The main reason for the expansion of fossil fuels in Africa: The desire for economic growth. African leaders see fossil fuels as a key way to make their economies stronger. But this argument is very questionable and it comes with big risks. The expansion of fossil fuels harms Africa's unique nature and local communities, and it makes it harder if not impossible to fight global warming.
With the world, especially Europe, facing a gas shortage, Africa's oil and gas are in high demand. This situation is complicated, involving politics and the different powers of wealthy and developing countries.
Our team will be digging into this. We're looking to understand why Africa is betting on fossil fuels and what this means for the environment, local people, and the whole world's climate.
This article is part of our current reporting project "Dismantling the Fossil Fuel Industry".