Rural african communities ask: why should we be left behind in the global energy transition?

In the remote village of Lukwangulo in the Democratic Republic of Congo, families still spend precious hours each day gathering wood from surrounding forests just to cook their meals. This wood often represents their only reliable energy source. While some villagers have managed to scrape together money for a small solar panel—enough to charge a phone, power a radio, or provide light for children’s homework—these modest systems can’t handle basic needs like cooking.

This energy poverty creates a stark divide that village leader Mukalay Ngoyi expressed bluntly to visiting reporters: “You come from the city — you have electricity, you have lighting. Why you and not us? We’re human beings like you, and we need electricity too.” His words highlight a critical challenge facing the upcoming UN climate conference COP30 in Belém, Brazil, where delegates will assess global progress on reducing carbon emissions and limiting temperature rise to below 2°C above pre-industrial levels.

The dilemma is complex: achieving global climate goals requires dramatically reducing fossil fuel use, but millions of Africans still lack access to basic electricity. This is where the concept of a “just energy transition” becomes crucial—ensuring that the shift to clean energy doesn’t leave behind communities like Lukwangulo. However, most village leaders won’t have seats at the negotiating table in Belém, relying instead on others to advocate for their energy needs while the world attempts to balance climate action with energy equity. The question remains whether global climate solutions can truly be just if they don’t address the energy poverty affecting hundreds of millions across rural Africa.