Berkeley Talks: Damilola Ogunbiyi on driving an equitable energy transition

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In this Berkeley Talks episode, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All, discusses how to drive a just, inclusive and equitable transition to affordable and sustainable energy for all. (Photo by Bamas100 via Wikimedia Commons)

In episode 139 of Berkeley Talks, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), gives the UC Berkeley Energy and Resources Group’s 28th Annual Lecture on Energy and Environment. In the March 31, 2022 talk, Ogunbiyi discusses how to drive a just, inclusive and equitable transition to affordable and sustainable energy for all, and how the Russia-Ukraine war is affecting energy markets around the world.

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“I don’t think people understand when we talk about just how inequitable energy consumption actually is,” said Ogunbiyi. “So, myself, being born Black African, is 20 times a disadvantage of anybody in the world because of how much energy I’m born into. Being born in Africa, you’re already born into energy poverty, because there’s just not enough energy.”

“So what do we have to do?” she continued. “If we want to take just, inclusive, equitable energy transitions seriously, then we need to prioritize Africa and we need to prioritize energy access, and make sure it’s done in a low-carbon pathway.”

This lecture was co-sponsored by the Berkeley Rausser College of Natural Resources.

Listen to the full lecture, followed by a Q&A with the audience, in Berkeley Talks episode 139: “Damilola Ogunbiyi on driving an equitable energy transition.”

Watch a video of the lecture on YouTube.

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