Sustainable Environment (Dec 2024)
Attaining sustainable development via green economy catalysts in post-Covid-19 Africa: An analytical examination
Abstract
The convergence of global crises sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, environmental degradation, and supply disruptions due to regional conflicts in Europe and the Middle East has underscored the imperative for analyzing the drivers of green growth in emerging economies. While considerable research has focused on green growth in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) nations, there still is a significant gap in understanding Africa’s transition to a green economy. Fundamental questions about the key variables propelling Africa’s green growth, their interconnectedness, potential obstacles to green economy development, and the trajectory of future research in this area remain largely unaddressed in the extant literature. This review paper aims to evaluate the state of Africa’s green economy by synthesizing recent scientific literature on green growth in WEIRD nations from an African perspective. Employing an analytical approach grounded in holistic frameworks and systems thinking, the study conducts a thorough multidisciplinary assessment of existing research. Using the PRISMA systematic review approach, the search terms, databases, inclusion and exclusion criteria were designated for the study.In addition to exploring the challenges of green industrialization, the research investigates the driving forces and essential elements necessary for achieving Africa’s progress towards achieving net zero emissions. Common hurdles such as susceptibility to extreme climate events, natural disasters, and ecological degradation are found, alongside the potential benefits of attaining net zero emissions, including equitable distribution of climate benefits, reduction of adverse health impacts, and addressing social inequalities, particularly among low-income and vulnerable populations and communities. The contributions of this paper are as follows: firstly, it broadens knowledge about the possible forces propelling the green sector and how policy makers in Africa may be guided to design strategies for achieving net-zero economy in their particular context. secondly, Important gaps are found, common themes are recognized and addressed, and notable scholars and their own conceptual and theoretical contributions are all highlighted by this analytical examination. It is hoped that this paper will offer a theoretical and empirical foundation to inspire future researchers to take on the significant research tasks related to how environmental policy imperatives and domestic green growth interact with the global climate.
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