CHARTING JUST ENERGY TRANSITIONS
One billion people live in poverty in developing countries that are rich in fossil fuels and minerals. They face devastating climate impacts, despite bearing little responsibility for global emissions, and could experience severe economic shocks as global energy markets change. We were at COP27 to advocate for a just and equitable energy transition that unlocks economic opportunity and sustainable development in these countries.
Financing the energy transition
Existing climate finance fails to back energy transitions in resource-rich developing countries. We aim to support evidence-driven public debate about effective financing options for just energy transitions, including finance pathways for gas-producing countries.
Events and Content
Minerals for the transition
Demand for “transition minerals” is set to increase six-fold by 2050. We support mineral-rich countries to adopt policies that make the most of this demand, transform mineral wealth into sustainable development, and reduce risks of corruption and environmental damage in mining regions.
Events and Content
African energy transitions
Reducing poverty and increasing energy access are urgent priorities in resource-rich African countries. We support platforms for dialogue to inform just and equitable African energy transitions that respond to local needs and are based on sound policies.
Events and Content
Country Perspectives
Participate
Join NRGI and partners at COP27—in-person and online—to discuss pathways for just and equitable energy transitions that support inclusive and sustainable development and contribute to global climate objectives.
The recordings from the events are now available.
Africa’s Energy Transition Blueprint: Opportunities and Challenge
Monday 14 November, 4:30–5:30pm EET, South Africa Pavilion, Blue Zone
This session presented a blueprint for Africa’s energy transition, highlighting the opportunities and challenges to getting all African nations on the path to a new energy era. It outlined that Africa is the key to unlocking global Net Zero goals and that countries should not be blindsided by the fossil fuel industry. The event included a short presentation of Carbon Tracker’s latest report. The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreEnsuring Africa’s Rich, Critical Minerals Endowment Crucial to Global Energy Transition is Leveraged to Promote SDG7 on the Continent
Monday 15 November, 7:00–8:00pm EET, Africa Pavilion, P16, Area B, Blue Zone
Africa is a potential enabler of energy transition through its natural resources, including major reserves of critical minerals. A just energy transition would ensure that the development of these resources supports economic prosperity and helps Africa to achieve SDG7 in specific and all the SDGs in general. The event hosted a panel discussion on how mineral projects in Africa can support global energy transitions and regional sustainable development. The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreFrom Oil and Gas to Wind: A Global Pathway for the Just Transition or a Danish Success Story?
Monday 14 November, 3:00–4:00pm EET, Denmark Pavilion, P91, Delegation Pavilion 4, Area C, Blue Zone
A just transition for the oil and gas sector is the next frontier for climate mitigation. The IEA warned that achieving 1.5°C requires making 2020 a decade of massive clean energy expansion and investment globally. Speakers at this event considered the key factors that enable a country to set a course towards an oil and gas production phase-out; how exposure to climate change impacts and/or geopolitical risks influence a country's propensity to restrict fossil fuel supply; how the connection between a country's fossil fuel supply and demand comes into play; and how international collaboration could best be organized.
Read moreCritical Minerals for the Energy Transition
Thursday 17 November, 2:15–3:00pm EET, U.K. Pavilion, Blue Zone
Critical minerals will be fundamental to the energy transition. This event sought to highlight risks in critical mineral supply chains and their consequences for global decarbonization objectives. It aimed to inspire global collaboration to develop new supply and make supply chains more resilient, diverse and responsible. The U.K. hosted this event to promote the conversation about critical minerals and bring together a diverse range of perspectives. The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreHow JETPs could support just energy transition pathways in Africa
Tuesday, 15 November, 1:30–2:30pm EET, Climate Justice Pavilion, Blue Zone
The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) model opens the possibility of new and additional sources of finance for clean energy transition pathways for African countries. NRGI joined this event to discuss how JETPs could support just and equitable transitions in African gas-producing countries. Co-hosted with the World Resources Institute (WRI). The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreMission Critical: Mining Governance for a Just Energy Transition
Saturday 12 November, 6:30–8:00pm EET, Osiris Room, Blue Zone
Meeting the Paris Agreement’s mitigation goals requires the deployment of low-carbon technologies that rely heavily on minerals. This makes the mining sector critical in the fight against climate change. Join us to explore why resource governance and collaboration matter for a just transition. Co-hosted with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreEnsuring Transition Mining Doesn't Replicate Abuses of the Past: Voices from Communities
Monday 14 November, 3:00–4:00pm EET, CSO Pavilion, People Power Room, Sanafir Hotel
The transition to 100 percent renewable energy will require minerals for technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines and storage. Without adequate social and environmental safeguards, this transition could result in a new wave of green extractivism that abuses human rights and destroys the environment. This conversation involved community leaders on the frontlines of mining for minerals for the energy transition. They shared their experiences about the transition’s impacts on human rights and the environment and what needs to be done at the community level, by industries, governments and society as a whole to consider the type and level of extraction that is actually needed for the energy transition. The recording from this event is now available.
