Or, we educate our friends and peers about climate change and the solutions that we need to adopt. We can share the knowledge with our peers, friends and colleagues, and encourage conversation about climate change. Wangari Maathai puts it “you cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, and they must protect them.”

Knowledge is power. We can take action beyond words. We can adopt and generate cleaner energy to protect the environment and sustain our energy generation to meet productivity demands. Take action!

Thanks to Wanjira Mathai (2015). The Solutions: Taking Action to Reduce Climate Change. Dec 8, 2015  yali.state.gov/courses