China implements 100 clean energy projects to aid Africa

HANGZHOU, Oct 28 (Xinhua): China has been carrying out clean energy projects in more than ten African countries to help the continent -- believed one of the largest victims of climate change by some experts -- tackle the multiple effects it brings, a foreign affairs official said. In order to improve African countries' abilities to adapt to climate change, China has been actively implementing 100 clean energy projects including solar power, biogas and small hydropower projects in Africa, said Lu Shaye, director-general of the department of african affairs at the ministry of foreign affairs, said at the on-going China-Africa Think Tank Forum (CATTF) held in the eastern city of Hangzhou. Lu said China has worked out country-specific plans and signed exchange of notes on setting up projects with 11 countries, including Ethiopia and Mozambique. Relevant projects will start in the near future. Experts say while Africa contributes only 4 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions, it is the continent most affected due to its lack of capacity to adapt to climate change, including persistent drought that destroys farm produce and threatens the already fragile food security in some parts of Africa. Africa is energy resource rich but power poor. According to Africa Union Commission document, at current trends less than 40 per cent of African countries will reach universal access to electricity by 2050. "We want to tell Africa that when they are developing the energy sector, they should learn from China's experience not to take the format of polluting-and-then-cleaning-up. Africa should develop clean energy from the very start," said Pang Zhongying, a professor of International Relations at Renmin University of China. The 100 clean energy projects were proposed by Premier Wen Jiabao at the fourth ministerial conference of the Forum On China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2009 as part of the eight new measures the Chinese government has taken to strengthen China-Africa cooperation.