However, the problem with most climate policies is that it is easier to talk about them than to implement them. The latest emissions deficit report indicates that the planet would warm to an average temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century if Member States reached an agreement on autonomous climate, which they are not. The rest of the world can learn from the unlikely climate leaders that are Morocco and The Gambia as the prioritization of green energy in the fight against the climate crisis is going a long way. In order to achieve its objective and to trust international investors, the Gambian government announced in its Sustainable Energy Action Plan specific targets for renewable energy and energy efficiency for 2020 and 2030 and explained the steps it intends to take to achieve these targets. Given that two major photovoltaic projects are in the final phase of the tendering process and have received partial international funding, we have incorporated the objectives into the current policy projections. The Gambia is between 13 and 14oN and between 13.7 and 17oW and occupies a land area of 10,690 km2, making it the smallest country in continental Africa. The country, 15 to 80 km wide, stretches 400 km from the Atlantic Ocean, is broken down into northern and southern regions by the Gambia River, which stretches from east to west and flows towards the Atlantic Ocean. Gambia`s financing problems are not unique, especially in developing countries, but they do show how active and targeted investment green energy requires. It also shows how it is easier for more prosperous countries to make the most significant investments needed to make effective changes to current global emissions targets. The solitary status of two poor nations, which achieve the necessary climate goals, is all the more egregious. Overall, investments in solar and wind energy were slow until the World Bank financed the construction of the first photovoltaic facility producing 10 to 20 megawatts of energy in 2018. The Gambia has also made significant changes to land use in its reforestation and agricultural sectors.
In 2018, it has pledged to restore 10,000 hectares of forests, mangroves and savannahs. The Gambia has ten confirmed cases of COVID-19 (including one death) at the time of publication. The government has put in place a social incentive that could affect the timing of stakeholder consultations. The country`s attention will rightly focus on preventing a health emergency and the solidarity of the international community will be all the more important during this period. It is therefore not surprising that it is also on track to meet another important commitment of the Paris Agreement: its long-term strategy for the development of low-carbon greenhouse gases. Although the temperature threshold in the Paris agreement is clear, most countries still have “goals” incompatible with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. After the UN climate summit in November and the impassioned speech by teenage activist Greta Thunberg to world leaders, some 80 countries have expressed their intention to enhance their nationally determined contributions (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
