“There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to addressing climate change. Different countries around the world have varying capabilities and diverse needs”
By Teddy Nwanunobi
The Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has declared that there is no “one size fits all” solution to addressing climate change.
This was the submission of the OPEC Secretary General, HE Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo, in his remark at 2021 African Refiners and Distributors Association (ARDA) on Monday.
Barkindo, who advocated for the choice of multiple paths in reducing emissions, noted that it would be a great challenge for advanced economies to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
He, therefore, maintained that any proposed timeframe to achieve net-zero emissions from now until 2050 would not be sufficient.
“As an industry, we must approach these critical issues together through dialogue and cooperation, ensuring that all voices are heard and all viewpoints are considered.
“Simply said, there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to addressing climate change. Different countries around the world have varying capabilities and diverse needs. Thus, reducing emissions should have multiple paths, as set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and all of them should be regarded as potential options.
“Additionally, it is important to remember that any future energy and climate roadmap will need to be developed in accordance with the core principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, namely equity, historical responsibility and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. This will be crucial, particularly for Africa, to ensure that no country gets left behind in the energy transition.
“If we are honest with ourselves, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is already a great challenge for advanced economies, some of whom have even expressed reservations about the feasibility of achieving this ambitious goal. Therefore, one can imagine that for developing nations, the task is that much more daunting, particularly as their priorities day in and day out have to do with making sure their basic needs are met.
“The three main challenges we see in achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 are scale and timing, supply chains and the special circumstances of the developing world.
“Firstly, any proposed timeframe from now until 2050 is simply not sufficient to achieve net-zero emissions, considering the massive investments required, the availability of land, the scale of expansion of the electricity grid and a list of roughly 400 milestones that have been targeted for the achievement of this goal.
“Another very important factor to consider is that, the realisation of such a rapid transition would be dependent on a steady, robust supply of minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium, nickel and aluminum, many of which are produced in geographically centralised areas. Additionally, lead times on mining projects are lengthy, sometimes surpassing 16 years, and this could delay the sector from responding to eventual increases in demand.
“Finally, the net-zero scenario inaccurately assumes a level playing field for both developed and developing countries in terms of reaching the proposed targets by 2050,” Barkindo submitted.