According to the conclusions of the first African edition of the 2022 Climate Survey of the European Investment Bank (EIB), around 75% of the Angolans surveyed say that climate change is already affecting their daily lives. 57% consider that climate change and environmental damage have affected their income or source of livelihood and 84% of the Angolans surveyed argue that investment in renewable energy should be a priority.
“These results show that Angolans are aware of the negative impact that climate change is having on their lives and the need for support from authorities and international organizations to accelerate the transition to renewable energies and to reduce dependence on food imports, which entails risks and is counterproductive”, European Union Ambassador to Angola, Jeannette Seppen.
The EIB is the financial arm of the European Union and the largest multilateral funder of climate action projects worldwide. Since 2018, it has conducted similar large-scale climate surveys in Europe, China and the United States.
For the vice-president of the EIB, Thomas Östros, “Angola has great potential to increase investments in renewable energies. To meet demand in rural areas, the country seeks to develop small-scale off-grid projects using fossil fuels and renewable energy technologies, namely solar and wind energy, as well as small hydroelectric power stations. Although hydropower accounts for nearly two-thirds of Angola’s installed electricity generation capacity, new renewable energy sources have the potential to further expand the country’s production capacity – and to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels”.
According to the statement sent to news, in addition to renewable energies, “the EIB helped Angola to unlock the development of advanced telecommunications services and improve access to drinking water, and is also committed to increasing the resilience of the energy sector. health”.
Climate change and environmental degradation
The survey results confirm that climate change has had a negative impact on the livelihoods of Angolans, with 57% of respondents stating that their income has been affected by this phenomenon. The losses in question are usually due to severe droughts, rising water levels or coastal erosion or extreme weather events such as floods or hurricanes.
More than half of Angolans, 59%, slightly above the African average of 57%, say that they or people they know have already taken some type of measure to adapt to the impact of climate change. Some of these initiatives include investments in water-saving technologies to reduce the impact of droughts and cleaning drainage ditches in advance of floods.
Although the Angolan formal economy is dominated by the oil and diamond industries, it is estimated that the agricultural sector employs 85% of the active population. Nevertheless, Angola is a net importer of food and, as such, is vulnerable to job and food insecurity arising from climate change.
Investment in energy sources
When asked which source of energy their country should invest in to fight climate change, 84% of the Angolans surveyed (compared to the African average of 76%) say that priority should be given to renewable energies, far away from fuels fossils (8%).
The civil war that raged for decades in Angola resulted in the destruction of much of the country’s infrastructure and prevented significant investments in infrastructure and utility companies outside major cities. About 60% of the Angolan population lives in urban areas, outside of which access to public services is very limited.
The EIB has been active in Africa since 1965. To date, it has invested EUR 59 billion in 52 African countries, supporting infrastructure projects, innovative companies and renewable energy programs in both the public and private sectors, from micro-enterprises to large multinationals.
Africa needs to invest several hundred billion euros a year to face the challenge of climate change, concludes the study.