SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Jun

05

2021

Young climate activists need a seat at the decision-making table – on and offline

SUSTAINABILITY

NKOSILATHI NYATHI WHEN I stood in the registration queue at COP25, the 25th UN climate talks in Madrid in 2019, I was really inspired to see people not only from diverse cultures in their native cultural dress, but also so many young people. At 16 years old, I was able to meet with decision-makers face-to-face and tell them exactly what my generation wanted. Participating at the summit gave me hope and confidence that my message was aired on an international stage that promised tangible action. And I wasn’t the only one. More than 26,700 people registered to attend COP25, from…

May

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Why full dams don’t mean water security: a look at South Africa

SUSTAINABILITY

AFTER good summer rains, the dams that supply water to Johannesburg and much of South Africa’s economic heartland are full. This, then, is the time to start worrying about water supplies. MIKE MULLER, Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand It may sound odd but it’s a lesson learnt from cities across the world over the past two decades. Whether it was Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Chennai in India, Barcelona in Spain or São Paulo in Brazil, we have seen that, too often, water crises occur because societies don’t take action until it’s already too late.…

Jun

04

2021

By The African Mirror

For Dutch firm, buyers’ fee in Europe gets e-waste recycled in Africa

SUSTAINABILITY

ANGELA UKOMADU and ANTHONY DEUTSCH AFTER years of struggling to make a living selling recyclable parts from electronic waste recovered in Africa, Dutchman Joost de Kluijver realised he needed a new business model if his firm was going to survive. So in 2016, Closing the Loop began tagging a fee onto new device purchases by its clients, which include major bank ABN Amro and the Dutch government. By adding roughly 5 euros ($6) per phone and 15 euros ($18) per laptop, Closing the Loop now funds electronic waste collections in a string of African countries including Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon,…

May

29

2021

By The African Mirror

South African albino elephant beats odds to thrive among herd

SUSTAINABILITY

KIRTHANA PILLAY FOR Khanyisa life was difficult from the start. Born as an albino, at four months old she got caught in a poaching snare in South Africa's Kruger National Park that cut through her mouth. Trapped for four days, dehydrated and unable to eat because of her wounds, she was rescued and taken to a sanctuary in Mpumalanga, north east of Johannesburg. She was later transferred to Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD), where she now lives with a herd of elephants led by patriarchal bull, Jabulani. Adine Roode, HERD founder, said snaring is on the rise due to…

May

28

2021

By The African Mirror

Nature funding must triple by 2030 to protect land, wildlife and climate

SUSTAINABILITY

MICHAEL TAYLOR GLOBAL annual spending to protect and restore nature needs to triple this decade to about $350 billion by 2030 and rise to $536 billion by 2050, a U.N. report has said, urging a shift in mindset among financiers, businesses and governments. The inaugural State of Finance for Nature report looked at how to tackle the planet's climate, biodiversity and land degradation crises, estimating about $8 trillion in investment is needed by mid-century to safeguard natural systems. Report co-author Ivo Mulder, who heads the climate finance unit at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said financial flows should work…

May

26

2021

By The African Mirror

Pope launches green initiative, decrying “predatory attitude” toward planet

SUSTAINABILITY

PHILIP PULLELLA POPE Francis launched an initiative on Tuesday to make Catholic institutions ranging from families to universities to businesses environmentally sustainable in seven years, saying a "predatory attitude" toward the planet must end. The Laudato Si Action Platform takes its name from the pope's landmark 2015 encyclical on the need to protect the environment, reduce wasteful lifestyles, stem global warming and protect the poor from the effects of climate change. At a news conference announcing the initiative, Cardinal Peter Turkson, head of the Vatican's development office, said the pope has been invited to attend the United Nations' Climate Change…

May

25

2021

By The African Mirror

Uganda to state agencies: No cash without a climate plan

SUSTAINABILITY

CHRISTOPHER BENDANA INSPIRED by a similar diversity policy, Uganda's government is set to require public agencies to allocate part of their budgets to climate change measures if they want state funding, hailing the move as a big step toward meeting the nation's green goals. But while some climate experts say linking funding to climate action is essential to slowing global warming, others warn that already tight local government budgets mean the policy would do little to help. As part of the country's first National Climate Change Bill, passed by legislators in late April, all government ministries, departments, and agencies would…

May

21

2021

By The African Mirror

Forest rangers struggle to prevent poaching amid lockdowns

SUSTAINABILITY

KANUPRIYA KAPOOR RANGER Atul Deokar's walkie-talkie crackled one October night. He heard his colleagues' panicked voices shouting for backup: They had been surrounded by 70 villagers armed with axes and sharpened sticks and demanding to hunt in India's protected Pench Tiger Reserve. The rangers fired into the air after the villagers attempted to set fire to the hut in which the patrol were holed up -- ending a 30-minute standoff that reflects the pressure that forests and wildlife have come under in Asia, Africa, and Latin America as a result of the pandemic. Forest officials on all three continents told…

May

20

2021

By The African Mirror

From beef to chocolate, illegal deforestation found behind many everyday foods

SUSTAINABILITY

ANASTASIA MOLONEY NEARLY 70% of tropical forests cleared for cattle ranching and crops such as soybeans and palm oil were deforested illegally between 2013 and 2019, a study showed on Tuesday, warning of the impact on global efforts to fight climate change. Illegal clearance for commercial agriculture was behind the loss of 4.5 million hectares of forest – an area the size of Denmark - on average each year in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, said the report by U.S.-based nonprofit Forest Trends. "If we don't urgently stop this unlawful deforestation, we don't have a chance to beat the…

May

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Durban’s climate goals are bold – but its poor feel left behind

SUSTAINABILITY

KIM HARRISBERG AFTER heavy rains swept away Nomandla Nqanula's tin shack two years ago, she would pray every time she saw clouds gathering above her Quarry Road informal settlement in Durban. But these days, a WhatsApp group on her smartphone pings with early flood warnings for residents, and another city-designed app reminds her and 14 other residents to monitor flood risks and river pollution near her home. "When I wake up, I feel I have lots of work to do, to protect the river and also protect the people who live here," said the 33-year-old mother, standing outside her shack…