Published by Oil Change International
October 2023
Despite the accelerating climate emergency, the fossil gas industry has big plans for growth in Africa. Over 20,000 kilometers of planned gas pipelines and around 30 gas extraction areas are in development across the continent. This fact sheet, “The Climate Case Against Gas Expansion,” highlights the critical need to stop the growing the fossil gas industry in Africa. Plans to develop new gas fields and expand gas consumption – in Africa or anywhere – are incompatible with the crucial 1.5C climate limit and would compound Africa’s already heightened climate vulnerability.
This is the first factsheet in a forthcoming series that details why fossil gas is dangerous for our planet and our communities in Africa, and how gas acts as a barrier to the energy transition we need for a safe, secure and healthy future. The technologies are available today to leapfrog fossil gas straight to clean energy. But the proposed expansion of gas production and exports in Africa risks further locking in fossil fuels, diverting finance away from clean energy, and perpetuating the harm caused by fossil fuel development.