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Africa-wide Civil Society Climate Change Initiative for Policy Dialogues - ACCID
- News Digest - |
| Week ending 12 June 2009 |
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Eastern Regional Minister expresses worry about degradation of forest reserve Modern Ghana, 8 June 2009 Accra: Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister, has expressed worry about the deforestation of the country's forest reserves through human activities. He said it was unfortunate that the country's total forest cover of 8.2 million hectares, had been reduced to about one million by the end of the last century... Bolster natural carbon absorption, says UN Inter Press Service, 8 June 2009 Mexico City: Expanding the capacity of natural areas for capturing and storing carbon is one of the keys to curbing climate change, and would be a relatively low-cost solution that would also improve the quality of life of millions of farmers, the United Nations said Friday... Indian farmers to insure themselves against climate change crop failure The Guardian, 9 June 2009 London: For more than half a million farmers in rural India the age old fear of crops failing due to bad weather could soon be banished, thanks to an innovative insurance scheme that UN negotiators gathering in Bonn this week are considering as a central component of climate change adaptation measures in Africa, Asia and Latin America... Nigeria loses 350,000 hectares annually to deforestation - Odey Vanguard, 9 June 2009 Abuja: Minister of Environment, Mr. John Odey, has said the country loses over 350,000 hectares of land every year to deforestation and other impacts of climate change. According to him, the impact of climate change in the country could result into great danger for both the social development and the health of Nigerians... In bid to stem global warming, future of foreign aid is green The Star, 10 June 2009 Ottawa: In the future of foreign aid, it won't matter whether the need is in Africa, Asia or Latin America. If a number of Western governments have their way, development projects for the world's poorest will be as green as the money that pays for them. Pressure on rich countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions could mean government-branded sacks of food aid could take a back seat to things like more efficient wood-burning cooking stoves for rural Mexicans... Farmers help to identify how to adapt to climate change R4D, 10 June 2009 London: Farmers in Africa are helping to identify alternative farming practices which will help them adapt to climate change. A study initiated in 2007 under the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa programme... is working with smallholder farmers in Uganda, Tanzania, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe... Dry future for Kenyan farms Daily Nation, 10 June 2009 Nairobi: Life in Kenya’s famine-prone fringe areas will get worse with total crop failure within the next four decades, according to a new study. The study carried out by the International Livestock Research Institute says drought-tolerant maize and even the much more resilient millet will hardly survive hotter weather and rainfall shifts in the areas... Brazilian food security agency to share knowledge with Africa FoodBizDaily, 11 June 2009 Sao Paolo: Conab, the official agency of the Brazilian Government in charge of food security initiatives showcased its knowledge in commercialization of agriculture and farming Tuesday at the Brazil and Sub-Saharan Africa Forum in Dakar, Senegal... Nigeria: The N200bn agricultural fund The Daily Independent, 11 June 2009 Lagos: On the face of it, the Federal Government's recent initiative of a N200 billion agricultural development fund, meant as loans to farmers to boost food production against the backdrop of the global economic crisis, is salutary... Annan, Machel, Camdessus: The future of the state of Africa Huffington Post, 11 June 2009 Cape Town: Africa's potential is often overlooked. Yet the continent abounds in untapped natural and human resources. The United Nations, for example, estimates that there are over 800 million hectares of unused, cultivable land that could provide the basis for a green revolution in food production -- land which could be used to tackle food shortages in Africa and in other continents... How to measure vulnerability to climate change? Irin, 11 June 2009 Johannesburg: A complex but critical issue is being raised at the UN climate change talks in Bonn, Germany: finding a scale that determines how vulnerable developing countries are to climate change, which will help allocating funds to adapt fairly. Jan Kowalzig, of the UK-based development agency, Oxfam, told IRIN that the need for a vulnerability index would have to be agreed as a principle, because "it is the link between adaptation and the financing mechanism"... Agriculture an underestimated "safety net" Irin, 11 June 2009 Johannesburg: Investment in agriculture in developing countries, where most of the workforce consists of small-scale farmers, is akin