Africa

The weekly round-up on the climate crisis and data on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Last week, a summit was held in Paris on how to enable low-income countries most exposed to the impacts of the climate crisis to grow their economies by reducing their dependence on fossil fuels [we'll talk about it in detail later]. What can the 54 countries of the African continent do to contribute to the decarbonisation of the world?Can Africa make a leap in quality and combine energy transition and economic growth?These are the questions that the journalist of New York Times, Somini Sengupta, he addressed to Wanjira Mathai, director general for Africa and global partnerships at the World Resources Institute (WRI), and Rebekah Shirley, senior environmental researcher and deputy director for Africa at WRI. These two simple questions opened up deeper questions having to do with the financial sustainability of the energy transition, the capacity of the electricity grid and...

A recent one relationship of the non-profit organization Global Witness, based in the UK and US, details how a new mining rush driven by demand for minerals to produce clean energy is risking reproducing the same model of extractivism that has impoverished African countries for centuries.The organization's investigation is based on some projects lithium extraction in Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia:in all three extraction projects the dynamics of exploitation who have plundered African territories to this day, reproducing forms of extractive colonialism which again only has the materials that are extracted. We hear more and more often about the need for energy transition as salvation from climate change and the environmental crisis;an energy transition based on "new materials", the so-called "rare earths", necessary for energy storage and for electric vehicles, but not only.In fact, rare earths are used for the increasingly faster process of digit...

Food loss and waste are major problems around the world. When food is tossed aside or allowed to spoil, it makes economies less productive and leaves people hungry. It also harms Earth’s climate by generating methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Food loss and waste accounts for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter in the world, ahead of India and behind only China and the U.S. Worldwide, 1.3 billion tons of food are lost or wasted every year. Earth’s population is projected to increase from 8 billion today to roughly 10 billion by 2050. Feeding that many people will require nations to increase agricultural production by more than 70% and reduce food loss and waste. Expanding food cold chains to the world’s least-developed countries can have enormous impacts. But it also raises concerns if it’s not done in a way that avoids contributing to climate change. Inves...

A further tragedy has been added to the drama of the war in Ukraine and of those fleeing from the bombings of the Russian army which are devastating the country and causing civilian victims.That of those who cannot escape and remain stuck.Or those who succeed but with extreme difficulty and suffering abuse.The reason?The color of the skin.Racism knows no reasons, not even during conflicts. First the children, then the white women, then the white men and finally the Africans.It seems like a story from another time.Instead, it is the racial hierarchy that must be respected in order to get on a train at the station in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and leave as quickly as possible to reach safety.As if some lives are worth less than others.As if children and women with dark skin were not recognized as children, much less women. Yet those who, for various reasons, left Africa and lived in Ukraine until a few days ago say they have had no problems with its inhabitants who have always been fri...

More than one-third of all people in the world live in cities, towns and villages on coasts. They rely on healthy oceans for many things, including food, income, a stable climate and ready connections to nature. But as coastal populations continue to grow, governments are under increasing pressure to ramp up development for transportation, power generation and economic growth. Projects like these can have heavy impacts on lands, waters and wildlife. World leaders are gathering in Montreal this week for the long-awaited Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP15. This treaty, which was adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, is designed to protect biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth, from genes to entire ecosystems. At the two-week conference, nations are expected to officially adopt the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, which will guide global conservation efforts over the next decade. China is thi...