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African civil society groups demand just, equitable transition away from fossil fuels at COP31 – EnviroNews
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African civil society organisations under the Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) have called for a just, orderly and equitable global transition away from fossil fuels, insisting that the process must address Africa’s development needs, energy access challenges and economic realities.
The call was made during a high-level dialogue on the COP30 Presidency Roadmap for transitioning away from fossil fuels at the ongoing 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.
Speaking at the dialogue, the Executive Director of PACJA, Dr Mithika Mwenda, who represented the African climate justice perspective, said the success of the global transition should not be measured solely by reductions in fossil fuel consumption or the retirement of fossil fuel infrastructure.
He argued that the transition should also be assessed by its contribution to expanding energy access, transforming economies and promoting sustainable development.
Mwenda stressed that Africa’s energy transition must support broader structural economic transformation while addressing the constraints that prevent countries on the continent from pursuing ambitious but development-compatible climate policies.
He also called on developed countries to take the lead in reducing fossil fuel dependence, citing their historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions and their greater financial and technological capabilities.
The roadmap, established at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, last year, is anchored on the principle that a just, orderly and equitable transition should stimulate development, expand access to affordable modern energy, protect workers and communities, and recognise different national development circumstances.
It also acknowledges that countries can pursue different pathways while working towards the same global climate objectives.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had underscored the importance of the initiative during the COP30 Leaders’ Summit, declaring that the world needed a clear roadmap to end its dependence on fossil fuels.
At the Antalya dialogue, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres also reiterated the need to accelerate the global transition from fossil fuels to clean energy, describing it as essential to addressing the climate crisis, strengthening economic security and reducing vulnerability to energy price shocks.
He said the transition was no longer optional but a critical necessity for achieving the global climate goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Guterres, however, emphasised that countries required different forms of support depending on their economic structures and energy infrastructure.
He noted that countries without adequate electricity grids needed different assistance from those whose economies depended heavily on oil and gas revenues.
“Developed countries, development banks and other partners must coordinate finance, technology and capacity building around those priorities,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Simon Stiell, expressed optimism that the COP30 Presidency’s roadmap would help identify barriers to the transition and areas requiring stronger international cooperation.
He described the initiative as a vital tool for accelerating the delivery of clean energy objectives and building on existing climate initiatives.
Also speaking, the COP30 President, André Corrêa do Lago, outlined plans to develop and launch two critical roadmaps to support the implementation of decisions reached under the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake (GST).
He said the roadmaps were designed to advance the implementation of consensus decisions from the GST and provide practical tools for addressing climate change.
As discussions continue at COP31, PACJA and other African civil society organisations are calling for stronger national ownership of the transition process, meaningful participation of communities, workers and civil society, and practical mechanisms for measuring progress.
They also stressed the need to ensure that international support translates into tangible development outcomes for African countries.
The organisations maintained that a global transition away from fossil fuels must not deepen existing inequalities or undermine Africa’s development aspirations, but should instead deliver affordable energy, economic opportunities and climate justice.
