WILD BW: OF GOLD MEDALS AND GREEN GAMES. THE GREAT AND THE UNCLEAR

Oshinka Tsiang

SOME OF THE BOTSWANA ASSEMBLED ELECTRIC VEHICLES THAT HELPED DELIVER OFFICIALS THE WORLD RELAY GAMES IN GABORONE

As expected Botswana athletes delivered a glorious moment for the country on Sunday with a breath taking performance on the four by four relay team. That finish by Collen Kebinatshipi in front of the delirious home crowd, not to mention the unshackled demonstration of glee by President Duma Boko, is the staff of folk tales. The games and the team brought much needed relief to a nation straining under a deluge of bad news including, the rise in fuel prices, foot and mouth outbreak which has literally taken meat from Batswana’s menu, the health crisis and uncertainty about corruption busting. So you can certainly understand why the President declared a half day for workers to celebrate the Gold medal win. It was a fitting finale. 

But while many are concentrating on the performance in the track, another win, if you can call it a win, was quietly unfolding behind the scenes. The greening of the games. Specifically, the strict use of electric vehicles for the transportation of athletes and officials. You see, as part of the conditions for hosting the games in Botswana, the country had to demonstrate among others how the games will be climate friendly. And that is where the Botswana government’s electric vehicle project comes in.

This of course is one of the controversial projects initiated by the last administration which the new administration has adopted and is keeping alive as the country consolidates its green status. Among these are several solar projects mushrooming across the country such as the Jwaneng mine 100 megawatt project, the Mmadinare Solar Project yielding 120 megawatts and others in Letlhakane, Maun, Lobatse, Bobonong and others.  All these are expected to ease the country’s energy needs, ease reliance on fossil fuels and reduce the cost of electricity. This sounds fantastic on paper, but there are costs that many of the proponents of these innovations don’t want to talk about. For starters, an incalculable amount of biodiversity was impacted during the clearing of the Jwaneng Solar Park. We understand that critical advice on the environmental impact of the project is alleged to have gone unheeded in the haste to deliver the project. That patch of land is now lost to any other use except solar for the foreseeable future. If the same pattern is replicated across the country, it is not clear how much loss of biodiversity we could be talking about. It is worth study .Other issues that do not get much media coverage include the life span of the solar equipment and the biodegradability of the material used. Just ask AI and this is what it will tell you; “traditional solar panels are not biodegradable. They are manufactured from glass, aluminum, silicon, and polymers, designed to last 25–30 years rather than break down naturally. While up to 95% of materials can be recycled, most panels currently end up in landfills, where they can pose environmental risks due to small amounts of toxic elements like lead and cadmium.”  In other words the energy is not really as green as it sounds. With the development of so many solar farms, not to mention from domestic and farm installations, we may be looking at a future environmental catastrophe. We are already struggling with plastic pollution, not to mention indiscriminate dumping of diapers. Some of us who are fortunate enough to walk in the bush for work and or leisure, these are not just eyesores but health hazards that get into our food chain.  As for the cost of solar energy, we can confidently say that we get the sunshine for free on a clear day. But the cost of energy storage and the reliability, is questionable. When you also consider the fact that solar energy is not able to drive heavy industry such as steel or cement manufacturing, you realise fossil fuels will probably be around for a while. Additionally, the economic value of the solar energy to the country will remain limited if there is not manufacturing of the critical components in the country such as, batteries, cables, inverters etc. The jobs will be limited mainly to installation. The trade off with potential loss of benefits from fuel, and possibly oil, in pursuit of emission limitation obligations is probably a negative one.

Judging by the trends in countries that have pursued aggressive greening paths such as Germany which shut down its nuclear reactors, it is not far fetched to suggest that the future may not be as rosy as it is said to be under the new green energy order. More than half the German population is now calling for a return to nuclear energy due to the high cost energy imports.  

It maybe fancy to be considered good boys under the new green deal through our early pursuit of green energy, our compliance with global targets, our eagerness to enter into implementation agreements which guarantee quick delivery at seemingly affordable prices. But it is also worth pausing for a while and observe the lay of the land. Some stories may engender a recalibration.

Not to put a damper on it, but as we revel on the aftermath of the Debswana World’s Athletics Relay, there are some wins that demand our reflection when the euphoria has subsided. Botswana delivered partly green games.