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“Africa must be a thought leader on matters environment and energy. Dr Confidence Moloko writes

   "Petropolitics is not the game of the faint hearted."


The political economy of energy and OPEC is guarded jealously. It is fraught with dynamics that make it the subject of the rich and privileged.


We have recently witnessed how, in the heat of global discussions and fight for dominance, members of the Cabinet of the Republic of South Africa were talking at cross purposes as if their political party, the ANC has no clear policy position on these matters.


I am going to challenge your stand on environmental issues and call open Africa to lead the world by becoming thought leaders on the matter: not just decrease of greenhouse gas emissions.


Africa has a solution which the USA and Western Europe will not accept because it will break the dominance of the UN by developed countries which use the promise of investment as a bait when mist of the money budgeted for developing nations never leaves the USA, European Union Offices and capitals of Western Europe.


The solution is simple:

  1. Make everybody concede that coal, oil and gas are all fossil fuels, and that it is folly to continue with oil and gas field acquisitions whilst forcing developing countries not to coal.
  2. Champion the adoption of a resolution that gives these world bodies to adopt the Wangari Mathaai approach of protection of fauna and flora and reforestation on one side and the Al Gore approach of decreasing the emission of greenhouse gases.
  3. Get Africa to commit, like Australia and China, that all fossil fuels including coal will be used but that advanced technology will be developed in Africa to minimize environmental damage.


The USA cannot go to war to own water and gas; and thereafter tell us that ice is poisonous, we must not use it and they will give us money to bask in the sun.


We had COP-26 which took place as France and the USA continued to grab oilfields and gas fields all over the world, including Northern Moçambique. How long is it going to take the USA and French oil and gas companies to exhaust these gas and oil fields of Moçambique? 100s of years from now.


We are being blinded by the few in power, in business and in top government position, who are amassing wealth from imposing changes to South Africa’s adopted balanced energy mix which comprise of a healthy balance of sources which are renewables, coal, oil, gas and nuclear.


We have brains. Europe has built its economy on coal. It is still clinging on me oil and gas fields of the Middle East. It is exploring the northern seas.


Africa must stop being “Ya! Baas!” to Europe. Accelerated innovation, technology and manufacturing especially of energy products must be the motivation to develop the necessary tools to use all fossil fuels with little or no damage to the environment.”

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