Top environment and development stories and issues about Africa or affecting African people
In this issue we highlight :
Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Environmental Pollution and Health, Water and Sanitation, Politics and Governance.
We did not find any interesting and credible story or analysis on economic development, corruption, democratization, human rights and rule of law, education, and poverty reduction in Africa.
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1.Sustainable Development
UN expert: Sustainable development requires 'checks and balances'
With UN Millennium Development Goals set to expire in 2015, plans for a successor programme were under debate in Berlin last week. Negotiations are far from conclusion, but it is already clear that democracy and the rule of law are crucial points for sustainable development. EurActiv Germany reports. The current UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are due to expire in 2015. Though many of the UN goals have not been met, the international community is already brooding over a development agenda beyond 2015. The new set of global targets is intended to combine farther-reaching development goals, and the principle of sustainability.
2.Climate Change and Global Warming
IGAD in ambitious drought response initiative
Regional countries under Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) are fine tuning an ambitious multipronged response to the perennial problem of drought, with member countries keen to avoid 'firefighting' every time Mother Nature unleashes her wrath.A four day summit tailored to concretizing a common response to drought in the region opened in Kampala Monday, with heads of states of member countries expected to grace its closure on Thursday. The horn of Africa and a huge swath of eastern Africa that make up IGAD member countries' territory have lately suffered intermittent ruinous droughts. Following a particularly devastating drought in 2010 that affected 13 million people and almost decimated livestock in Somalia, Eritrea, northern Kenya and Djibouti, IGAD heads of state decided to take a proactive approach to the problem.
U.N. Report Shows 'Human Influence' on Climate Change
People are responsible for a warming climate and extreme weather in recent years, according to a new U.N. report.Thirteen of the 14 hottest years have occurred in this century, last year going down as the sixth-warmest on record, The Associated Press reported.
Global warming not stopped, will go on for centuries: WMO
(Reuters) - There has been no reverse in the trend of global warming and there is still consistent evidence for man-made climate change, the head of the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Monday. A slow-down in the average pace of warming at the planet's surface this century has been cited by "climate skeptics" as evidence that climate change is not happening at the potentially catastrophic rate predicted by a U.N. panel of scientists. But U.N. weather agency chief Michel Jarraud said ocean temperatures, in particular, were rising fast, and extreme weather events, forecast by climate scientists, showed climate change was inevitable for the coming centuries.
World unprepared for climate damage to food security
A key U.N. report on climate change, due out early next week, will show that the impacts of rising temperatures on food security will be more serious and hit earlier than previously thought, a situation the world is "woefully unprepared" to cope with, aid group Oxfam warned on Tuesday. "Hunger is not and need never be inevitable. However climate change threatens to put back the fight to eradicate it by decades," the charity said in a briefing paper that analysed 10 factors that will have an increasingly important influence on countries' ability to feed their people in a warmer world. Whether or not measures are taken to help farmers adapt to climate change, median crop yields will decline by up to 2 percent during the rest of the century, while crop demand grows 14 percent each decade until 2050, according to a draft summary of the report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), seen by Thomson Reuters Foundation. The risks are greatest in tropical countries, due to higher poverty rates and lower ability to adapt, it adds.
Climate Change Is Going To Make Us All Very Hungry, And We're Not Doing Anything To Stop It
Global warming has not stood still, greenhouses gases at record high – WMO chief
GENEVA - There has been no reverse in the trend of global warming and there is still consistent evidence for man-made climate change, the head of the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Monday. A slow-down in the average pace of warming at the planet's surface this century has been cited by "climate sceptics" as evidence that climate change is not happening at the potentially catastrophic rate predicted by a U.N. panel of scientists.
But U.N. weather agency chief Michel Jarraud said ocean temperatures, in particular, were rising fast, and extreme weather events, forecast by climate scientists, showed climate change was inevitable for the coming centuries. "There is no standstill in global warming," Jarraud said as he presented the WMO's annual review of the world's climate which concluded that 2013 tied with 2007 as the sixth hottest year since 1850 when recording of annual figures began.
But U.N. weather agency chief Michel Jarraud said ocean temperatures, in particular, were rising fast, and extreme weather events, forecast by climate scientists, showed climate change was inevitable for the coming centuries. "There is no standstill in global warming," Jarraud said as he presented the WMO's annual review of the world's climate which concluded that 2013 tied with 2007 as the sixth hottest year since 1850 when recording of annual figures began.
