Youba Sokona

Last updated
Professor
Youba Sokona
FAAS FTWAS
Youba Sokona cropped.jpg
Born (1950-05-23) 23 May 1950 (age 74)
Segou, Mali
NationalityMalian
Alma materAbderhamane Baba Touré National School of Engineers (BSc)
Pierre and Marie Curie University (DEA)
Mines Paris - PSL (PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsEnergy
Sustainable development
Climate change [1]
Institutions Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Enda Third World
South Centre

Youba Sokona FAAS FTWAS (born 23 May 1950) is a Malian expert in the fields of energy and sustainable development, particularly in Africa. He has been the vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since October 2015 and a lead author at the IPCC since 1990.

Contents

Early life and education

Youba Sokona was born on 23 May 1950[ citation needed ] in Segou, Mali. [2]

In 1976, Youba Sokona obtained a Civil and Mining Engineering degree from the Abderhamane Baba Touré National School of Engineers, Mali. He continued his studies in France to pass a diploma of advanced studies (DEA) option Sciences of the Earth at the Pierre and Marie Curie University today Sorbonne University, Paris, which he finished in 1978. Sokona obtained his doctorate in Earth Sciences as a student of the École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris and the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris in 1981. [3] [2]

Career and research

Youba research [1] and commentary [4] [5] focuses on policies [6] [7] that affect energy, [8] [9] desertification, [10] sustainable development, [11] [12] and climate change, [13] [14] particularly in Africa. [15]

Sokona is a special advisor for sustainable development at the South Centre. [16] [17] [18] At the same time, he is a member of many councils, organizations and institutions, a visiting professor at the University of Surrey, [18] and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) since January 2017 and until December 2022. [19] He is Special Advisor to the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines in the United States, [20] Coordinator of the African Climate Policy Center ( ACPC). [21]

Fight against climate change in Africa

In 1995 Youba Sokona published a Strategy for the rational use of energy in West Africa: evaluation and prospective for the organization Enda Third World where he was the co-founder of the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative, which he coordinated from 1987 to June 2004. In 2002, he published the article Mastering energy in West Africa. [22] [23] In 2008 he supervised the program of the Great Green Wall of the Sahara and the Sahel as executive secretary of the Sahara and Sahel Observatory. [24] [25] [26]

Youba resigned from the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative on 30 April 2017, citing “European interference [to impose EU-preferred projects] [27] in African governance that belongs to another era.” [28] [29] [30] The initiative was replaced in 2017 due to row over European interference. [31] Youba aired his frustration that academics at African institutions are often not consulted by policymakers or governments and their research and potential solutions are being while donor's ideas are being pushed forward. [32] [33] [30]

IPCC

As a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and its main contributor since 1990, [34] Youba Sokona has notably been co-chairman of working group III alongside Ottmar Edenhofer and Ramón Pichs Madruga, studying the role of renewable energies in the fight against climate change; their report, entitled IPCC special report on renewable energy sources and climate change mitigation , [14] was published in 2014 in the fifth report of the IPCC. [35] [18] [16] [36]

In 2007, when the fourth report appeared, he was the lead author of the summary note, while being cited several times in the appendix to the Group III report; [37] [18] this same report was part of Why IPCC received Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in the same year. [38] However, the IPCC came under unprecedented media scrutiny in 2009 in the run-up to the Copenhagen climate conference. This "Climatic Research Unit email controversy" involved the leak of emails from climate scientists. Many of these scientists were authors of the Fourth Assessment Report which came out in 2007. The discovery of an error in this report that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035 put the IPCC under further pressure. [39] Scientific bodies upheld the general findings of the Fourth Assessment Report and the IPCC's approach. [40] [41] But many people thought the IPCC should review the way it works.

