The discussions were coordinated by David Baché, journalist and RFI correspondent in Bamako. The speakers were Abdoulaye Bayoko, researcher at UNDP (United Nations Development Program) in charge of climate change-related issues; Ousmane Ouattara, agricultural engineer and Executive Secretary of Mali Folkcenter Nyetaa, an NGO specialized in renewable energies and which provides the secretariat for Réso Climat Mali (comprising around a hundred associations working on climate change issues); Pierre Montagne, researcher at CIRAD (Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) in charge of Fonabes, a fuelwood project in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso; and Sidi Konaté, national coordinator for Mali’s communication on climate change and in charge of preparing Mali’s national contribution for COP21. The conference was introduced by the France’s ambassador to Mali, M. Gilles Huberson. You will find the conference summary below.
Livelihoods affected
“The decrease in rainfall, droughts, higher temperatures, increase in wind speeds and extreme climate events such as flooding”, are the most visible consequences of climate change in West African countries, and especially in Mali (Abdoulaye Bayoko): Disorders “which affect the livelihoods of populations”, who are are heavily dependent on farming activities: “reduction in soil fertility, reduction in water resources, and reduction in wood resources for fuelwood.”
Develop renewable energies
Based on this observation, Ousmane Ouattara considers that the energy transition and promotion of renewable energies is the “only response able to reconcile development and environmental protection”. “Africa holds huge potential” according to Ousmane Ouattara, who mentions solar energy, biomass and hydropower. However, the share of renewable energies in Africa’s mix only stands at 16.48% today, a figure which even falls to less then 1% if hydropower is not included. Lack of access to financing, inequalities between rural and urban areas: there are difficulties. But Ousmane Ouattara also notes that the costs of technology, particular for solar energy, “have been falling for several years”, which makes it more and more accessible. Developing this potential would improve access to the electricity network for communities, but also to healthcare and the other basic services, and would create “green jobs”, which generate income. According to Ousmane Ouattara, the combined thermal-solar systems installed by his NGO in Mali have demonstrated their effectiveness, their accessibility (low procurement and maintenance costs), and have set in motion a development process in rural areas. In order to fast track renewable energy development, Ousamane Ouattara advocates for “an improvement in regulatory legal policies” (although “efforts are already being made”, for example, for the suspension of certain taxes), for a greater integration of renewable energies in the different sectors of the economy, for the development of human resources, and for the introduction of innovative financing mechanisms.
“The forest that we leave untouched is a myth!”
Pierre Montagne, for his part, supports another solution for energy adaptation: the fuelwood sector. “Population growth brings about agricultural clearance”, explains Pierre Montagne, contrary to what he deems to be a misconception, “It is one of the main causes of peri-urban deforestation”. He says that the quantity of carbon stored in forests exploited by man is certainly lower than in a forest left to nature, but it also regenerates more quickly: “It is in our interest to manage forests, the forest that we leave untouched is a myth!”. Pierre Montagne consequently advocates for forest development, based on rotations and wooded parks which stabilize timber production, curb forest degradation and avoid social crises that can lead to restrictions in the sale of wood. Logging can therefore be seen as “an important source for the economy in rural areas”, which goes even beyond fuelwood, with the emergence of village loggers who develop their village.
Mali: A carbon sink
For the specific case of Mali, Sidi Konaté points out that the country is a carbon “sink”: “What is absorbed is 192,000 gigagrams higher than what is emitted!”. Changes in land and forest use and reforestation allow CO2 to be captured. Emissions come from the residential sector (domestic use) and transport. “It is developed countries that emit the most greenhouse gases”, Sidi Konaté reminds us, “Africa’s share only stands at 3 or 4%, but it is the poorest countries that suffer the consequences”. Advocating for a “common but differentiated responsibility”, he calls on Northern countries to fulfill their commitments to financing adaptation: “All the promises that are made are no more than window dressing: they are insufficient and are not kept!”.