Climate Change Could Delay The Fight Against World Hunger For Decades: Report
Coffee, almonds and apples are just a few foods whose continued production is under threat due to climate change. But the implications of a changing climate have a much broader impact on global food supply, according to a new report. The new report, which Oxfam released Monday, warns that climate change threatens to delay the fight against world hunger for decades. The threat of climate change on food is much worse than the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimated in their last report in 2007. Oxfam, a global confederation of 17 organizations fighting poverty and hunger, analyzed whether the world is prepared to meet food demands in a changing climate. The report's release comes just ahead of the publication of the next portion of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report, which will focus on climate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation.
Climate change could devastate Africa crop yields
Draft of IPCC's forthcoming report reveals droughts, floods, famines and health impacts from a warming world
- See more at: http://www.rtcc.org/2014/03/25/climate-change-could-devastate-africa-crop-yields/#sthash.um2ZD8Yy.dpuf
Africa could face an onslaught of crop failures, diseases and extreme weather events as a result of global warming, a UN panel of scientists is likely to warn later this week.
The findings will be discussed at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Yokohoma, Japan, before their final approval and publication on March 31. Millions could be affected as a result of coastal and urban flooding, while fresh water resources in the west and south are expected to become under increasing stress. The continent, which is on course to see its population double to 2.4 billion by 2050, could see its development plans impacted as food and fish stocks diminish. Below we're outlined some of the regional findings relating to Africa, from a draft of the report RTCC has seen this week.
- See more at: http://www.rtcc.org/2014/03/25/climate-change-could-devastate-africa-crop-yields/#sthash.um2ZD8Yy.dpuf
Global Warming to Cause Food and Water Shortages, Reveals New UN Climate Report
As our climate shifts and changes, our food
supplies may be in danger. Now, a new UN report has shown that global warming may already be causing irreversible damage to nature that could disrupt the world's supply of food, according to Reuters. Climate change is often viewed on a global scale, an many people see it as something that will happen far in the future. However, the new report reveals that the big risks and overall effects of global warming are far more immediate and local than you might think, according to NBC News. Disease, drought, flooding, and hunger are all problems that will have to be dealt with.
supplies may be in danger. Now, a new UN report has shown that global warming may already be causing irreversible damage to nature that could disrupt the world's supply of food, according to Reuters. Climate change is often viewed on a global scale, an many people see it as something that will happen far in the future. However, the new report reveals that the big risks and overall effects of global warming are far more immediate and local than you might think, according to NBC News. Disease, drought, flooding, and hunger are all problems that will have to be dealt with.Climate change could leave another 50 million people facing hunger by 2050
As governments convene in Japan to discuss environmental change, the need for action to avoid a global food crisis is clear
Just three days after my homeland was devastated by typhoon Haiyan, the biggest storm ever to hit land, I attended the opening of the UN climate change talks in Poland. With a deep sense of anxiety about the fate of my family and friends, I pleaded with delegates to recognise that vulnerable countries such as the Philippines cannot cope with the overwhelming impacts of climate change alone. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/mar/25/climate-change-equivalent-spanish-population-hunger-crisis-2050
Climate Change Expected to Put Millions More at Risk for Malaria
Researchers found that in warmer years, people living at higher elevations experienced more malaria infections than they do in cooler years.
Climate change talks fail to live up to French hopes
The result of last week's EU summit talks on climate change was disappointing for France, which had hoped for a clear policy outline before next year's UN climate summit in Paris. François Hollande says that will be the last chance for an international agreement to curb global warming.EurActiv France reports. Regrettably for France and other climate advocates, the talks on energy and climate change at the European summit were a failure. The dossier struggled to get attention, overshadowed by talks about Russia and the Crimea crisis. Leaders failed to set targets for 2030 in the final summit conclusions.
Food Security in Changing Agro-Climatic Trends
The term "food security" first originated in the mid-1970s, when the World Food Conference (1974) defined food security in terms of food supply – assuring the availability and price stability of basic foodstuffs at the international and national level. A widely used definition, dating back to the World Food Summit of 2001 (refined), defines food security as existing "when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life". Food security is becoming increasingly important given the population explosion (world population is expected to swell from 7 billion to 9 billion people by 2050) and the potential limits on our ability to provide food in coming y ears. Although the number and proportions of undernourished people are declining, it appears unlikely that this will be sufficient to meet the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the percentage of people suffering from chronic hunger by 2015. Under normal conditions, scientists and researchers may have advocated for the upliftment of agriculture and allied sectors including livestock, but problems of agriculture sector are hindrance.
