SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Jul

18

2021

Uganda helps farmers grow trees for money in bid to reverse forest loss

SUSTAINABILITY

CHRISTOPHER BENDANA FROM tree-planting drives to tighter laws on illegal logging, countries worldwide are searching for a silver bullet to stop the loss of forests vital for nature and climate protection. After decades of losing thousands of hectares each year, Uganda has found a way not only to slow deforestation but to reverse it - mainly by helping people grow their own trees to cut down instead of clearing ecologically valuable rainforest. New data released by the state-run National Forestry Authority (NFA) in May showed the proportion of the country covered by trees rose from 9% in 2015 to 12.4% in 2017.…

Apr

07

2021

By The African Mirror

New decisions by global conservation group bolster efforts to save Africa’s elephants

SUSTAINABILITY

TWO big decisions have been made in the last few weeks in relation to African elephants that will have major implications for the survival of the giant mammals. ROBIN WHYTOCK, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Stirling FIONA MAISELS, Wildlife Conservation Society, African Elephant Specialist Group (IUCN) and Honorary Professor, University of Stirling The first is that a global body devoted to the conservation of elephants in Africa recognised the African elephant as two species: forest and savanna. Previously they had been considered a single species. This matters because their individual populations are smaller than when recognised as a single…

Jul

17

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa’s world-leading example on single-use plastics

SUSTAINABILITY

NEST, BIRD'S VIRTUAL NEWSROOM AFRICAN countries are leading global efforts to eradicate single-use plastics, with 34 out of 54 states having passed laws proscribing disposable plastics, according to a Greenpeace report. The report refers to the latest Plastic Waste Makers index, revealing that just 20 companies produce more than half of the world’s single-use plastic waste. None of them is in Africa. Rich countries driving single-use plastics production The Plastic Waste Makers Index identifies countries and entities driving climate crisis with virgin polymer production. These range from face masks to plastic bags and bottles which often end up in oceans…

Jul

14

2021

By The African Mirror

Pope to attend November U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, health permitting

SUSTAINABILITY

PHILIP PULLELLA POPE Francis will attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November, health permitting, Scotland's Roman Catholic bishops said on Monday. The bishops confirmed the pope's presence among other world leaders in a statement on their website. "Having written to the Holy Father to assure him of a warm welcome, should he attend the conference, they are delighted to hear that he does hope to attend and would be glad to meet with them in Glasgow," a statement said. Francis is in a Rome hospital recovering from colon surgery and will remain there for a…

Apr

10

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Sacred forests’ in West Africa capture carbon and keep soil healthy

SUSTAINABILITY

IN parts of West Africa, patches of forest have been preserved for long periods of time because of their cultural or religious significance. These “sacred forests” are believed to be inhabited and protected by gods, totem animals or ancestors. Local communities have their own rules prohibiting reckless harvesting of timber and game, which have protected the sacred forests over many generations. MICHELE FRANCIS, Researcher, Department of Soil Science, Stellenbosch University The forests cover several hundred square kilometres, and may be the remnants of a once continuous forest along the West African coast. The historically dense forest ecosystem in West Africa…

Apr

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Health systems urged to develop green cure for fast-rising emissions

SUSTAINABILITY

MEGAN ROWLING HOSPITALS and other healthcare facilities worldwide can prepare better for both climate change and future pandemics by adopting green technology and cutting planet-heating emissions from their operations and supply chains, health experts said on Wednesday. A new roadmap setting out ways for the health sector to reach net-zero emissions said healthcare has a "substantial" climate footprint, accounting for 4.4% of global emissions, mostly due to the use of fossil fuels for energy and products. Without action to shrink those emissions, they would more than triple by 2050, equalling the annual emissions from 770 coal-fired power plants, said the…

Jul

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Jacarandas in parts of South Africa are flowering earlier: why it’s a warning sign

SUSTAINABILITY

IN September each year, South Africa’s Gauteng province turns purple. The cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria are well covered with trees – and jacarandas (Jacaranda mimosifolia), with their purple blooms in late spring, are a prominent part of this urban forest. JENNIFER FITCHETT, Associate Professor of Physical Geography, University of the Witwatersrand About 16% of the land in the Gauteng City Region is planted with trees, forming one of the world’s largest and most densely vegetated man-made urban forests. Johannesburg alone is recorded to have over 10 million trees. Jacarandas were introduced to Pretoria and later Johannesburg in the early…

Jul

03

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya’s huge railway project is causing environmental damage. Here’s how

SUSTAINABILITY

KENYA is constructing a railway line that connects the coastal port of Mombasa and the interior of the country. It is expected to terminate at Malaba, a town on the border with Uganda, and link up with other railways that are being built in East Africa. It’s locally known as the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). TOBIAS NYUMBA, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Nairobi The passenger and freight railway line is one of the biggest infrastructure investments in Kenya’s history. Construction began in 2014 at an estimated cost of US$3.8 billion, 90% of which is supplied by a loan from…

Apr

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Solar and wind power could break the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam deadlock

SUSTAINABILITY

FOR several years, political tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt have been escalating in a conflict over the near-complete Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). The GERD is Africa’s largest hydropower plant. It dams the Blue Nile river coming from Ethiopia’s highlands just before it crosses into Sudan where, after merging with the White Nile, it continues northwards to Egypt. SEBASTIAN STERL, Researcher, Energy & Climate, Vrije Universiteit Brussel Ethiopia needs GERD’s electricity to lift millions of citizens out of poverty. But Egypt is concerned by GERD’s consequences for its agriculture, which depends completely on Nile water. Sudan, meanwhile, sees both…

Jul

01

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenyan farmers tap apps to ride out COVID-19 and climate storm

SUSTAINABILITY

WESLEY LANGAT OVER the past year, Wilson Lang'at has made a steady profit from his farm in Koiyet village, managing to get the seeds and fertiliser he needs, planning ahead for droughts and floods, and borrowing money to diversify his crops - all through his phone. His experience is not the norm, as most farmers across Kenya have struggled with the double hit of extreme weather shrinking their yields and coronavirus lockdowns and curfews choking off access to supplies and demand for their produce. Until two years ago, the 46-year-old father of six traded cows while growing maize on the…