Former Vice-President of the United States of America, and environmentalist, Albert Arnold Gore also known as Al Gore is urging African governments to emulate the Nigerian example and remove subsidies on fossil fuel usage as a way of increasing the penetration of clean energy sources.
He explained that the subsidies on petroleum products make it cheaper than renewable energies such as solar, thereby making renewable energy usage unattractive and expensive for the ordinary citizenry.
“My advice is to remove the subsidies on fossil fuel, and that will stimulate the adoption of solar and wind energy. Just as it did in Nigeria. If the taxpayer is no longer enjoying subsidies, fossil fuels will not be artificially cheap as they are now.
Al Gore told selected journalists at the sidelines of the Climate Reality Leadership training held from 13-15 November 2023 at the International Conference Centre in Accra, Ghana.
His advice comes on the back of calls globally for the phasing out of fossil fuel sources amidst growing concerns that the usage of such fuels is polluting the environment and that their continuous use will cause long-term harm to the climate of the entire planet.
“And so the competition between a diesel and solar is unequal.”
According to him, it is important for people the world over to become abreast of the global climate change menace and what the solutions are, and to give them the opportunity to network with those who also want solutions.
He expressed his displeasure over the unfair allocation of funds meant for climate mitigation and adaptation.
” The developing countries that have done the least to cause this climate crisis and are hit the hardest by the crises. Yet they have fewer resources to be resilient and to defend the infrastructure and people who are affected.
He therefore called for reforms of the global system for the allocation of capital to make resources more available to developing countries for them to participate in the sustainability revolution.
The Climate Reality Leader training is an initiative of Al Gore. The three-day event was used to educate people about climate change and how it can addressed.
Reporting by Nana Oye Ankrah in Accra
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