REDD+ REDUCING EMISSION FROM DEFORESTATION & FOREST DEGRADATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. MAKING THE INVESTMENT CASE FOR SOLAR SCALE CAPACITY EFFICIENCY TO ACCELERATE REDD+

In Africa, there is a high dependency on renewable energy; up to 70% of energy-consumption derives from renewable energy sources. It is estimated that 4 out of 5 households rely on biomass for energy consumption, mainly fuel wood and charcoal. In fig.1, we see the catastrophic environmental impacts of fuel wood and charcoal from energy consumption. Fig. 2, provides further analysis of energy consumption in households across Africa. Within these households, women play a significant role in household energy consumption, from collecting the fuel wood to sourcing different types of renewable energy. The need for changing fuel wood household consumption to solar energy is vital to reduce carbon emissions and improve the health of the local citizens. The interactions, relationships and inter-linkages between gender, climate change, and inclusive growth are evident and well-founded (Blackden et.al (2006), Clancy (2010), Dankelman (2010), and Deloitte (2014), ECREE, (2015).
In Fig. 6, solar energy accounts for over 50% of investment in renewable energy. However, investment in the capacity for solar energy requires inclusive investment; gender sensitised integration into all investment decisions to change household consumption. If Africa achieves 100% sustainable renewable energy by 2050, will the problem of forest degradation be resolved? Is there enough evidence to suggest that changing household energy consumption across Africa from fuel wood to solar energy reduces forest degradation? If we consider the four main drivers of forest degradation (fig.7), it is apparent that changing household energy consumption to solar energy will reduce forest degradation by 50%. However, this change will require a gender lens, since the Beijing Conference of 1995, the concept of Gender and Energy has evolved from focusing on clean cook stoves to analysing the complex relationship between the access to and use of energy, and economic development, especially for women, due to the importance of energy in women’s lives (Clancy & Khamati-Njenga, 2005). More women than men suffer from energy scarcity in Africa (World Bank, 2013). Therefore, the relationship between gender, renewable energy and reductions in forest degradation is well founded and critical. There are also other issues to address such as the issue of illegal timber logging, livestock grazing, and uncontrolled forest fires, all of which will need addressing. Therefore, it is clear that reducing forest degradation will accelerate REDD+.
In fig. 8, the intended nationally determined contributions in reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are summarised. The highest priority of commitments from national governments includes increasing afforestation and reforestation, increasing forest cover and improving energy fuel (cooking), from fuel wood to other more sustainable sources such as solar energy.