Topics
Series
Media type
Topics
Featured topics
Arts & Media
Economics
Environment
Governance & Politics
Health
Human rights
Peace & Conflict
Social movements
Technology
Series
Featured series
Better Conversations
Doha Debates Podcast
Doha Debates with Ghida Fakhry
Necessary Tomorrows
The Long Game
The Negotiators
Town Halls
Vox Pops
Media type
All media types
Podcasts
Videos
Articles
Topics
Featured topics
Arts & Media
Economics
Environment
Governance & Politics
Health
Human rights
Peace & Conflict
Social movements
Technology
Series
Featured series
Better Conversations
Doha Debates Podcast
Doha Debates with Ghida Fakhry
Necessary Tomorrows
The Long Game
The Negotiators
Town Halls
Vox Pops
Media types
Podcasts
Videos
Articles
June 04, 2024

Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?

S1 E24 41 MINS

Climate anxieties—and global temperatures—are on the rise. According to the United Nations, if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’ll be facing irreversible climate damage. To stop that increase, we need to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Reaching such an ambitious goal means changing a lot of our behaviors, including cutting back on our use of fossil fuels. But should everyone, and every nation, be held to the same standard? Is it realistic to ask countries in the global south to shoulder equal responsibility for cutting carbon emissions?

Dr. Rahul Tongia, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) in New Delhi and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, concedes that while we must be more innovative and aggressive when it comes to the development of green technology, it’s unrealistic to cut out fossil fuels entirely. He adds that we need to decouple the idea of “access” from “clean,” and make sure there is electrical wiring in every home across the globe before we focus on going green.

Zaki Mamdoo, South African environmental activist and coordinator of the StopEACOP (Stop East African Crude Oil Pipeline) campaign, says that it is entirely unnecessary to harm the environment in order to increase energy access. He says fossil fuels are actually anti-development, in that they not only pollute the air, land, water and livestock, but they destroy local economies, desecrate cultural sites and ruin labor systems and communities. He argues that all nations must refrain from new fossil-fuel use, leapfrog towards more renewable energy resources like wind and solar and embrace a just transition to a low-carbon economy.

More on this topic

240711 DD BLF MainThumb WEB 570 320
Arts & Media

Narrative power: Is the West promoting global justice?

Town Halls
88 MINS
Three people looking directly forward. Half of the image is in color, the other in black and white.
Human rights

WATCH: Do race-based policies create a more equitable world?

Doha Debates Podcast
S1E2338 MINS
Negotiators Logo 2024 Website 570 320
icon
Peace & Conflict

The Afghan Impasse, Part 1: Original Sin

The Negotiators
S4E134 MINS
240510 DDP1 S1Ep24 WEBAUDIO 570 320
icon
Economics

Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?

Doha Debates Podcast
S1E2438 MINS
240314 DDP S1Ep22 WebsiteClean 570 320
Environment

WATCH: Alice Gorman and Jose Acain debate whether we should mine in space

Doha Debates Podcast
S1E2244 MINS
Two clasped hands, half of the image is in color and the other is black and white.
icon
Governance & Politics

Do race-based policies create a more equitable world?

Doha Debates Podcast
S1E2338 MINS
240314 DDP S1Ep22 WebsiteClean ALT 570 320
icon
Environment

Should we mine in outer space?

Doha Debates Podcast
S1E2244 MINS
240119 Necessary Tomorrows S1E4 web 570 320
icon
Environment

Sharing the Stars

Necessary Tomorrows
S1E438 MINS
240115 Necessary Tomorrows S1E3 web 570 320
icon
Environment

A Feast For Cobalt

Necessary Tomorrows
S1E334 MINS
240112 Necessary Tomorrows S1 E2 graphic 570 320
icon
Environment

The Rights of Nature

Necessary Tomorrows
S1E234 MINS