GEO-6 for Youth: Africa
Ahmed Fathy
Grace Andahwa
economic growth with environmental sustainability. Scientific research plays a vital role in tackling Africa’s sustainability challenges: power supply, agriculture, and health. These challenges are the most critical because of their interdependency, synergies, and trade-offs, as well as their effects on other sectors (Water-energy-food-health nexus). The following sections discuss the different sustainability challenges in Africa and the role of young researchers in tackling them.
1.5.1 Sustainable power supply
Group of different immigrant birds in Wadi El Rayan protected area in Egypt during winter. The birds include: Little egrets, great egrets and seagulls
Six hundred and twenty million Africans lack access to electricity, short-circuiting their chances of achieving economic prosperity and improved quality of life (UNEP 2014). There is, therefore, a direct link between economic growth and electricity supply. This is evident in both developed and developing economies. The availability of energy has a direct impact on economic growth (World Economic Forum [WEF] 2012). In particular, South Africa and Botswana are enjoying a relatively stable power supply which is believed to be responsible for the persistent and stable growth of their respective economies.
As established in the previous section, jobs in many sectors (e.g., agriculture, mining and fossil fuel-based energy) rely directly on natural resources and by virtue of economic linkages, many other sectors also rely on them indirectly. In light of increasing scarcity of natural resources, hitting the planet’s ecological limits and by exceeding the earth’s capacity to absorb waste and emissions, these jobs could be threatened. However, a lush green economy could secure these existing jobs while also being responsible for the generation of new decent jobs (International Labour Organization [ILO] 2018). Switching to a green economy mindful of safeguarding the environment and mitigating climate change would also help minimize environmental disruptions to economic activities.
Such a green economy presents countless opportunities for youth action. Because it is low-carbon, a green economy can replenish ecosystems; because it is resource efficient, it can ensure sustainability of Africa’s resources; andbecause it is socially inclusive, it can guarantee youth a share of any economic gains resulting from ecological replenishment (UNEP 2011).
1.5 Young African scientists and sustainability
The United Nations Environment Programme's Sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) Regional Assessment for Africa produced scientific evidence for supporting environmental policy. This underscores the importance of science in decision-making (UNEP 2016a) that will anchor Africa’s sustainable development.
Indeed, the growing concerns for Africa’s sustainability challenges have promoted a development and research agenda to balance
6 A lantern popularly used in rural Kenya
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