Solar is coming back home to Kenya, where the Equator slices through the country giving it year-long sun-shine that is only briefly interrupted by the cold season from June to July. However, Kenya hasn’t always made use of this natural gift of Solar, with solar being mostly used in off-grid rural areas to charge phones […]
“Talking about millet never fills the harvest barns with millet.” This ancient African proverb underscores the attitude with which many Africans at the grassroots embrace the global climate change discourse. As the world talks about new forms of adaptation, these Africans live the adaptation that a changing climate has already necessitated. Though often presented in […]
Forest fires are a true disaster in Kenya.There are two main causes leading to the infernos: natural and human. The natural ones are not a burden at all since nature has its own means of controlling its own contents. Majority of the human causes are uncontrolled or unintentional caused by carelessness in handling fire in […]
Did you know that fishing contributes 30% into the GDP of Seychelles? Did you also know that the annual fish production in Ghana is worth approximately $790 million? This story is no different in other African countries where fishing is an economic activity. The amazing fact of them all is that these […]
The planet earth, on which we live in communities, is being increasingly ‘ruptured’ because of human activities; its carrying capacity is under great stress because of demographic pressures. The pressure is especially affecting the people living in the dry areas because of the marginal and fragile nature of the resources they have access to. There […]
The energy transition that powered the Industrial Revolution helped create a new economic and social class by raising the incomes and changing the occupations of a large fraction of society who were then employed in rural, agrarian economies. The next energy transition will occur under fundamentally different socioeconomic conditions. Future energy systems must supply adequate […]
Environmentalists really like conferences. Apparently, they also like having conferences to talk about planning more conferences. World leaders have just announced that they do not intend to actually sign a treaty on climate change in Copenhagen this December, a conference that has widely been referred to as “the most important meeting in history.” The leaders […]
Africa is the second largest continent in the world after Asia, and with a total land area of more than 3,025.8 million hectares (ha), its landmass is more than three times that of the United States of America. Of Africa’s 53 countries, Sudan is the largest, covering 250.39 million ha and Seychelles the smallest, covering […]
Since humanity first set forth upon the seas, the issue of sovereign control over the oceans has been an ongoing concern. Prior to the 20th century, the oceans had been subject to the freedom of the seas doctrine. This principle, adopted in the 17th century, limited national rights and jurisdiction over a narrow band of […]
Rivers are of immense importance geologically, biologically, historically and culturally. Although they contain only about 0.0001% of the total amount of water in the world at any given time, rivers are vital carriers of water and nutrients to areas all around the earth. They are critical components of the hydrological cycle, acting as drainage channels […]
The concept of “green growth” is one which has understandable political currency, highlighted by its prominence in this year’s Rio+20 meeting hosted by the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. In promising to reconcile the goals of low-carbon and sustainable development with other valued outcomes — such as job creation, poverty reduction and economic growth […]
Surely I am not easy to come by, so with hard work and juggling from one job to another I am found. With love, care and gratitude I am handled. Within a short time of my arrival a strange and unacceptable problem arises, thousands and thousands of miles away from me and I’m needed. With […]
Africa runs on agriculture. Seven out of ten Africans depend on Agriculture for their livelihoods.In Kenya, agriculture directly contributes 24 percent of the GDP annually,which is directly valued at Kshs 342 billion. Agriculture accounts for 65 percent of Kenya’s exports, 18 percent of formal employment and an even much higher percentage of informal employment. Despite these […]
The FAO’s Committee on Forestry (COFO) is marking this week (23rd June-27th June)as World Forest Week in Rome, Italy. Over 600 participants are in attendance to review the state of the world’s forests, examine forest policies, promote sustainable production and consumption of forest goods and services. COFO is FAO’s highest forestry statutory authority and bring together heads of forest […]
The Rio + 20 Summit in 2012 provided an impetus for increased use of markets for solving environmental problems, through the ‘green economy’ mantra to conserve the natural capital of the earth. Market approaches are based on the principle that ecosystem goods and services can be traded hence the development of water, biodiversity, carbon markets […]
A song that is infamous all over Africa is that of unemployment. Africa’s economic powerhouse South Africa has not been left out of this symphony. The country has over 4.5 million unemployed people and an enormous potential in creating green jobs. Arthi Sanpath, a journalist from South Africa takes a panoramic view of green growth […]
