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Africa-wide Civil Society Climate Change Initiative for Policy Dialogues - ACCID
Africa Climate Change Digest: 30 April 2010 |
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Environment finance 'not high on agenda' Business Report Cape Town: Environment Minister Buyelwa Sonjica says her department is working with the National Treasury to find a way of generating money for the environment, through instruments such as the emissions tax and the plastic bag levy. She complained to MPs that the financing and resourcing of the environmental sector in particular in provinces and municipalities "is not high up on the agenda". Include parliament in "every step" of climate policy process - MP Engineering News Johannesburg: As the Department of Environmental Affairs continued working on the South African climate change policy, parliamentary representatives urged the department to include the portfolio committee on water and environment in every forum where the policy was discussed before the draft document was released. Eskom revives solar, wind projects with World Bank funds Business Report Johannesburg: South Africa's power utility Eskom has revived two renewable energy projects after the injection of funds from a $3.75 billion (R28 billion) World Bank loan earlier this month, the company said. South Africa could learn lessons from Israel's solar-geyser successes Engineering News Johannesburg: About 90% of domestic residences in Israel make use of solar water heating systems, and Israel's National Infrastructure Ministry estimates that it has the highest intensity of solar panels for water heating, which satisfies some 4% of the country's total energy demand. This translates into about 3 000 MW of installed solar water heating capacity. Public buildings are choosing greener path, says Doidge Business Report Johannesburg: The Public Works Department is engaged in developing programmes that support the transition to green buildings, including an energy-efficiency drive in public buildings. This drive included the formulation of an energy code of conduct for all buildings under the custodianship of the department for implementation by national government departments using state-owned and leased buildings, Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge told the Green Building Conference in Midrand yesterday. Eskom loan "will help" South Africa's poor neighbours Inter Press Service London: The $3.75 billion World Bank loan for a new coal-fired power station in South Africa is essential for economic growth in neighbouring low income countries, according to Dr Mohamed Abdelrahman, energy advisor for the New Partnership for Africa's Development, a programme of the African Union. Civil society calls on World Bank to reform its energy lending Inter Press Service Washington: Against the backdrop of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund's spring meetings this [past] weekend, numerous groups have chimed in on the need for and direction of a new World Bank energy strategy. Coal is still a vital energy source for developing nations The Guardian London: Your report about Britain's indecision in the runup to last week's World Bank vote over a loan for a cleaner coal plant in South Africa did not highlight the vital importance of coal for developing nations, many of whom enjoy vast reserves (UK dilemma over massive coal-fired power station, 2 April). AfDB green growth strategy to usher new green deal for Africa AfDB Tunis: The African Development Bank Group is undertaking a study to produce an "Africa Green Growth Strategy". The Bank will present the draft strategy at regional stakeholders' workshops in August and September 2010. A pilot action plan will then be established. It will include about five strategic pilot projects that focus on technology transfer of renewable energies as well as the need to ensure an appropriate political, institutional and regulatory framework that will guarantee the sustainability of the green economy measures. Nigeria: Government to draft power development blueprint Next Lagos: Minister of State for Power, Nuhu Wya, said yesterday that the federal government will soon come up with a comprehensive blueprint on the development of our nation's power sector. Namibia to finalise strategy on climate change New Era Windhoek: Namibia is expected to finalise its country strategy in response to climate change and plan of action by June this year. Minister of Environment and Tourism, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said only then can Cabinet decide on what laws to introduce with regard to climate change. British government to help Tanzania cope with climate The Citizen Dar es Salaam: The British government yesterday pledged more support to Tanzania in responding to major threats of climate change, including threat to poverty reduction, sustainable growth and potentially to national security. The British High Commissioner to Tanzania, Ms Diane Corner, said in Dar es Salaam yesterday the support by her government will aim at ensuring that the country's development coped with climate change. West Mediterranean countries unite on climate change France24 Oran: The countries of the western Mediterranean called for a comprehensive plan for combatting environmental blight and climate change in the region. The meeting of the so-called 5+5 countries on the western Mediterranean rim brought together the environment ministers of Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Mauritania from Africa, and from Europe, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal. Malta is also a member of the informal group but was not in attendance. Botswana MPs found ill-informed to make policy on climate change Sunday Standard Gaborone: Hardly four months after the Copenhagen Conference, which sought to devise strategies to confront the impact of global warming and climate change, Botswana legislators cannot tell the difference between climate change and the depletion of the ozone layer. And much less are they able to distinguish climate change as an aspect of the environment from the other environment related problems. Greater carbon reduction urgency needed, expert says Engineering News Johannesburg: The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions was urgent and could not be delayed, as lags in the climate and physical systems of the earth meant that the effects of such cuts would only be realised in years to come, South African National Biodiversity Institute climate change and bioadaptation chief director Guy Midgley argued. Kenya scores high marks in matters green Daily Nation Nairobi: Kenya is ranked among six countries that have improved