to beefing up a "safety net" as the world struggles to limit the impact of the economic crisis, a UN agency head told IRIN ahead of the three-day World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Cape Town... China launches green power revolution to catch up on west The Guardian, 11 June 2009 London: China is planning a vast increase in its use of wind and solar power over the next decade and believes it can match Europe by 2020, producing a fifth of its energy needs from renewable sources, a senior Chinese official said yesterday... Ethiopia first African country to join Climate Neutral Network EthioPolitics, 12 June 2009 Addis Ababa: Ethiopia is the first African country to join the Climate Neutral Network in its latest commitment to mitigate the affects of climate change, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) disclosed on Friday... The impact of climate change Daily Triumph, 12 June 2009 Lagos: Mrs Dan Kumbur, a potato seller on the Jos-Keffi road in Plateau state, knows that potatoes have been shrinking in size over the last couple of years but cannot explain why. She has not heard of climate change and its impact on agricultural yield. ``The rains come late but heavy; and when the sun comes, it is so hot... Malawi: Govt promises policies to combat climate change Nation Online, 12 June 2009 Lilongwe: The Government has said there is a need for policies that address climate change and promote climate-friendly technologies and practices. Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources Fletcher Zenengeya said this at the commemoration of the World Environment Day in Mangochi on Saturday... Graca Machel: Africa's people need bold, focussed and sustained leadership from its governments The Independent, 12 June 2009 London: It would be easy, when faced with the crisis in development that now threatens Africa, to demand that the rest of the world ride to our rescue. After all, it is not the people of Africa who are responsible for the financial crisis devastating our economies or the climate change that has unleashed floods, droughts and storms on our land... Agriculture: A necessary complication in the climate negotiations Grist, 12 June 2009 Despite a sense that the international climate change negotiations, convened in Bonn, Germany this week, are grinding forward at a painfully slow pace, there is a momentum to the process that makes adding new ideas very difficult. It took several years of behind the scenes technical work and at least two years of carefully planned campaigning to get the deforestation issue substantively on the table... India funds environmental management in Mozambique Macauhub, 12 June 2009 Maputo: India plans to provide US$15 million for environmental management programmes in Mozambique, the minister for Environmental Coordination and Action , ALcinda Abreu said Wednesday in Maputo. The minister was speaking as part of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry and the The Energy Resources Intitute of India (TERI), aimed at increasing Mozambique’s capacity to adapt to climate change, reforestation, prevention of soil depletion and technical training... Africa to present common voice at climate conference Xinhua News Agency, 12 June 2009 Abuja: African countries are expected to present a common voice at the forthcoming conference on climate change to be held in December in Copenhagen, Demark, a Nigerian official said in Abuja on Wednesday. Victor Fodeke, Head of the Climate Change Special Unit in the Federal Ministry of Environment, said Nigeria's position on climate change is not different from the position of most African countries... Small farm funding up despite crisis - UN agency The Guardian, 12 June 2009 Johannesburg: Investment in small-scale farming around the world has grown despite the potentially crippling effects of the global financial crisis and high commodity prices, a UN funding agency said on Tuesday... Climate change challenge needs good governance, payment system New Era, 12 June 2009 Windhoek: A recently released study done by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) suggests not only that agents for change in the fight to reverse the causes and effects of climate be paid, but also that key economic, cultural, institutional and information conditions be met... |
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Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)
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Disclaimer: This newsflash was made possible through financial support provided by the Government of Norway to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). FANRPAN is mandated by COMESA to implement the Africa-wide Civil Society Climate Change Initiative for Policy Dialogues (ACCID). The opinions expressed in the articles carried in this newsflash are those of the author(s) and quoted sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of COMESA, FANRPAN and the Government of Norway. For more details visit www.africaclimatesolution.org and www.fanrpan.org
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