By Hon. Prof. Kariuki Muigua, OGW, PhD, C.Arb, FCIArb is a Professor of Environmental Law and Dispute Resolution at the University of Nairobi, Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration, Leading Environmental Law Scholar, Respected Sustainable Development Policy Advisor, Top Natural Resources Lawyer, Highly-Regarded Dispute Resolution Expert and Awardee of the Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) of Kenya by H.E. the President of Republic of Kenya. He is The African ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, The African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, ADR Practitioner of the Year in Kenya 2021, CIArb (Kenya) Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 and ADR Publisher of the Year 2021 and Author of the Kenya’s First ESG Book: Embracing Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) tenets for Sustainable Development” (Glenwood, Nairobi, July 2023) and Kenya’s First Two Climate Change Law Book: Combating Climate Change for Sustainability (Glenwood, Nairobi, October 2023), Achieving Climate Justice for Development (Glenwood, Nairobi, October 2023) and Promoting Rule of Law for Sustainable Development (Glenwood, Nairobi, January 2024)*
Energy transition involves the long-term structural change to energy systems. It refers to the change in the composition (structure) of primary energy supply, the gradual shift from a specific pattern of energy provision to a new state of an energy system. Energy transition has also been described as the global energy sector’s shift from fossil-based systems of energy production and consumption including oil, natural gas and coal to renewable energy sources like wind and solar, as well as lithium-ion batteries. Energy transition can also refer to the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources in an effort to reduce CO2 emissions.
The need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy is acknowledged and provided for in several legal and policy instruments. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) acknowledges the need to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. The UNFCCC states that countries whose economies are highly dependent on income generated from the production, processing and export, and/or on consumption of fossil fuels and associated energy-intensive products are highly vulnerable to climate change.
The UNFCCC requires all countries and especially developing countries which are still highly dependent on fossil fuels to explore the possibilities for achieving greater energy efficiency and for controlling greenhouse gas emissions in general, including through the application of new technologies in the energy sector such as renewable energy on terms which make such an application economically and socially beneficial. The UNFCCC therefore sets the stage for global transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
The Paris Agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change, in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty, including by holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. It has been pointed out that though the phrase ‘fossil fuels’ does not appear in the Paris Agreement neither to the terms ‘coal’, ‘oil’ and ‘natural gas’ despite these resources being responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, the omission reflects the decision by national governments, reinforced by industry lobbyists, to focus emissions reduction efforts on reducing the demand for fossil fuels, rather than limiting fossil fuel supply by discouraging or even prohibiting their extraction in the first place. The Paris Agreement therefore envisages the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Implementation of the Paris Agreement is necessary in shifting towards a net-zero emissions world.
The transition from fossil fuels is also envisioned under the United Nations 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 seeks to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Among the targets under SDG 7 include ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services; substantially increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix; doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and enhancing international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. Achieving the targets under SDG 7 is necessary in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy including renewable sources of energy.
In addition, SDG 12 seeks to foster sustainable consumption and production patterns. Among the targets under SDG 12 is to rationalize inefficient fossil-fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by removing market distortions, in accordance with national circumstances, including by restructuring taxation and phasing out those harmful subsidies, where they exist, to reflect their environmental impacts, taking fully into account the specific needs and conditions of developing countries and minimizing the possible adverse impacts on their development in a manner that protects the poor and the affected communities39. Regulation of fossil fuel subsidies has been identified as key measure geared towards shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy. Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy is therefore an essential part of the Sustainable Development agenda.
Transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy is also an important agenda in Africa. Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 posits that the Continent faces enormous energy challenges that include low generation capacity and efficiency, high costs, unstable and unreliable energy supplies, low access to modern energy, insufficient energy infrastructure, and lack of institutional and technical capacity to harness huge resources partly due to dependence on fossil fuels for generation of electricity.
Among the aspirations under Agenda 2063 is to create environmentally sustainable and climate resilient economies and communities in Africa through measures such as the adoption of renewable sources of energy. Agenda 2063 portrays the vision of a Continent where renewable energy (wind, solar, hydro, bioenergy, ocean tidal waves, geothermal and other renewables) will claim more than half of the energy consumption for households, businesses and organizations. Implementing Agenda 2063 is thus necessary in order to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in Africa.
At the regional level, the East African Community Climate Change Policy stipulates the importance of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy within the East African Community (EAC). According to the Policy, energy is the driver of social and economic development in the EAC region, and most of the EAC partner states depend on imported fossil based fuel (oil). The Policy acknowledges that the use of fossil oil is unsustainable due to its high emission factor that is a major contributor to global warming and climate change. It further states that the search for alternative source of energy exacerbated by climate change usually leads to use of fossil based fuel to generate electricity for industrial needs that are also economically costly to the region.
The Policy seeks to increase the availability and accessibility of sustainable, reliable and affordable renewable energy resources in the EAC and urges member states to embrace measures such as scaling up investment in renewable energy technologies to provide access to affordable cleaner energy, improve efficiency in use of biomass energy especially for rural communities; developing appropriate alternative energy sources, policies and measures to increase energy efficiency; devising a precautionary approach to the development of bio-fuels for mitigation and energy in view of food security issues; and improving energy efficiency and promoting clean energy technologies including; hydropower, solar and wind. It is necessary for member states of the EAC to actualize the provisions of this Policy in order to transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.
*This is an extract from the Book: Promoting Rule of Law for Sustainable Development (Glenwood, Nairobi, January 2024) by Hon. Prof. Kariuki Muigua, OGW, PhD, Professor of Environmental Law and Dispute Resolution, Senior Advocate of Kenya, Chartered Arbitrator, Kenya’s ADR Practitioner of the Year 2021 (Nairobi Legal Awards), ADR Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 (CIArb Kenya), African Arbitrator of the Year 2022, Africa ADR Practitioner of the Year 2022, Member of National Environment Tribunal (NET) Emeritus (2017 to 2023) and Member of Permanent Court of Arbitration nominated by Republic of Kenya. Prof. Kariuki Muigua is a foremost Environmental Law and Natural Resources Lawyer and Scholar, Sustainable Development Advocate and Conflict Management Expert in Kenya. Prof. Kariuki Muigua teaches Environmental Law and Dispute resolution at the University of Nairobi School of Law, The Center for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy (CASELAP) and Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies. He has published numerous books and articles on Environmental Law, Environmental Justice Conflict Management, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Sustainable Development. Prof. Muigua is also a Chartered Arbitrator, an Accredited Mediator, the Managing Partner of Kariuki Muigua & Co. Advocates and Africa Trustee Emeritus of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators 2019-2022. Prof. Muigua is a 2023 recipient of President of the Republic of Kenya Order of Grand Warrior (OGW) Award for his service to the Nation as a Distinguished Expert, Academic and Scholar in Dispute Resolution and recognized among the top 5 leading lawyers and dispute resolution experts in Band 1 in Kenya by the Chambers Global Guide 2022 and was listed in the Inaugural THE LAWYER AFRICA Litigation Hall of Fame 2023 as one of the Top 50 Most Distinguished Litigation Lawyers in Kenya and the Top Arbitrator in Kenya in 2023.
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