Jacqueline Novogratz

This is about our shared human dignity.

If we believe that all human beings deserve dignity and we understand that the impact of climate will disproportionately impact the most vulnerable amongst us, then these are precisely the people on whom we need to focus.

because electricity isn't just about light.

It's about communication during floods, irrigation during droughts.

It's about cooling medicines during heat waves and pandemics.

It's about hospitals and schools, businesses, so that isolated communities, already fragile, can build resilience in an increasingly volatile climate.

Adaptation matters, but this story has equal urgency for mitigation.

Now today, the continent only contributes 3.5 percent of total global emissions, and the average African consumes about one-fifteenth the energy of an American.

But those are the wrong numbers to pay attention to.

What matters is future emissions.

The continent's population is expected to grow from 1.5 to 2.5 billion people by 2050.

And so the question is, what kind of energy will fuel it?

What we've learned from investing in off-grid is that once families are on the first rung of the solar energy ladder, they don't go back.

That's good news for the planet and for its people.

If we just brought electricity to 10 million families, basic level, we would avert more than 27 million tons of carbons looking forward and create about 10 billion dollars in direct economic benefit.

Multiply that, and you get transformation.

But how do we do it?

The companies are here, but the capital is not.

And one thing for certain is that money cannot be the constraint.

Because last year, the world allocated two trillion dollars to transitioning industry from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.