Africa: Climate-Smart Farming Gets Funding Boost at COP28, But Small Farmers Still Struggle

[ad_1] Despite not securing a phase-out of fossil fuels, COP28 witnessed a historic focus on food. The summit saw over $7 billion in funding commitments, as well as a pledge by 152 countries to include food and agriculture in their climate plans. There is no doubt that commercial agriculture is a major contributor to the climate crisis, responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to Greenpeace. This includes emissions from land use change, on-farm production, processing, transport, packaging, and retail. […]

January 30, 2024

Africa

Africa: European Demand Driving $1 Trillion Spending On Gas Production Worldwide This Decade

[ad_1] $223 billion of this to be spent on new gas production to supply Europe *** Brussels, January 29 - The fossil fuel industry is forecast to spend more than one trillion dollars globally over the next decade on producing gas for European markets, according to Global Witness analysis of Rystad Energy data. Despite climate and energy experts' warnings that any new fossil fuel production will push the world beyond 1.5°C heating, $223 billion of this trillion dollar sum is […]

January 29, 2024

Africa

Africa’s Savannah Elephants – Small ‘Fortress’ Parks Aren’t the Answer – They Need Room to Roam

[ad_1] Africa is home to about 410,000 savannah elephants (Loxodonta africana), most of them living in southern Africa. Over 290,000 elephants (70%) are spread across 103 protected areas which vary in size, connectivity and protection. In a recent research paper we explored how elephant populations across southern Africa performed under different conservation approaches. This work formed part of the Conservation Ecology Research Unit at the University of Pretoria, where we focus on science-based, cost-effective approaches to elephant management. Our study […]

January 26, 2024

Africa

Africa: Matchmaking for Green Cities? Accelerating Climate Finance in Urban Areas

[ad_1] By Liam O Connor, Francisco Martes Porto Macedo and Omar Siddique BANGKOK, Thailand, Jan 23 2024 (IPS) - Asia and the Pacific is home to 54 per cent of the world's urban population, who are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (ESCAP, 2023; IPCC, 2022). Why then, do climate action projects in cities commonly face delays in implementation? Crucial new developments in mitigation and adaptation including: renewable energy, public transport, and nature-based solutions, are needed to safeguard […]

January 25, 2024

Africa

Africa: Tiny Water-Walking Bugs Provide Scientists With Insights On How Microplastics Are Pushed Underwater

[ad_1] Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can cause big problems when they enter the water supply. One way my fluid dynamics lab explores microplastic movement is by studying how tiny water-walking insects are pushed underwater by raindrops. Exposure to microplastic pollution can pose health risks, such as respiratory and digestive problems, increased risk of diabetes and disrupted sleep. But physicists like me can study how they move through water to learn how to clean them up. Water striders are […]

January 25, 2024

Africa

Africa’s Life-Sustaining Water Towers Have Been Overlooked for Too Long

[ad_1] International researchers' focus on ice to define natural water towers leaves Africa's critical systems off the map, and with little protection. Africa is a water stressed continent. It is home to 1.4 billion people - 18% of the world's population - yet has only 9% of global freshwater. By 2050, when Africa's population is projected to reach close to 2.5 billion, demand for already limited fresh water will be even higher. Yet it's not all doom and gloom. Despite […]

January 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: Biodiversity – What Is It, and How Can We Protect It?

[ad_1] The UN and its global partners will grapple with the massive loss of animal and plant species, and how to avoid further extinction, at a major conference beginning 23 January. Here's a primer on what, exactly, biodiversity is, and how the UN can help support efforts to enable nature to survive and thrive. What does 'biodiversity' mean and why is it important? In simple terms, biodiversity refers to all types of life on earth. The UN Convention on Biological […]

January 24, 2024

News

Rwanda: Kigali – Rwf20 Billion Needed for ‘Ecotourism Lake’ in Masaka

[ad_1] In a bid to enhance ecotourism and bolster flood management initiatives, Rwf19.8 billion is required to construct essential facilities paving the way for an ecotourism lake in Masaka sector, Kicukiro district. Davis Bugingo, the Flood Management and Water Storage Development Division Manager at Rwanda Water Resources Board (RWB), told The New Times in an interview on Tuesday. The completion of a detailed design for the Masaka dyke, a structure crucial for creating the ecotourism lake in Masaka wetland within […]

January 24, 2024

Africa

Africa: The Grim Realities of Western Climate Change Discourse On Africa

[ad_1] Where do African peoples fit into Western narratives on climate change, if at all? The Atlantic's "grim ironies" article provides a cautionary tale. As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was gearing up for elections in December 2023, The Atlantic published an article, by Senior Editor Ross Andersen, initially titled "War in the Congo Has Kept the Planet Cooler". After uproar on social media, on which one user paraphrased the headline as "Death of Africans Good for Planet", the […]

January 24, 2024

Environment