Read moreNRGI's COP27 Delegation
Meet NRGI’s team in Sharm El-Sheikh:
Ana Carolina González Espinosa
Senior Director for Programs
Silas Olan'g
Africa Energy Transition Advisor
Abir Yahyoui
Tunisia Officer
Antonio Hill
Advisor, Energy Transition
Lee Bailey
Communications Director
Gabriela Flores Zavala
Communications Strategy Consultant
Nafi Chinery
Interim Africa Director, West Africa Regional Manager (Anglophone)
Thomas Scurfield
Africa Senior Economic Analyst
Resources
For almost 20 years, NRGI staff have undertaken research, provided analysis and strengthened knowledge and capacities to improve governance in more than a dozen resource-rich countries. Revisit this selection of recent publications and other resources on the energy transition:
Framework for Countries Evaluating Gas-to-Power Pathways
Betting big on natural gas comes with serious risks and tradeoffs, especially as the world moves away from fossil fuels. Hasty, ill-informed decisions could carry hidden costs for countries' development prospects, energy costs and security--and the climate.
Prospects for Mexico’s Lithium Sector After Reforms to the Mining Law
The urgency of promoting the energy transition and shifting towards decarbonization could be an opportunity for lithium-producing nations, such as Mexico, to earn revenue and accelerate their own domestic energy transitions.
Senegal and the G7: Five Questions about the Just Energy Transition Partnership
Senegal is primarily a future gas producer, whose production will be important for both domestic and export markets. While the opportunity for climate finance for Senegal presented by the JETP is to be welcomed, the motivations and potential content of such an agreement should be examined.
Europe's Gas Crunch, African Supply, and the Energy Transition
The current geopolitical climate and market dynamic presents African oil- and gas-producing states both with opportunities and with risks. The question is whether recent developments will influence African producer countries’ energy transition plans, and to what extent.
How Ghana Can Map Its Energy Transition Journey
Like the citizens of most developing countries, Ghanaians are increasingly affected by climate change, despite bearing little responsibility for the emissions that have caused it.
Sustainable Drive, Sustainable Supply: Priorities to Improve the Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chain
The global transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles will require hundreds of millions of batteries. How can these batteries’ supply chains spur economic opportunity in mineral-rich countries?
Framework for Countries Evaluating Gas-to-Power Pathways
Many developing countries with gas reserves have ambitious plans to use more of their gas domestically. The reason could be that they face power shortages, high energy costs, or the risk of losing out in the global energy transition. With such problems, some countries see extracting and burning more gas as the best—or even the only—option, at least in the short term. Different countries also have different starting positions: A middle-income, industrialized nation that sees gas mainly as a substitute for coal will not feel the same pressures and constraints as a low-income, fossil fuel-dependent country that wants to use gas to expand energy access and build a diversified economy for its young, fast-growing population.
The Resource Remix: Europe's Gas Crunch, African Supply, and the Energy Transition
In this third episode of NRGI's podcast, available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify, NRGI’s Silas Olan’g converses with Crystol Energy CEO Carole Nakhle and Theophilus Acheampong, economist and political risk analyst, and senior lecturer at the University of Dundee.
Mission Critical: Mining Governance for a Just Energy Transition
Meeting the Paris Agreement’s mitigation goals requires the deployment of low-carbon technologies that rely heavily on minerals. This makes the mining sector critical in the fight against climate change. This official Blue Zone side event will explore why resource governance and collaboration matter for a just transition. Speakers will include senior government representatives and civil society actors from major minerals-producing countries, including the DRC, as well as senior mining industry representatives.
No Time to Waste: Governing Cobalt Amid the Energy Transition
Cobalt is critical. Along with other critical minerals, cobalt has important economic uses and currently few viable substitutes, yet its supply faces a high risk of disruption. Manufacturers of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) want the metal. EV sales—and likewise, cobalt demand— could grow a lot more.
Sustainable Drive, Sustainable Supply: Priorities to Improve the Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chain
The global transition from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) will require hundreds of millions of batteries. The need for such massive production raises questions from the general public and critics alike about the sustainability of the battery supply chain, from mining impacts to vehicle carbon emissions.
How Ghana Can Map Its Energy Transition Journey
All countries have a vital role and interest in avoiding catastrophic climate impacts and safeguarding a livable planet. Like the citizens of most developing countries, Ghanaians are increasingly affected by climate change, despite bearing little responsibility for the emissions that have caused it.