[42]

Youba was elected vice-chair of IPCC in October 2015. [18] [43] [44] [45]

Honours and awards

Sokona is an honorary professor at the University College London, [46] and was elected a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences since 2018, [47] and a Fellow o f the World Academy of Sciences in 2022. [2]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis</span> International research organization in Austria

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References

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  3. ↑ Youba Sokona. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Archive IPCC (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Darby, Megan (2020-05-28). "Clean energy is vital to the Covid-19 response in the world's poorest countries". Climate Home News. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  5. ↑ "It's time to listen to African climate scientists". The Africa Report.com. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  6. ↑ Edenhofer, O.; Pichs-Madruga, R.; Sokona, Y.; Agrawala, S.; Bashmakov, I. A.; Blanco, G.; Broome, J.; Bruckner, T.; Brunner, S. (April 2014), Summary for policymakers (PDF), G. Baiocchi, H. Chum, J. Fuglestvedt, H. Haberl, E. Hertwich, E. Kriegler, J. Rogelj, H.-H. Rogner, M. Schaeffer, S. J. Smith, D. van Vuuren, R. Wiser, Cambridge University Press, retrieved 2022-12-16
  7. ↑ Edenhofer, O.; Pichs-Madruga, R.; Sokona, Y.; Seyboth, K.; Arvizu, D.; Bruckner, T.; Christensen, John M.; Devarnay, J.-M.; Faaij, A.; Fischedick, M.; Goldstein, B.; Hansen, G.; Huckerby, J.; Jäger-Waldau, A.; Kadner, S. (2011). "Summary for Policy Makers". IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation: 3–26. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139151153.003. ISBN   9781107023406.
  8. ↑ Stiglitz, Joseph E.; Stern, Nicholas; Duan, Maosheng; Edenhofer, Ottmar; Giraud, Gaël; Heal, Geoffrey M.; la Rovere, Emilio Lèbre; Morris, Adele; Moyer, Elisabeth; Pangestu, Mari; Shukla, Priyadarshi R.; Sokona, Youba; Winkler, Harald (2017). "Report of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices": 1–61. doi:10.7916/d8-w2nc-4103. S2CID   158231148.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. ↑ Sokona, Youba; Mulugetta, Yacob; Gujba, Haruna (2012-06-01). "Widening energy access in Africa: Towards energy transition". Energy Policy. Universal access to energy: Getting the framework right. 47: 3–10. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.03.040. ISSN   0301-4215.
  10. ↑ Vogt, J. V.; Safriel, U.; Von Maltitz, G.; Sokona, Y.; Zougmore, R.; Bastin, G.; Hill, J. (March 2011). "Monitoring and assessment of land degradation and desertification: Towards new conceptual and integrated approaches". Land Degradation & Development. 22 (2): 150–165. Bibcode:2011LDeDe..22..150V. doi:10.1002/ldr.1075. S2CID   129316130.
  11. ↑ Sathaye, Jayant; Lucon, Oswaldo; Rahman, Atiq; Christensen, John; Denton, Fatima; Fujino, Junichi; Heath, Garvin; Mirza, Monirul; Rudnick, Hugh; Schlaepfer, August; Shmakin, Andrey; Angerer, Gerhard; Bauer, Christian; Bazilian, Morgan; Brecha, Robert (2011-01-01). "Renewable Energy in the Context of Sustainable Development". Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation: 707–790. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139151153.013. ISBN   9781107023406. S2CID   108419488.
  12. ↑ Sathaye, Jayant; Najam, Adil; Cocklin, Chris; Heller, Thomas; Lecocq, Franck; Llanes-Regueiro, Juan; Pan, Jiahua; Petschel-Held, Gerhard; Rayner, Steve (2007), Metz, Bert; Davidson, Ogunlade; Bosch, Peter; Dave, Rutu (eds.), "Sustainable development and mitigation" (PDF), Climate Change 2007: Mitigation of Climate Change, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, pp. 691–743, ISBN   978-0-521-70598-1, archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-09-08, retrieved 2022-12-16
  13. ↑ Huq, Saleemul; Reid, Hannah; Konate, Mama; Rahman, Atiq; Sokona, Youba; Crick, Florence (January 2004). "Mainstreaming adaptation to climate change in Least Developed Countries (LDCs)". Climate Policy. 4 (1): 25–43. doi:10.1080/14693062.2004.9685508. ISSN   1469-3062. S2CID   154693343.
  14. 1 2 "Reviewers of the IPCC Special Report". Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation: 1033–1050. 2011-11-21. doi:10.1017/cbo9781139151153.020. ISBN   9781107023406.
  15. ↑ "Youba Sokona : " Sur le climat, l'Afrique doit éviter le piège du mimétisme avec les Occidentaux " – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  16. 1 2 GIEC. "Youba Sokona". ipcc (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2020.