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/2014/Mar/25/food-security-in-changing-agro-climatic-trends-12.asp
3. Sustnable Management of Natural Resources
Giving people land title and passing new land laws fall short in addressing poverty
WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Land reform programmes and giving people land title are not proving sufficient to reduce poverty, policymakers and experts said on Monday in recommending that governments address land issues as part of a broader economic development plan. Governments and development agencies have embraced land reform as an important way to strengthen people's economic stake in their communities and encourage them to invest in their land and increase its productivity. The United Nations estimates that 70 percent of land in developing countries has no documented tenure, while over 3 billion people live in poverty. But merely putting land legislation into place and providing citizens with documented land rights is falling short as a solution for addressing these problems, said Stefan Dercon, chief economist of the UK's Department for International Development.
The International Day of Forests
Lyon, France - The International Day of Forests is an important opportunity to remind ourselves of the vital role of forests to the world's environment, people's health and the economic well-being of many forest-rich - but cash-poor - countries. It is also an important time to acknowledge the level of forest destruction and the need for the rule of law at this 'final frontier'.Forests are a reservoir of biodiversity, sheltering more than two-thirds of the world's terrestrial species. Deforestation and habitat loss is the leading cause of species extinction. Forests are also home to 200 million people, whilst a quarter of the world's population, at least 1.6 billion people, depend on forests for their survival – as their source of food, medicine, shelter and fuel.
Global study busts myths about forests and livelihoods
A collaborative global study between the Centre for International Reasearch (CIFOR) and Poverty and Environment Network have unearthed the myths between forests, livelihoods and incomes. In a release to the Ghana News Agency, it said n the most comprehensive study on the links between the environment and livelihoods to date, researchers have challenged conventional wisdom about the importance of environmental income, the roles of men and women in forest-product use, and the function of forests as safety nets.It stated incomes from forests and other natural environments makes a significant contribution to the livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries, according to the study, although not always in the ways case study research had suggested.
Until now, development actions related to forests and livelihoods have been based on incomplete or fragmented data. In many cases, forestry has been combined with agriculture in national income statistics, or not counted at all.
Forests Are Crucial To Green Growth
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
Trees are what made the Earth habitable for mammals, and destruction of forests will lead to the ultimate destruction of mammals — including humans
The value of forests and tree-based ecosystems extends far beyond carbon sequestration; they are the foundation of sustainable societies. A new report, launched in Jakarta, Indonesia on 21 March – the International Day of Forests – promotes REDD+ and the Green Economy as together providing a new pathway to sustainable development that can benefit all nations. It claims this approach can conserve and even boost the economic and social benefits forests provide to human society. Building Natural Capital – How REDD+ Can Support a Green Economy was developed by the International Resources Panel. It outlines how REDD+ can be integrated into a Green Economy to support pro-poor development while maintaining or increasing forest cover.
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113101929/forests-and-sustainable-societies-032414/#4iTtydDwXM1WIRm5.99
Planting Seeds for Women's Roles in Forest Management
- The role of women in the management of forests is crucial for the success of sustainable development, according to diplomats and experts meeting Friday to commemorate International Day of Forests. With forests covering one-third of the earth, the panel of experts stressed that awareness of sustainable development of forests must be coupled with concrete action, along with the need to focus on women, as change agents and drivers for the cause. "Women play a vital role in the agriculture sector and rural women in countries like Gabon rely heavily on the products from forests," said Ambassador Marianne Bibalou, deputy permanent representative of Gabon to the U.N. "This day helps set the stage for members of the U.N. forum on forests to make decisions for international and multilateral policies for forests."In May 2015 the UN Forum of Forests (UNFF) will hold its 11th session where member states will decide on the future of multilateral policies and institutions on forests.
FAO calls for action to accelerate economic transformation and development in Africa
Despite important economic progress and agricultural successes, Africa remains the world's most food insecure continent, with relatively low levels of agricultural productivity, low rural incomes, and high rates of malnutrition, FAO said today.As the Organization's 28th Regional Conference for Africa gathers in Tunis, FAO is calling on African ministers of agriculture for action in priority areas to accelerate increased investment and broad-based transformation in support of smallholder farmers, including rural youth and women. Africa has recorded continuous economic growth since 1999, accompanied by improved governance and human development indicators.
