Gas Has ‘Transitional Role’ in Africa’s Green Goals, EU Says
- EU’s Timmermans says that renewables, gas can aid shift
- Activists criticize EU for locking Africa into fossil fuels
Frans Timmermans speaks during the COP27 climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Photographer: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images
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Natural gas can play a transitional role in Africa’s development to a greener economy, the European Union’s climate chief Frans Timmermans said in response to climate activists’ concerns about locking the continent into fossil fuels.
While renewable energy is becoming cheaper globally, Timmermans said he understands Africa’s need to monetize its fossil-fuel resources. The EU and member states like Germany are currently turning to countries like Senegal and Algeria to help make up for a shortfall in Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine.