Parliamentary Action on Renewable Energy (PARE): Raising awareness and mobilising political will on climate and renewable energy in Africa

Time is running out. At current emissions levels, the IPCC tells us that a safe 1.5°C “carbon budget” will be exhausted in 7 years. Africa is uniquely vulnerable to climate disruptions. For each additional degree of global temperature rise above the present level, one billion people will find themselves living in areas uninhabitable for humans, cattle and crops, as those areas will be as hot as the hottest parts of the Sahara Desert. Many of those places are located in Africa.

Most countries are moving in the right direction, making climate commitments and investing in renewable energy. But the world is not moving forward at the speed and scale needed to avoid going beyond a point of no return. Legislators have a key role to play in the race to prevent a climate catastrophe, as they are a main source of political will. They are in a unique position to push for climate ambition. 

The Parliamentary Action on Renewable Energy (PARE) programme, co-sponsored by the Pan-African Parliament, is organising a series of virtual roundtable meetings featuring renowned experts in three areas:

• large-scale renewable energy and green grids,
• sustainable transport, and
• rural access to renewable energy through mini-grids.