4. Environmental Pollution and Health
Heart, stroke biggest killers when breathed air is polluted
Heart disease and stroke constitute the largest causes of death followed by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a result of outdoor air pollution, WHO says in a new report released Tuesday.
Estimates of people's exposure to outdoor air pollution in different parts of the world were formulated through a new global data mapping. This incorporated satellite data, ground-level monitoring measurements and data on pollution emissions from key sources, as well as modelling of how pollution drifts in the air. "The risks from air pollution are now far greater than previously thought or understood, particularly for heart disease and strokes," says Dr Maria Neira, Director of WHO's Department for Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. "Few risks have a greater impact on global health today than air pollution; the evidence signals the need for concerted action to clean up the air we all breathe." In particular, the new data reveal a stronger link between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer. This is in addition to air pollution's role in the development of respiratory diseases, including acute respiratory infections and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
Fight against tuberculosis needs urgent global response
UK lawmakers Nick Herbert, Andrew George and Virendra Sharma are members of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis.Few issues cross political divides, and fewer still cross national boundaries to motivate decision makers around the world to join together with one voice and call for action. Tuberculosis (TB), however, is a unique case. This ancient disease, mankind's greatest infectious killer, is a very modern threat: an airborne disease found in every country in the world, from the wealthiest to the least developed, and now one that has become drug resistant. Today is World Tuberculosis Day – a day that commemorates the discovery of the TB bacteria in 1882. Yet, 132 years later, TB continues to outrun our attempts to control it. Every year, 1.3 million people die from the disease. As Medecins Sans Frontieres put it, to mark TB Day, 22,000 people will catch the disease.
5. Water and Sanitation:
The vital role of business in tackling the water and sanitation crisis
Universal access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene will add $220bn a year to the world economy, explains Dave Hillyard, head of major partnerships at WaterAid
Sponsor's feature. Take a moment to reflect on the over 750 million people who do not have access to safe drinking water, and the 2.5 billion people who live without basic sanitation.We take these services as a given in the west, and we've done so for so long now that it's difficult to truly imagine life where something as basic as clean drinking water isn't just on tap. A world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, somewhere safe to use the toilet and has hygiene services. This will be a healthier, better educated and more productive world – more productive to the tune of $220bn a year to the world economy.
Sponsor's feature. Take a moment to reflect on the over 750 million people who do not have access to safe drinking water, and the 2.5 billion people who live without basic sanitation.We take these services as a given in the west, and we've done so for so long now that it's difficult to truly imagine life where something as basic as clean drinking water isn't just on tap. A world where everyone, everywhere has clean water, somewhere safe to use the toilet and has hygiene services. This will be a healthier, better educated and more productive world – more productive to the tune of $220bn a year to the world economy.
How Can Africa's Water and Sanitation Shortfall be Solved?
At current rates, it will take sub-Saharan Africa 15 years to reach its water goals and 150 years to reach its sanitation targets. A group of experts explain what needs to change.
On March 22, groups across the globe marked World Water Day, an occasion for highlighting the importance of water and sanitation as well as the many shortfalls in its provision.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are well understood to be critical to eradicating poverty, improving health, nutrition, education and gender equality, and enabling economic growth. Some 2,000 children die every day from diseases linked to water and sanitation; it is estimated that women in the Global South spend a cumulative 200 million hours a day collecting water, walking an average of 6 km a day, and carrying weights of up to 20 kg; lack of safe water and sanitation is estimated to cost sub-Saharan African around 5% of its annual GDP; and women are at far greater risk of sexual assault when searching for places to defecate at night time.
6. Politics and Governance
The Central African Republic's Future Depends on New York and Washington
A United Nations peace-keeping mission for Central Africa? This is the ultimate question for the US and the international community as a whole as talks launched in New York on March 6 wend their way to a vote. Despite the deployment of nearly 8,000 African Union troops (MISCA) supported by the French army's Operation Sangaris, the horrific violence in this dwindling state rages on. During our recent mission to the CAR, we witnessed the fate of men, women and children killed and mutilated daily. The CAR's conflict is one of the few in which more people are killed than injured. We estimate that over 2,500 persons have been murdered over the last three months - victims of firearms, grenades and, most often, machetes.
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