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US special envoy for climate John Kerry last week warned African countries not to rely too heavily on natural gas in their efforts to modernize and bring electricity to millions.
Speaking as a bystander to a meeting of African environment ministers in Dakar, Senegal, Kelly told Reuters that gas could be used in the short-term transition to clean energy sources.
“I’m not saying there’s no gas,” Kelly said. “What we are saying is that gas will either replace coal or replace oil in the next few years.”
His comments capitalized on a fundamental problem for Senegal and other energy-poor countries in Africa.According to the International Energy Agency, nearly half of Africa’s population, more than 600 million people, have no access to electricity.
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Many African countries say developing oil and gas resources is critical to boosting electricity production, powering industries and curbing energy poverty. However, many developed countries, including the United States, are curbing fossil fuel investments in order to keep their promise to transition to clean energy by the end of 2020.
“There’s no rush to back off. You have to be very careful about how much you deploy, how you pay for it, how long it takes, and how you figure out your emissions,” Kelly said.
President Biden appointed Kelly to lead the State Department’s global climate policy outreach shortly after taking office in January 2021. Annual Meeting of the Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
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Federal data obtained by Fox News in July showed that Kelly’s home jet had emitted 300 tons of carbon dioxide since the Biden administration began.
Fox News’ Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report.