We are warned about global warming. We are shown graphs, reports and conferences filled with promises of solar panels, wind turbines and green futures. And we are told that this transition is for the good of everyone.But I must ask: for which everyone?
While policymakers and global leaders discuss carbon targets, many of us are still discussing how to get through the day without freezing, going hungry, or sitting in the dark. We are told to abandon coal. But what are we meant to replace it with?
Hope?In many communities, coal-fired electricity is not being phased out – it has never really arrived. Many have lived without reliable electricity for years. So, when governments talk about “transitioning”, what exactly are they transitioning from?
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For many of us, the only thing we know is firewood, paraffin and candles.We were told for years to stop cutting trees because of deforestation and climate change. We agreed. We understood.
But no one replaced that energy. So, we continued, not because we wanted to destroy the environment, but because our children still needed to eat and our homes still needed warmth.Now the same is happening again. We are told fossil fuels must go, but no one has yet put affordable, reliable alternatives in our hands.
Solar power is praised, but how many of us can afford it? Wind energy is celebrated, but how many rural homes are connected to it? Clean energy is talked about, but how many informal settlements can actually plug into it?Energy transition cannot be a luxury for those who already have power.
If you cut off the energy sources people rely on without giving them alternatives, you are not saving the planet — you are punishing the poor. Across Africa, more than 900 million people still cook with biomass like wood, charcoal or dung, not by choice but because no affordable alternatives exist. The International Energy Agency notes that women are the ones who suffer most from using basic, polluting cooking methods, yet they have the least access to cleaner alternatives.
Beyond the health dangers, not having clean cooking keeps many women and girls out of school and limits their ability to earn an income or start small businesses. But let me not open that debate now — let me speak on behalf of all of us. For many families, energy is not an abstract concept.
It is cooking supper. It is heating a cold room where five people sleep. It is boiling water for a sick child.
It is choosing between buying electricity or buying bread. This is the real energy crisis — not future carbon targets, but present human survival.And while some people debate electric cars and smart homes, others are still debating whether to burn wood tonight or let their children sleep hungry. The inequality is staggering.
About 600 million people in Africa still don’t have reliable electricity. That’s almost half the continent’s population — and more than 80% of the world’s electricity access gap, according to the UN Sustainable Development Group. You see the numbers, you see the gap.
So, what are we saying?Let us stop pretending that the energy transition is a journey we are all taking equally. It is not. Some people are speeding in electric vehicles on smooth highways.
Others are walking barefoot on gravel roads with no transport in sight.If this transition is to mean anything, it must start with those at the bottom, not the top. Planning for the energy future must not be done in boardrooms alone. It must be done with the people who live without power, not just talk about them.
Pull us up. Give us choices. Give us dignity.
Give us energy solutions that are real, affordable and accessible. Because, a transition that only benefits the powerful is not a transition. It is just a new form of inequality.
And inequality, in any form, is not sustainable. No one should have to choose between protecting the planet and feeding their children.__Tsungai Mukwashiis a disaster management practitioner committed to social justice and community development. She founded the Ndirimo Foundation, which focuses on empowering marginalised communities in underserved areas.
A PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg, her research examines the connections between the just energy transition, energy poverty, and urban and regional planning for a sustainable future. While she supports the global shift to cleaner energy as a response to climate change, she emphasises that the transition must be fair and inclusive, ensuring that all communities are considered in policy decisions. We are constantly told that the world is going through an energy transition.
And we are told that this transition is for the good of everyone. But I must ask: for which everyone? In many communities, coal-fired electricity is not being phased out – it has never really arrived.
For many of us, the only thing we know is firewood, paraffin and candles. We were told for years to stop cutting trees because of deforestation and climate change. So, we continued, not because we wanted to destroy the environment, but because our children still needed to eat and our homes still needed warmth.
Now the same is happening again. Clean energy is talked about, but how many informal settlements can actually plug into it? Energy transition cannot be a luxury for those who already have power.
This is the real energy crisis — not future carbon targets, but present human survival. And while some people debate electric cars and smart homes, others are still debating whether to burn wood tonight or let their children sleep hungry. So, what are we saying?
Let us stop pretending that the energy transition is a journey we are all taking equally. Others are walking barefoot on gravel roads with no transport in sight. If this transition is to mean anything, it must start with those at the bottom, not the top.
No one should have to choose between protecting the planet and feeding their children. Tsungai Mukwashiis a disaster management practitioner committed to social justice and community development.
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