US complains about African oil and gas extraction

DAKAR, Senegal (Reuters) – U.S. climate envoy John Kerry has cautioned against investing in long-term natural gas projects in Africa as some countries in the region look to capitalize on recent oil and gas discoveries for how to harness clean energy. Struggling to push it forward.

“We’re not saying there’s no gas,” Kerry said Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of African environment ministers in Dakar, Senegal.

“What we’re saying is that in the next few years, natural gas will replace coal or oil,” the former secretary of state and Democratic presidential candidate said, adding that natural gas could be used as a transition to clean energy.

But Kerry added that capturing gas emissions will also be important beyond 2030.

Continued financing of oil and gas projects in Africa has become a key issue for the countries, which they plan to push at the UN climate summit in Egypt in November.

Senegal and other countries in the region aim to start producing oil and gas, which they hope will help boost their power production, power industry and curb energy poverty.

According to the International Energy Agency, more than 600 million people (43% of Africa’s population) lack access to electricity, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

African countries argue that they need investment to develop energy resources, including oil and gas, and that developed countries, including the United States, last year pledged to limit investment in fossil fuels unjustly.

The question now, Kerry said, is how to help countries that emit very little carbon grow without making the mistakes others have made, making them as green as possible without causing more problems.

The viability of long-term gas projects could be in question after 2030, he said, with many developed countries having set target dates to shift mainly to renewables and curb demand for natural gas.

Such long-term projects may not pay for themselves within 10 years, Kerry said, adding that some countries are talking about projects with lifespans of up to 40 years, which are unnecessary.

“We don’t have to rush back, we need to be very careful about how much we’re going to deploy, how we pay for it, for how long and how we capture emissions,” Kerry said.

Developed countries need to step up their efforts to address the urgency to help other countries adapt and overcome initial barriers to developing renewable energy systems, he said.

Kerry said the U.S. has committed $12 billion for “adaptation and resilience” and is working on a new structure that will bring trillions of dollars to more big investors.

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