Sub-Saharan Africa
Sputnik brings you all the most recent information, major events, heroes and views, including breaking news, images, videos, analyses, and features.

Africans Complain of European Pressure on Green Transition, Lavrov Says

© AP Photo / Mosa'ab ElshamyPeople walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022.
People walk past a solar tree that generates energy using panels, in front of the landmark Kotoubia mosque in Marrakech, Morocco, Nov. 12, 2022.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 21.03.2024
Subscribe
At the BRICS summit in South Africa last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the energy transition is necessary, but there is no alternative to hydrocarbons in the foreseeable future.
Representatives of African countries complain that Europeans are putting pressure on them in the context of the green transition and, in turn, increasing their own consumption of hydrocarbons, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Russian media published on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"We were at the BRICS summit recently. The Africans on the sidelines were complaining that the Europeans are constantly pressuring them to invest in a green economy, a green transition, to give up coal. But they themselves use much more coal than they did until recently. And much more than others," the minister noted.
Commenting on the situation, Lavrov noted that oil and gas, and hydrocarbons in general, "will undoubtedly play a key role in the development of the world economy and the well-being of virtually all countries of the world for a long time, for decades to come."
Gold miners pan for gold in the Eastern Congo mining town of Kamituga March 13, 2021. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 29.02.2024
Sub-Saharan Africa
'Injustices and Extractivism': Africa Advocates for Fair Extraction of Minerals Used in Clean Energy
The minister recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly spoken on the issue, commenting on the green transition initiatives, the imposition of which was largely responsible for the food and energy crisis when Europe stopped investing in hydrocarbons and relied on the sun, wind, and water.
"In Europe, the proponents of the climate agenda, including the Greens in Germany and their sister parties, are putting their political ambitions above the logic and interests of the economy," Lavrov continued. "So oil has come up more often. Not just oil. All the plans for an immediate green transition have collapsed: the wind blew in the wrong direction, the sun was not enough, the tides failed. Now Europe is using coal in full swing, more than Africa."
The top diplomat added that Russia has doubled its exports of petroleum products to African countries over the past 18 months.
"We have doubled the export of petroleum products ... [to Africa] over the past year and a half," Lavrov said.
Newsfeed
0