Why this Kenyan farmer believes fossil fuels are Africa's future
With the wealth of evidence indicating global warming, including earlier bird migrations and the melting of mountain glaciers, Kenyan farmer Jusper Machogu has garnered attention through social media and has emerged as a notable advocate for fossil fuels in Africa.
Machogu, a 29-year-old farmer from rural Kisii, southwest Kenya, has gained prominence as an outspoken advocate for fossil fuels in Africa. Through social media, particularly X (formerly Twitter), Machogu has built a substantial following by denying man-made climate change.
On his X account, Machogu regularly shares glimpses of his life in southwest Kenya, where his posts often emphasise his controversial views on climate change. He attributes the warming of the Earth to natural causes, dismissing the scientific consensus that human activities are the primary driver.
“Planets far away from the sun are colder while those near are hot. Climate change is mostly natural. A warmer climate is good for life,” he shared to his some 27,000 followers on X, along with the hashtag #ClimateScam.
Despite coming from a continent heavily impacted by climate disasters, Machogu has received significant support, including thousands of donations, for his pro-fossil fuel stance. This support persists even as Africa faces severe climate change effects such as intensified heatwaves, prolonged droughts, and devastating floods.
In his native Kenya, there have been severe consequences. As of May 5, 2024, floods caused by heavy rains had resulted in 219 deaths and displaced over 200,000 people.
Scientific organisations like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) strongly counter Machogu’s views.
NASA asserts that there is unequivocal evidence of Earth's unprecedented warming due to human activities. The IPCC highlights that Africa has contributed the least to historical greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions but is among the most vulnerable to climate change effects.
The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has risen dramatically since 1800, from about 280 parts per million to 410 parts per million in 2019, primarily due to fossil fuel combustion. This increase is not linked to natural sources such as forest fires, volcanoes, or oceanic outgassing.
Machogu, however, remains resolute in his stance. “Do I and a billion and half other Africans deserve a good life? Bet ya! But can we do that minus access to life-saving Fossil Fuels? A big no,” arguing that no developed nations managed so without fossil fuel. He ended his post with the phrase “Fossil Fuels for Africa!”
