COP26: IoT Can Push Africa’s Inclusion In Protecting The Ecosystem

On the 31st October, all through the 12th of November 2021, players and leaders in the industries that play a huge role in the climate economy, examined how their activities affect the climate and the environment. They were present to give their thoughts and offer solutions on what the world can do differently.

The third largest city in the United Kingdom-Glasgow was the host to the yearly UN’s Climate change conference. Leaders from around the world converged there to talk about the environment, the way forward and what the world can do better as it affects climate change.

The focus on this year’s conference is responsibility and working together to help countries that are affected by climate change. It is also focused on how to help these countries and other countries restore and protect the ecosystems, build defenses, resilient infrastructure and agriculture to avoid loss of homes.

On responsibility and the need to work together to fix the issues on climate change, Joe Biden, the president of the United States Of America said in his tweet: “today, I am in Glasgow to kick off COP26. Climate change is the challenge of our collective lifetimes-the existential threat to human existence as we know it. And everyday we delay, the cost of inaction increases. Let this be the moment that we answer history’s call”

What Is The Focus For Africa?

Every year, Africa and its leaders’ focus is on how the continent can move towards cleaner fuel. In the climate change conference in October 2021, one of the top questions was: how would poor countries afford the expense of ditching fossil fuels in favor of renewable energy?

For Africa, the best question in this decade is how the continent can prevent the effect of the activities that happen in the process of harvesting or making fossil fuels. Fossil fuels are not inexpensive as they are made to appear.

This expense is not only in the fact that felling of trees has led to deforestation, it can be seen in the ripple effect of illegal immigration within the continent. In the search for food, herders have been forced to move from one country to another within the continent. In doing this, they encroach on farm lands and destroy crops.

Although there are nomadic herders in Africa that have a tradition of moving from one place to another, deforestation and desertification has forced many more herders to move. There is now an increase in farmer/herder clashes across the continent that leads to daily loss of lives and properties. What is more expensive than life?

Fossil Fuels Are Expensive

The popular notion is that the reason for the use of fossil fuels in Africa is because it is less expensive. This is false and very untrue. When we kicked off Gas360, our R&D department found out that clean cooking gas is as affordable as charcoal and wood. The challenge is in the way it is sold and consumed in Africa.

Fossil fuels are sold in smaller quantities, therefore it feels like it is less expensive. Renewable energy like LPG on the other hand, is sold in cylinder bottles and there is no room for the consumers to buy in small quantities. Fossil fuels and bad fuels are a source of death globally and they are not cheap. They contribute to the cost of health and also contribute to the damage of the ecosystem.

How IoT Will Change Things

Interestingly, the conversation is not only focused on how poor countries can move from fossil fuel to cleaner energy, there is also a concern on the cost of doing that. We thought about this at Gas360. As an AI cleantech, our vision at GAS360 is to drive up clean cooking adoption and access across Africa, using technology.

One of our models is our pay-as-you-use smart meter technology. This meter will allow low income earners in Africa, to have access to clean cooking fuels and thereby remove the barrier that is experienced in the adoption of LPG across homes in Africa.

With our system, one may want to argue that this does not solve the challenge of affordability. However, it does. The woman whose source of livelihood is dependent on the street snacks that she sells everyday is at risk of dying prematurely. Her source of energy is charcoal or wood. But with Gas360, this woman can have access to clean cooking fuel by enrolling into our scheme where she is able to purchase the fuel in small quantities of $0.5USD on a daily basis and pay over a period of 24 months for the equipment.

IoT will also open up access for accurate data collection and efficiency in the clean cooking fuel sector. As the world is moving to net zero, African leaders are committing to that agreement. There is a need for accurate data to drive this initiative. As we continue to build a connectivity grid that collects and sends information, our smart meters will help to drive the inclusion of every home in Africa. Even down to the rural areas.

For us, the vision is large. We agree that Africa needs to move from fossil fuels to renewable energy. We are committed to making that happen. The long term effect is a cleaner environment and less deforestation. This will in turn eliminate the clashes that happen across the continent. Africa is committed to a cleaner climate, and so are we.