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environmental policy 69 Climate change and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration: an African perspective* By M. Sengul, A.E. Pillay, C.G. Francis and M. Elkadi † 1. Carbon Dioxide: A Global Threat? Climate change is at the centre of increasing global concern. Average air and sea temperatures have increased appreciably during the last century. The international and scientific communities are in agreement that most of this increase is due to the rising carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) concentration in the Earth’s atmosphere mainly from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Amongst possible solutions for the reduction of excessive greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide 1 . This paper focuses on the extent to which some countries in Africa have contributed to global warming, and explores some of the solutions proposed to sequester carbon dioxide to alleviate the impact of climate change. Since 1990 carbon dioxide emissions in Africa have increased by about 50%. The total carbon dioxide emissions of the entire African continent are not, however, anywhere near those of countries such as India or China. Yet certain African countries have per capita emissions comparable to some European countries. What is the outlook for Africa? How should African countries respond as it becomes increasingly likely that climate change is occurring? Increased industrial growth and more foreign investment in Africa, especially in countries that are politically and economically stable, have led to huge commercial developments such as the In Salah gas project in Algeria, which releases more than a million tons of carbon dioxide annually; and synthetic fuel plants and power stations in Trade & Industry <strong>Monitor</strong> * This paper was first published in the International Journal of Environmental Studies, 64:5 (October 2007). † Author Sengul is from Schlumberger Carbon Services, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Authors Pillay, Francis and Elkadi are from The Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE South Africa that generate more than 350 million tons per year. In this perspective should some African countries be required to limit greenhouse gas emissions or should they be immune to ‘environmental taxation’? This paper critically reviews the carbon dioxide problem in some parts of Africa and its role in climate change.
Environmental policy 70 The recently released Fourth IPCC Assessment Report 2 declares: Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level. to create agricultural land. Although the contribution of anthropogenic carbon dioxide may seem to be insignificant when compared to the ~200 Gt of carbon (> 700 Gt of carbon dioxide) that naturally exchanges each year between the atmosphere, the oceans and the land masses 3,4 , it is sufficient to influence the radiation balance of the Earth. 2. Outlook for Africa Trade & Industry <strong>Monitor</strong> This is a definitive statement from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that global warming is happening. The IPCC also maintain that it is very likely 2 that much of the observed warming since the middle of the 20th century can be directly attributed to increasing concentrations in the atmosphere of anthropogenic greenhouse gases – gases resulting principally from human activities. Extensive studies of ice cores reveal that atmospheric concentrations of three of the principal anthropogenic greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – have been increasing steadily since the beginning of the industrial era 2,3 . Carbon dioxide is the major contributor (between 50 and 60%) to the anthropogenic greenhouse effect, while methane and nitrous oxide, as well as the halocarbons and tropospheric ozone, together contribute the remaining 40–50% 3,4 . Because of this, considerable time and effort are being spent in trying to control emissions of anthropogenic carbon dioxide. If we consider the source of this anthropogenic carbon dioxide, the majority is due to the use of natural gas, oil and coal to produce energy or, for transportation. For example, global emissions of carbon dioxide resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels 5 in 2003 represented 26.0 Gt (table 1) 6 . The rest of the emissions, estimated to be ~6 Gt per year 3 , arise through changes in land use, principally as a result of deforestation When the conclusions of the IPCC 2 are considered within an African perspective, the questions that come to mind are: to what extent is the African continent contributing to the problem of global warming through its emissions of carbon dioxide? And, should some countries in Africa be required to limit their emissions under the Kyoto protocol? It is clear from table 1 that Africa is responsible for only a small part (3.6%) of global carbon dioxide emissions arising from fossil fuel use, despite having a population of close to 900 million – roughly 14% of the world’s population 7 . With 0.94 Gt of carbon dioxide, the African continent emits less than single nations such as China, India, Russia, Japan and the USA 8 . In addition, per capita emissions in Africa (1.1 t/year of carbon dioxide), represent 25% of the world average, and a mere 5% of annual per capita emissions in North America (table 1). However, when the data for Africa are further refined, a very different picture emerges. Figure 1 shows that considerable variation in total emissions of carbon dioxide exists in the different regions of Africa, with Northern Africa and Southern Africa being responsible for a significant proportion of the emissions on the African continent 8 . A closer look tells us that South Africa produces 40% of the emissions of the continent, or 356 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, while Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Libya and Morocco together provide a further 44%. There is also a significant imbalance when per capita emissions of carbon dioxide for Table 1: Carbon dioxide emissions for the year 2003 6 . Carbon dioxide emissions (Gt of CO 2 ) a Per capita carbon dioxide emissions (t of CO 2 ) a World 26.0 4.1 Africa 0.94 1.1 Asia and Pacific 9.72 2.6 Europe 6.80 8.3 Latin America and Caribbean 1.33 2.4 North America 6.43 19.8 Polar 0.001 10.0 West Asia 0.79 7.2 a Gt = gigatons; t = tons; 1 Gt = 109 tons.
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