Use clean energy to curtail emissions, climate change

For decades, fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas have been major sources of electricity production. But burning carbon fuels produces large amounts of greenhouse gases, which harm people and the environment through the climate crisis.

Global electricity use is rising rapidly as without it countries cannot power their economies. But reliance on fossil fuels is unsustainable; we must change the way we produce and consume energy.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC) research has identified the key contributors of greenhouse gases by economic sectors, with generation of heat energy and electrical power contributing a quarter of total GHGs.

World Resources Institute says Africa emits 2-3 per cent of carbon dioxide from energy and industrial sources—at 0.8 tonnes per person, compared to a global figure of 3.9 tonnes, in 2000.

Despite the relatively low emissions, the continent is the most vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

Renewable energy solutions are key in ensuring that the critical resource is cheaper, more reliable and more efficient. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) dictate that, by 2030, we should ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

African countries have outlined bold objectives to build climate-resilient and low-carbon economies in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement and conscious companies must advance business practices to responsibly source, produce, distribute and sell products.

A well-established energy system supports all sectors. Luckily, East Africa has been experiencing a great shift in the energy sector as more organisations invest in renewable energy generation.

Access to clean energy is accelerating as energy efficiency improve and renewable energy makes gains.

Biomass power

East African Breweries Plc (EABL), for instance, has invested billions of shillings in biomass power to replace heavy fuel oils at the plants in Kenya and Uganda.

Earlier this year, the Kenya subsidiary unveiled a Sh5 billion plant, one of the largest in the region, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 95 per cent, which is about 42,000 tonnes a year.

The plants will be powered by sustainable raw materials such as macadamia husks, coffee husks, bagasse and rice husks, creating over 900 direct and indirect green jobs, particularly with local farmers.

Achieving a net-zero status is part of our ‘Society 2030 Strategy’ of creating a sustainable world as the Scope 3 target increases the recycled content of packaging material.

More investment in regenerative agriculture programme is another key element of our integrated approach to climate adaptation.

We must utilise the 50-year window to curtail carbon emissions to reverse adverse climate change effects and prevent global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celcius. Together, we can deliver a coordinated response to the climate emergency.

Ms Mwaniki is the operations director, Kenya Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of EABL. [email protected].