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By Correspondent, Nairobi-
A new United Nations report warns that the world is heading towards a dangerous climate future, putting African communities at greater risk and increasing the urgency of cutting emissions and funding climate protection.
African governments must accelerate the transition to renewable energy to strengthen their economies and help limit dangerous warming, think tank Power Shift Africa said as the new UN study warned that global climate action remains far off track.
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Emissions Gap Report 2026 finds that decades of insufficient action have made exceeding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming threshold by more than a small, temporary amount unavoidable.
However, UNEP, which is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, also highlights the rapid growth of renewable energy and evidence that government policies can successfully reduce emissions. Decisions taken now can still limit how high temperatures rise and establish a pathway back to 1.5°C by the end of the century.
Power Shift Africa said African countries should use the findings to accelerate clean energy development, expand electricity access, and build competitive economies, while avoiding investments that deepen dependence on fossil fuels.
Mohamed Adow, Director of Power Shift Africa, said:
“Africa’s low contribution to global emissions is no reason to sit out the clean energy transition. Our governments should be pursuing renewable energy because it can deliver the electricity, jobs, and economic opportunities our people need while helping prevent further warming.
“The choice is about what kind of development we build. African countries can expand energy access and grow their economies through clean power, rather than deepen dependence on fuels whose prices and supply we cannot control. We should seize that opportunity.”
What the report finds
The Emissions Gap Report compares the emissions expected under governments’ policies and pledges with the reductions needed to meet global temperature goals.
Its key findings include:
- Current policies point towards approximately 2.8°C of warming by 2100, with temperatures continuing to rise thereafter. Full delivery of national climate pledges, followed by similar efforts, would limit warming to approximately 2.6°C.
- Existing climate pledges remain inadequate. They would reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by 11–15% by 2035 compared with 2025. The report’s lowest achievable overshoot pathway requires a 45% reduction over that period.
- Renewable energy has outperformed expectations. Since the Paris Agreement, global renewable electricity capacity has grown three times faster than anticipated in 2015 policy projections, with solar deployment growing seven times faster.
- The global renewable energy goal remains achievable. Continuing recent deployment trends, supported by additional policies, could put the world on track to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030.
- Clean energy growth must be accompanied by a transition away from fossil fuels. Global supplies of coal, oil, and gas continue to rise, and progress in reducing emissions remains insufficient.
Turning Africa’s clean energy potential into development
Power Shift Africa called on African governments to translate their renewable energy ambitions into practical investment plans, backed by clear policies and stronger public institutions.
Priorities include modernising electricity grids, expanding connections, supporting distributed renewable energy and storage, and making it easier to develop clean energy projects. Governments should also invest in skills and local businesses so that more of the jobs and economic value created by the transition remain in Africa.
Adow said:
“Announcing renewable energy targets is not enough. Governments must invest in grids, remove unnecessary barriers to projects, and create the conditions for affordable capital to flow. Success should be measured in reliable electricity reaching homes and businesses and in new opportunities for African workers and entrepreneurs.
“Our ambition should go beyond installing solar panels and wind turbines. Clean electricity can power African factories, support agricultural processing, and help businesses grow. We need policies that connect the energy transition to a wider strategy for jobs and industrial development.”
The organisation said access to affordable finance remains essential. African governments should strengthen investment conditions while pressing for international financial reforms that lower the cost of capital and support national development priorities.
Adow added:
“Finance is a real barrier, but African governments also have decisions within their control. They can prioritise clean energy in national plans, improve procurement and regulation, and direct public investment towards the infrastructure that makes renewable power useful.
“This report is a warning about the costs of delay, but it also shows that progress is possible. Africa should help shape the clean energy economy and secure its benefits for our people. Waiting while others build the industries of the future would be a costly mistake.”