RDC : débat lancé pour une transition énergétique juste en s’appuyant sur ses ressources en minerais
La transition mondiale vers les énergies propres pourrait constituer une opportunité pour la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) si le pays améliore la gouvernance de ses minerais comme le cobalt et le lithium, qui sont nécessaires pour la fabrication des batteries et véhicules électriques. La RDC ambitionne à la fois d’accroitre la production de ces minerais tout en tirant un maximum de revenus supplémentaires. Le pays entend aussi en transformer localement pour domestiquer une partie de la chaine de valeur des véhicules électriques et ainsi booster son développement. C’est pour le pays, le sens d’une transition juste, celle qui profite à la fois au pays et à la planète.
How JETPs Could Support Just Energy Transition Pathways in Africa
The just energy transition partnership (JETP) model opens the possibility of new and additional sources of finance for clean energy transition pathways for African countries (other than South Africa). In contrast to other regions of the world, these African countries need to plan for significant energy expansion – rather than only transition from fossil fuels – both economy-wide and, especially, for people without access to modern energy services. This unique feature raises important implications for just energy transition pathways across the continent, and also helps explain many points of contention and divergence surrounding African energy transition debates. To seize the potential offered by JETP agreements, African and international partners will need to converge around energy transition pathways that support expansion of energy supply and demand. And, for African gas producers, JETPs will also need offer solutions and alternatives that complement or replace gas within a defined retirement trajectory.
Critical Minerals for the Energy Transition
Critical minerals will be fundamental to the energy transition. This official Blue Zone side event will highlight risks in critical mineral supply chains and their consequences for global decarbonization objectives. It aims to inspire global collaboration to develop new supply and make supply chains more resilient, diverse and responsible. The U.K. will host this event to promote the conversation about critical minerals and bring together a diverse range of perspectives.
Road to COP27: Positioning Africa’s Civil Society and Citizens on Climate Change, Energy Transition and Extractives
With COP27 on the horizon, NRGI, Econews Africa, Oxfam, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) and Tax Justice Network Africa convened a series of webinars, "East And Southern Africa Civil Society Organization Energy Transition Joint Capacity-Building and Road To COP27," drawing on various experts and experiences from the continent.
Triple Win: How Mining Can Benefit Africa’s Citizens, Their Environment and the Energy Transition
Africa’s mineral wealth is essential for the energy transition and for the hundreds of millions of people currently living in poverty in African mining countries. The world needs a mining triple win: policies that can benefit Africa’s citizens, their environment, and the energy transition. These policies need to work for all if they are to work for any of them.
Risky Bet: National Oil Companies in the Energy Transition
This research compares the investment plans of national oil companies with the action needed to observe global climate change commitments. With the pace of energy transition uncertain, the authors of this report offer a warning to governments and state oil companies and urge them to re-examine their plans for a possible future without oil.
Africa’s Energy Transition Blueprint: Opportunities and Challenge
This session will present a blueprint for Africa’s energy transition, highlighting the opportunities and challenges to getting all African nations on the path to a new energy era. It will outline that Africa is the key to unlocking global Net Zero goals and that countries should not be blindsided by the fossil fuel industry. The objective of this session is to use key case studies to emphasise how Africa can successfully transit to a post-fossil future with solar power at the heart of the blueprint. The event will include a short presentation of Carbon Tracker’s latest report.
Strategic Minerals, Supply Chains and Governance Challenges in the Andes
The increased demand for minerals due to the energy transition should be an opportunity to improve mining governance in the Andean countries.
Boom or Bust: Will Mineral-Rich Countries Benefit from the Energy Transition?
The energy transition brings economic opportunities for mineral-rich countries—but corruption and governance risks could undermine the sector’s promise.
Threading the Needle: How JETPs Can Support Gas Producers
At the halfway point of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, the role of fossil gas is both central to the climate conference’s outcome and still a hotly contested issue.
Minerales estratégicos, cadenas de suministro y desafíos de gobernanza en los Andes (ciclo de capacitación)
La necesidad de incrementar el uso de energía limpia, en un contexto de cambio climático, ha ocasionado una demanda creciente de minerales como el litio, el cobalto y el cobre, que tienen potencial para ser usados en tecnologías “verdes”. Simultáneamente, minerales contaminantes como el carbón enfrentan la posibilidad de convertirse en “activos varados”, al estar en declive sus precios y mercados globales.
Retos para la Gobernanza del litio en México (taller de capacitación)
El litio es uno de los minerales considerados estratégicos para la transición energética. Un elemento crítico para las tecnologías de almacenamiento de energía, por lo que se espera que su demanda continúe incrementándose en los próximos años de cara a la transición energética global y la electromovilidad.
Nigeria's National Dialogue on Energy Transition
NRGI, in collaboration with the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the BudgIt Foundation, hosted a national dialogue which brought together government officials, representatives from civil society organizations and other experts to discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by the energy transition in Nigeria. Dialogue participants also discussed the recently launched National Energy Transition Plan.