SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Mar

05

2024

Kenya’s had unusually hot weather – an expert unpacks what could be causing it

SUSTAINABILITY

IN early 2024 most parts of Kenya, including Nairobi, experienced unusually high temperatures. The World Meteorological Organisation described the hot weather as a global phenomenon: record high temperatures were recorded in 2023. January 2024 has been recorded as the hottest month on record so far worldwide. Gilbert Ouma, the coordinator of the University of Nairobi’s Institute for Climate Change and Adaptation, and an associate professor at the Department of Meteorology, answers some key questions. GILBERT OUMA, Associate Professor, Meteorology Department, University of Nairobi What is unusual about the weather in Nairobi? The annual average temperatures for Nairobi are normally moderate,…

Mar

05

2024

By The African Mirror

Ghana: can contract farming help smallholder farmers build resilience to climate change?

SUSTAINABILITY

In northern Ghana, many smallholder farmers who grow crops on less than one hectare of land each are entering into contract farming. This gives them guaranteed buyers for their crops. Human geographer and climate change adaptation expert Frederick Dapilah has found that contract farming offers many lessons about building resilience in the face of climate change. FREDERICK DAPILAH, Senior Lecturer, Department of Community Development, SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies What is contract farming? Contract farming is when farmers grow crops to meet contracts they have signed with buyers. They agree on a fixed price upfront. As…

Mar

06

2024

By NYASHA CHINGONO

Africa to be $2.5 trillion short of climate finance by 2030, UN says

SUSTAINABILITY

AFRICA will be $2.5 trillion short of the finance it needs to cope with climate change by 2030, a U.N. official said, adding that the continent has contributed the least to greenhouse gas emissions while seeing some of the worst impacts. Africa attracts only 2% of global investments in clean energy but needs $2.8 trillion of investment in the sector by 2030, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa chief economist Hanan Morsy told a conference in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, warning against the consequences of under-funding. "We end up in a vicious circle with investment shortfalls increasing exposure risk and worsening…

Mar

02

2024

By The African Mirror

Serengeti migration: fire and rain affect how zebras, wildebeest and gazelles make the journey

SUSTAINABILITY

TANZANIA’S Serengeti ecosystem is like a time machine. As one of the world’s last remaining fully intact grazing ecosystems, it provides a glimpse of what others in Australia, Eurasia and the Americas might have looked like when communities of large grazing mammals roamed freely across these continents. T. MICHAEL ANDERSON, Professor of Biology, Wake Forest University During the Late Pleistocene, which spanned from 129,000 to 11,700 years ago and is sometimes referred to as the “ice age”, populations of these grazing animals collapsed all over the world. But those populations left a mark: the effect they had on plant communities.…

Feb

29

2024

By TIM COCKS

South Africa says climate targets on track if coal switch not delayed again

SUSTAINABILITY

SOUTH Africa's delay in taking coal-fired power stations offline will only harm its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 if the plants continue to burn well into the 2030s, the head of its donor-funded green energy plan said on Tuesday. Officials admitted privately in November that South Africa will miss its binding 2030 carbon emissions targets under the Paris climate agreement, as Africa's most industrialised country will run eight coal-fired power plants for longer than planned. Countries around the world, including Canada, Britain and Germany have delayed or watered down energy transition plans. South Africa is the 15th biggest emitter in the…

Feb

28

2024

By OLASUNKANMI HABEEB OKUNOLA

Traditional weather forecasts: expert shares 5 ways Africa’s coastal residents predict floods

SUSTAINABILITY

IN the Lapai Gwari community of Niger state, north-central Nigeria, elders predict the weather by observing a large stone in the Chachanga River. The LapanGwagwan stone serves as a tool to determine the frequency of flooding and gauge the severity of rainfall. When the colour of the stone changes to brown, it signifies an imminent heavy downpour, while a grey colour indicates either light or moderate rainfall. OLASUNKANMI HABEEB OKUNOLA, Visiting Scientist, United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), United Nations University This traditional knowledge helps the community to prepare for potential flooding. This is just…

Feb

27

2024

By BUKOLA ADEBAYO

Can Nigeria turn the tide on plastic pollution?

SUSTAINABILITY

WHEN it rains heavily in Lagos, the torrents of water gushing down streets and sidewalks sweep up disposable drink cups, plastic bottles and packaging and dump them into the coastal city's drains and waterways. "Most floods in Lagos happen because of blockages of non-biodegradable polystyrene packages and not the volume of rainfall," said Joshua Babayemi, an environmental toxicologist at the University of Medical Sciences in Ondo, a state in southwestern Nigeria. But from this week, the tide of trash should at least contain fewer foam food containers as city authorities start enforcing a ban on single-use items that reflects nascent…

Feb

13

2024

By BEATRICE TRIDIMAS

What is football’s carbon footprint?

SUSTAINABILITY

WITH a fan base of 3.5 billion – nearly half the global population – football is the world's most popular sport and its carbon footprint is huge. With emissions created by energy use in stadiums, travel by fans and teams, broadcasting, the multibillion-dollar market for kits and other merchandise and even matchday meals, the beautiful game takes a not-so-beautiful toll on the planet's climate. This weekend, thousands of football fans across Britain are being urged to make climate-conscious choices – from opting for plant-based meals to switching to green energy providers – as part of Green Football Weekend, a campaign to engage fans and…

Feb

06

2024

By GRANT JOSEPH

Madagascar: giant tortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out

SUSTAINABILITY

A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years. The first group of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were brought in from the Seychelles in 2018, and have been reproducing on their own since. Ecologist Grant Joseph explains how reintroducing this tortoise to areas degraded by cattle grazing will help restore the island’s forests, grassy woodlands and shrublands of the past. It could also help prevent devastating forest fires in future. GRANT JOSEPH, Research Scientist, FitzPatrick Institute of African…

Feb

01

2024

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s plastic ban: why it’s good and how it can work

SUSTAINABILITY

TWO weeks into January 2024, Nigerian authorities took steps to curb environmental degradation caused by plastic pollution in the country. The Federal Ministry of Environment and the Lagos State government both announced bans on single-use plastics. TEMITOPE O. SOGBANMU, Senior Lecturer, Ecotoxicology and Conservation Unit, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Lagos The Federal Ministry of Environment was the first to issue a directive. It banned single-use plastics in its own departments and agencies. The Lagos State government followed a few days later with a ban on styrofoam containers (popularly used for food packaging) and gave businesses three…