in terms of low carbon emissions in the first quarter of this year according to a report. The country together with Rwanda, India, Mexico, Indonesia and Philippines have the potential for lower carbon emissions despite the uncertainty surrounding international climate change negotiations. Women farmers' lack of access to decision making threatens climate adaptation, experts say Reuters AlertNet Harare: Sylvia Chipakwe has been a successful subsistence farmer most of her life, surviving through tough times and bad weather with a flexible approach to production. Bauchi farmers sensitised on weather, climate change Daily Trust Abuja: The Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme (BSADP) has embarked on massive sensitisation of farmers on weather and climate change. Dr Aliyu Gital, the BSADP Programme Manager, said in Bauchi on Monday that the programme was aimed at promoting good farming practices. Gital said the programme was also designed to caution farmers against planting early in the rainy season. When the rains don't come on time Irin Johannesburg: Rain rules the lives and wellbeing of rural people in most developing countries: it determines whether they will have enough to eat, be able to provide basic necessities and earn a living, but climate change has made rainfall more erratic in many parts of the world. "What is scary is how fast things have been changing in the last 20 years," said Abba Ayalew Tegene, 83, a farmer in northern Ethiopia. Competing for Limpopo water Irin Johannesburg: Climate change will bring higher temperatures to Southern Africa while changing rainfall patterns will affect the amount of water available for food production. "Irrigation is often listed as an adaptation strategy for farmers, but no one has really looked at the impact of climate change on irrigation," said Claudia Ringler, a Senior Research Fellow at the US-based International Food Policy Research Institute. Tension as Egypt rejects new deal for Nile water Daily Nation Cairo: In arid Egypt, officials have long angered fellow Nile Basin countries by clinging to colonial-era water treaties giving it rights to the lion's share of water flowing down the world's longest river. But upstream nations desperate for development are hoping to break with the past, threatening to shut regional heavyweight Egypt out of a new pact and potentially deepening an already bitter struggle for water resources across this parched region. Experts call for hike in global water price The Guardian London: Major economies are pushing for substantial increases in the price of water around the world as concern mounts about dwindling supplies and rising population. With official UN figures showing that 1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water and more than double that number do not have proper sanitation, increases in prices will be - and in some countries are already proving to be - hugely controversial. Successful weather prediction uses old and new Inter Press Service Nairobi: In the wake of ever-changing climatic conditions, a study in western Kenya has discovered that combining traditional methods of weather prediction with meteorological forecasting is the best way of obtaining more accurate forecast data. This was one of the findings of a report submitted to the International Development Research Centre on April 23 after two years of research. Weather service key to flood disaster management Inter Press Service Nairobi: Mozambique's government learned some tough lessons from the devastating floods that hit the country a decade ago. Experts say the disaster management plans drawn up since are a model for other African countries. Confronting the geopolitics of climate change Project Sydicate New Delhi: International climate-change negotiations are to be renewed this year. To be successful, they must heed the lessons of last December's Copenhagen summit. The first lesson is that climate change is a matter not only of science, but also of geopolitics. The expectation at Copenhagen that scientific research would trump geopolitics was misguided. Without an improved geopolitical strategy, there can be no effective fight against climate change. Pachauri: Despite attacks from critics, climate science will prevail Yale E360 Science thrives on debate. Only by challenging scientific findings do we expose weak arguments and substantiate strong ones. But the process relies on the debate being devoid of political taint and grounded in sound scientific knowledge. Sadly, that has not been the case in the recent barrage of criticism leveled against climate science. Merkel abandons aim of binding climate agreement Spiegel Online Bonn: Frustrated by the climate change conference in December, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is quietly moving away from her goal of a binding agreement on limiting climate change to 2 degrees Celsius. She has also sent out signals at the EU level that she no longer supports the idea of Europe going it alone. UN report pushes for energy accesss and efficiency to fight poverty and climate change UN News Centre New York: Increasing access to clean energy and improving its efficiency will be vital to both enhancing global prosperity and combating climate change, according to a new report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's advisory group on the nexus between energy and climate. "We need a clean energy revolution - in developing countries, where demand is rising rapidly, and in the developed world, in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions," Mr Ban told the launch of the publication in New York. Environmental groups praise BASIC meeting on climate change VOA Johannesburg: Environmental groups are giving qualified praise to a conference on climate change by four major nations in the developing world. During a meeting in South Africa, they made recommendations aimed at boosting talks on reducing carbon emissions. Activists have welcomed the call by Brazil, South Africa, India and China, known as the BASIC countries, for a global, legally binding agreement on climate change by the end of next year. Climate change in Africa USAID Washington: Testimony of Franklin Moore, USAID Bureau for Africa before the Sub Committee on African Affairs and Global Health: Climate change is one of the premier challenges of our generation. No nation, large or small, rich or poor, is immune to its impact, and no nation can afford to sit idly by while its effects unfold. |
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Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN)
Africa-wide Civil Society Climate Change Initiative for Policy Dialogues - ACCID
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