How Climate Investors Can Help Accelerate Energy Access in Africa

The climate crisis is the world’s greatest existential threat − but the race to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve global net zero is often perceived as at odds with the scale of economic growth needed to tackle poverty in emerging markets. Robust research now disproves this tension. A recent study by Catalyst Off-Grid Advisors with The Rockefeller Foundation and Shell Foundation, shows that the quickest and most affordable way to deliver inclusive economic growth in Africa is in fact to invest in ‘Decentralised Renewable Energy’ solutions, which provide an opportunity for climate-first funders to avoid 626 m/t CO2e while delivering universal energy access in Africa by 2030 − helping to achieve several of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and global net-zero emissions by 2050.