As an agrarian-based economy, Ethiopia is one of the least developed countries in the world. The role of the industry sector to the economy is significant. Nevertheless, the sector is heavily dependent on carbon-based energy such as coal and petroleum.
Ethiopia, though, does not contribute for global warming through gas emissions; it suffers a great deal from the impact of climate change induced by carbon emissions released by the advanced industrial world. The agriculture sector is heavily vulnerable to climate change and global warming and in time of extreme weather conditions crop failure will occur.
Ethiopia annually spends about three billion Dollars for importation of petroleum oil, mostly used for transportation, industry and electric power generation. When the world oil market is hit by inflation, Ethiopia will take the inflated price, which again puts pressure on the domestic economy.
In its venture to build a climate-resilient green economy, Ethiopia strives to develop a climate-friendly renewable energy sector. Among the resources that can be used for cultivating climate-friendly energy are hydropower, solar, geothermal, wind, and others.
Therefore, exploiting the renewable energy sources has been taken as a way out. Currently Ethiopia could develop more than eight thousand megawatts of electricity from hydropower, but still half of the populations do not have access to modern energy.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which has a capacity to produce more than 6000 megawatts of hydropower, is expected to change the nation’s energy landscape. In addition to meeting the local demand, the energy generated from the dam can be exported to the neighboring countries.
So far, Ethiopia exports hydropower energy to Sudan and Djibouti. The ongoing stretching of the electric line to Kenya has also reached its final phase. Hence, we can say that the sector, in addition to economic integration, plays a pivotal role for political stability in the Horn.
As Ethiopia is located near the tropic zone, it has a potential to produce up to 45 thousand megawatts of electric power from solar energy. In fact, exploiting energy resources needs investment, technology and skilled manpower in which the nation has its own limitations in these regards. Therefore, opening the market to the foreign investors is essential. So far, the number of foreign investors engaged in exploring and exploiting of the resources is increasing.
The US based company and the Reykjavik joint venture engaged in exploring the geothermal resources in Aluto Langano in the rift valley region can be mentioned in this regard.
The companies invested up to 400 million USD and according to sources, the project is nearing completion. Studies also indicate that there are abundant geothermal resources in Afar State which needs investment for exploitation.
It is proved that Energy development helps to attract foreign investment, technology and knowledge transfer. Moreover it paves the way for developing carbon free economy. In addition to these, it enhances the role of the private sector led economy.
Countries such as Egypt benefit from exporting its natural gas to Europe and Ethiopia can also boost its economy through exporting energy sources from its abundant natural gas obtained in Somali region.
The development of wind farms in the various parts of the country can put additional energy into the national grid. Ethiopia is a mountainous country which has a huge source of wind, which is vital to developing renewable energy, and if it is further exploited, it boosts the sector. The Mekele, Adama and Assela wind farms can be mentioned as examples. The government endeavors to let the private sector play a pivotal role in the economy and in this regard, a conducive environment is availed. New rules and regulations are introduced.
The expansion of human knowledge which ignites the invention of technology accelerated development from time to time and later paved the way to change human and animal labor into steam engine for moving vehicles and rail transport.
Following this progress, the exploitation of coal and petroleum oil helped to advance industrialization. However both coal and petroleum have still a hazardous effect on the environment responsible for global warming.
The emission of gas released from the transport sector and industries brought disastrous impact on the environment since the beginning of the industrial revolution 200 years ago and it has been a pressing issue to humankind to date.
Developing countries which relied on agriculture economy suffer from extreme climate effect and their economy is indulged in turmoil, poverty became rampant, unemployment rate also alarmingly increasing.
Worried by the growing climate change and global warming, scientists from all over the world gathered in 1972 in Stockholm Sweden and discussed the matter. At the end of the discussion participants agreed to take the matter to the United Nations to grab attention. Since then to reduce emission gas climate negotiations between the advanced industrialized and developing countries has resumed.
By now countries of the world have reached consensus that the advanced countries are responsible for the global warming and their development path had been hazardous which was unfriendly to the environment. Developing countries which still are less industrialized very little contributed to the global warming but they are victims of carbon emission.
Therefore, they should be compensated by the advanced countries. In the successive discussions, developed countries pledged to reduce their emission so that containing the global warming at current level can be possible. In addition they promised to support poor countries financially to change their utilization of carbon based energy in to renewable energy sources. To full fill their pledge, some European countries tried to reduce the utilization of coal and petroleum for their industries by promoting the usage of renewable energy such as solar and hydropower.
But countries such as the USA and others showed reluctance to meet the objective of the climate negotiation. Even the current US president Donald Trump when he was in his office four years ago, totally denied the occurrence of global warming by anthropogenic factors rather claiming that the phenomena is natural.
On the other hand, countries such as China and India argue that though they are rapidly industrialized, as compare to the emission rate of the US and European is not significant.
They further argue that their emission gas rate when it is divided to their population number, it is very law so that their emission is not an exception rather it is normal.
Therefore, they claim that unlike the western countries reduction of emission should not be obligatory to them. Nevertheless, as no country is immune from the impact of global warming and climate change USA and China have taken some initiative by their own to develop none renew able energy sources and in these regard the greening of the vegetation cover and developing solar energy by China can be mentioned as exemplary.
Not to repeat the past mistake done by the industrialized western countries, developing countries peruse environmental friendly economic development program. They tried to shift their energy utilization from carbon based to that of renewable energy.
The boosting of solar, geothermal and wind energy sources in Africa and other developing countries witnessed currently are encouraging. For exploring and exploiting of the resources, they could attract billions of Dollars in the form of investment.
Ethiopia abides by the international agreements to reduce emission of gas and to pursue the development of climate resilient green economy. According to the Commission for Environment Forest and Climate Change, Ethiopia contributes very little to global warming and the sectors such as agriculture and transport in this regard have their own share. The clearance of forest for the expansion of agriculture farm poses the release of emission of gas from clearing of forest. The livestock waste also has its own share for emission.
To mitigate the problem various measures have been taken by the government. Encouraging farmers to enhance productivity in their small plot of land by utilizing modern inputs without finding additional lands can be mentioned here. Cattle herders both in the high and low lands are also advised to reduce the number of their animals and practice rearing their cattle with herding in fenced places.
To mitigate emission of gas released from the transportation sector so far the introduction of electric powered light rail transit in the capital can be mentioned here. The banning of oil based vehicles and encouraging the importation of electric based one also can be mentioned as bold measure.
The mass transportation system utilized by electric powered train reduced the emission of gas that would have been released from petroleum based mini buses.
The shift from utilizing carbon based energy sources to the renewable one, in addition to halting climate change it helps the nation to boost its economy and uplift the living standard of citizens.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 9 MARCH 2025