  17. ↑ "Youba Sokona". tmg-thinktank.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "Mr. Youba Sokona | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  19. ↑ IIASA (1 December 2021). "Science Advisory Committee". iiasa.ac.at. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  20. ↑ "Youba Sokona". Payne Institute for Public Policy. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  21. ↑ Climate CoLab. "Youba Sokona". climatecolab.org. Archived from the original on 18 September 2023. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  22. ↑ Youba Sokona (1995). Stratégie d'utilisation rationnelle de l'énergie en Afrique de l'Ouest: évaluation et prospective. Etudes et Recherches (in French). Enda tiers monde. ISBN   9789291300075 . Retrieved 1 December 2021.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  23. ↑ "Youba Sokona".
  24. ↑ "PeerJ – Profile – Youba Sokona". peerj.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  25. ↑ "Youba Sokona". NCSE Drawdown. Archived from the original on 2023-09-25. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  26. ↑ "Youba Sokona". Responsible Business. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  27. ↑ Darby, Megan (2017-04-27). "EU, France accused of hijacking 'Africa-led' clean energy scheme". Climate Home News. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  28. ↑ "Africa's climate advocates balk at Europe's 'interference' in AREI plans | Africa Times". africatimes.com. 2017-04-30. Retrieved 2022-12-16.[ permanent dead link ]
  29. ↑ "Youba Sokona – EURACTIV.com". www.euractiv.com. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  30. 1 2 Admin (2017-04-28). "EU must stop trying to dictate Africa's clean energy future". Climate Home News. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  31. ↑ Mathiesen, Karl (2017-05-17). "Ségolène Royal reveals new head for 'Africa-led' renewables scheme". Climate Home News. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  32. ↑ "COP26: What African climate experts want you to know". BBC News. 2021-11-06. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  33. ↑ "Africa needs country-specific narratives for a clean energy future – study | University of Oxford". www.ox.ac.uk. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  34. ↑ Ivanova, Maria (2021-02-23). The Untold Story of the World's Leading Environmental Institution: UNEP at Fifty. MIT Press. ISBN   978-0-262-54210-4.
  35. ↑ "Youba Sokona". Encyclopédie de l'énergie (in French). Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  36. ↑ CDKN Adaptation Voices – Dr Youba Sokona, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change , retrieved 2022-12-16
  37. ↑ "Youba Sokona — IPCC" . Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  38. ↑ Barnett, Anna (2008-10-01). "IPCC elections: close contests". Nature Climate Change. 1 (810): 122–123. doi: 10.1038/climate.2008.95 . ISSN   1758-6798.
  39. ↑ Pearce, Fred (21 January 2010). "Climate chief admits error over Himalayan glaciers". New Scientist. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  40. ↑ ICSU (2011-01-27). "ICSU releases statement on the controversy around the 4th IPCC Assessment". International Science Council. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  41. ↑ PBL (2010-07-06). "Assessing an IPCC assessment. An analysis of statements on projected regional impacts in the 2007 report". PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency. Archived from the original on 2023-01-20. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  42. ↑ Black, Richard (10 March 2010). "Scientists to review climate body". BBC News. Retrieved 4 April 2010.
  43. ↑ "Film: Adaptation Voices – Dr Youba Sokona, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change". Climate & Development Knowledge Network. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  44. ↑ TV5 Monde (22 September 2021). "L'Afrique et le changement climatique : Youba Sokona du GIEC" (mp4). youtube.com (in French). Retrieved 2 December 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  45. ↑ "Youba SOKONA, Vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change".
  46. ↑ Blog UCL (12 January 2018). "Conversation with Youba Sokona". blog.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
  47. ↑ AAS (2017). "Youba Sokona". aasciences.africa. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
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