Fighting climate change must be at the heart of the much-needed new deal for development. How can we accelerate the green transition across sectors and regions? We explore the recovery measures that would give established oil & gas producer countries a chance to break their cycle of rent dependence, and emerging ones the option to avoid it altogether. We discuss how to make extractive projects more compatible with climate goals and the crucial roles actors, from intermediary cities, to regions and the private sector, can and must play in driving the green transition.

 

 

 

Green Talk 1: Africa and the green transition: How to avoid the low-carbon technology trap and the role of partnerships

Wednesday, 31st March 2021

 

Kelechi Ofoegbu, Senior Technical Adviser to the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria
Giza Gaspar Martins, National Director for Environment and Climate Action, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment, Angola
Lamberto Dai Pra',  Responsable de l'Afrique, de l'Asie et de l'Océanie, Enel Green Power
Jorge Moreira de Silva, Director of the Development Co-operation Directorate, OECD

Moderated by Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre, Special Advisor to the OECD Secretary-General on Development, with introductory remarks by Bernardo Lucena, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the OECD.

African countries face a huge technology gap that could slow their transition and even lock them into high-carbon development pathways. To remain competitive in a low-carbon world, African countries need better access to low-carbon technologies. However, low-income countries account for just 0.01 percent of low-carbon technology exports and 0.3 percent of imports, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, high-income countries produced 80 percent of all low-carbon technology innovations between 2010 and 2015.

Click for more information aobut this talk

---

Green Talk 2: Unleashing the potential of cities to shape Africa’s sustainable future

Wednesday, 31st March 2021

Firdaous Oussidhoum, Special Adviser to the UCLG Secretary General
Eleni Kyrou, Head of Representation of Ethiopia to the African Union, European Investmenet bank
Manuel Araujo, Mayor of Quelimane, Mozambique
Laurent Bossard, Director of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat OECD
 
Moderated by Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre, Special Advisor to the OECD Secretary-General on Development with introductory remarks by João Ribeiro de Almeida, Ambassador, President of Camões, Institute for Co-operation and Language

Africa’s fast growing urban areas are increasingly vulnerable to climate risks. For instance, cities like Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are facing increased flooding, rising temperatures and coastal erosion. The impacts are already weighing heavily on the most vulnerable populations. While urbanisation brings unprecedented opportunities for improving African people’s wellbeing, climate change is disrupting this potential. Moreover, climate change is affecting urban-rural linkages which are fundamental to linking rural populations to key infrastructure and services. 

Click for more information about this talk

 

---

 

Beyond Petrostates: The burning need to cut oil dependence in the energy transition

Wednesday, 24th February 2021

 

Andrew Grant, Head of Climate, Energy and Industry Research and Mike Coffin, Senior Analyst, Carbon Tracker
Masood Ahmed, President, Centre for Global Development
Kelechi Ofoegbu, Senior Technical Adviser to the Honourable Minister, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria
Alexandra Lastra Andrade, Head of Subsidies Unit, Ministry of Finance, Ecuador
Ricardo Jose Gomez Puternicki, Senior Counsel, OPEC Fund

Moderated by Lahra Liberti, Head of Unit, Natural Resources for Development, OECD Development Centre

 

Carbon Tracker has recently released a report looking at the impact on oil and gas government revenues in producing countries driven by lower demand over the energy transition. While mitigating the physical effects of climate change will have benefits for all, and in particular the world’s disadvantaged communities, the report highlights the challenges that fossil fuel-producing countries will face as they navigate the coming decades. It provides a call to action to both domestic policy makers and the international community to intensify efforts to plan the pathway from oil dependence, and comes at a critical time in the run up to the COP26 meeting in Glasgow towards the end of the year.

Click for more information about this talk

---

Withstanding the test of time: making extractive contracts work for everyone

Wednesday, 9th December 2020

Salli Swartz, Partner, Artus Wise
Iain Steel, Research Associate, Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Howard Mann, Senior International Law Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IIDS)
Anna Theeuwes, Global Tax Policy Manger, Shell International BV
Michel Florent Okoko, Permanent Secretary of the National Committee & EITI Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Republic of Congo, and Member of the EITI Board
Peter Leon, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills

Moderated by Lahra Liberti, Head of the Natural Resources-based Development Unit, OECD Development Centre and Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre.

Extractive contracts can have significant long-term impacts on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. They not only shape the level of public revenues a government can get out of an investment, but also the extent to which that investment creates income-generating opportunities through employment and linkages with the local economy. Contracts also shape the balance between these economic benefits and social and environmental aspects.

Click for more information about this talk