Africa Should ‘Leapfrog’ the Rest of the World When It Comes to Renewable Energy

As told to Laura Millan Lombraña

“Africa’s biggest challenge, both on climate and the virus, is its infrastructure deficit. There’s a lack of access to water, sanitation; [there’s] overcrowding of spaces. This is where the virus starts to connect with the climate: In informal urban settlements, the disease can spread fast because of overcrowding and lack of access to water—and when you have lots of people in a very small place, lacking public services and welfare systems, it’s only going to make them more vulnerable to climate events like heat, floods, or storms. We need to build better housing with access to water and sanitation that reduces overcrowding, but also houses that are ­energy-efficient and that increase our resilience to shocks.