Africa: Three Hard Truths About the World’s Energy Crisis

When it comes to the future of energy, the world needs a reality check.

Contrary to public perception, renewable energy is not the silver bullet that will solve all our problems. Indeed, in the decades ahead, three hard truths will generate turbulence in the global energy system.


We all know that global demand for energy is growing, but the reality of how fast has not really sunk in. The first hard truth is that demand is accelerating. Energy use in 2050 may be twice as high as it is today or higher still. The main causes are population growth, from six to more than nine billion, and higher levels of prosperity.

China and India are entering the energy-intensive phase of their development. This is the point when people buy their first television set or car, board a plane for the first time and start to consume much more transport fuel and electricity.

East African Standard (Nairobi)