May 17 (Reuters)&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Worsening outdoor air pollution and toxic lead poisoning have kept global deaths from environmental contamination at an estimated 9 million per year since 2015 – countering modest progress made in tackling pollution elsewhere, a team of scientists reported Tuesday.



Air pollution from industry processes along with urbanization drove a 7% increase in pollution-related deaths from 2015 to 2019, according to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lan???/article/PII???????????????/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">scientists’ analysis of data</a>&nbsp;on global mortality and pollution levels.



&#8220;We&#8217;re sitting in the stew pot and slowly burning,&#8221; said Richard Fuller, a study co-author and head of the global nonprofit Pure Earth. But unlike climate change, malaria, or HIV, &#8220;we haven&#8217;t given (environmental pollution) much focus.&#8221;



An earlier version of the work published in 2017 also estimated the death toll from pollution at roughly 9 million per year — or about one of every six deaths worldwide — and the cost to the global economy at up to $4.6 trillion per year. That puts pollution on par with smoking in terms of global deaths.&nbsp;COVID-19, by comparison, has killed about&nbsp;6.7 million&nbsp;people globally since the pandemic began.



For their most recent study, published in the online journal Lancet Planetary Health, the authors analyzed 2019 data from the Global Burden of Disease, an ongoing study by the University of Washington that assesses overall pollution exposure and calculates mortality risk.



The new analysis looks more specifically at the causes of pollution – separating traditional contaminants such as indoor smoke or sewage from more modern pollutants, like industrial air pollution and toxic chemicals. Here are some of the key takeaways:



WATER AND INDOOR AIR



Deaths from traditional pollutants are declining globally. But they remain a major problem in Africa and some other developing countries. Tainted water and soil and dirty indoor air put Chad, the Central African Republic and Niger as the three countries with the most pollution-related deaths, according to data adjusted for population.



State programs to cut indoor air pollution and improvements in sanitation have helped to curb death tolls in some places. In Ethiopia and Nigeria, these efforts brought related deaths to drop by two-thirds between 2000 and 2019. Meanwhile, the Indian government in 2016 began offering to replace wood-burning stoves with gas stove connections.



MODERN POLLUTANTS



Deaths caused by exposure to modern pollutants such as heavy metals, agrochemicals and fossil fuel emissions are &#8220;just skyrocketing&#8221;, rising 66% since 2000, said co-author Rachael Kupka, executive director of the New York-based Global Alliance on Health and Pollution.



When it comes to outdoor air pollution, some major capital cities have seen some success, including in Bangkok, China, and Mexico City, the authors said. But in smaller cities, pollution levels continue to climb.



HIGHEST POLLUTION-RELATED DEATHS



The study offered a list of the 10 countries most affected by pollution-related deaths, based on their findings on mortality adjusted for population.



1. Chad; 2. Central African Republic; 3. Niger; 4. Solomon Islands; 5. Somalia; 6. South Africa; 7. North Korea; 8. Lesotho; 9. Bulgaria; 10. Burkina Faso



(Reporting by Gloria Dickie; Editing by Katy Daigle and Lisa Shumaker)

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Pollution killing 9 million people a year, Africa hardest hit – study

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In the past 24 hours at least 3,000 people, including 1,800 children[i], have crossed into Rubavu district in Rwanda from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following increasingly volatile volcanic eruptions near the major town of Goma. Earthquakes are continuing in the region, with communities on edge for another violent eruption.

On 22 May the sudden eruption of Nyiragongo volcano sent lava flowing into populated areas of Goma, destroying around 1,000 homes in four villages, six schools and vital infrastructure, cutting off power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people. Under the threat of another eruption, tens of thousands of people were yesterday ordered to leave Goma, and are now moving in their thousands to neighbouring towns and into Rwanda, where the situation on the border in Rubavu district is desperate.
The Rubavu District Government is expecting around 10,000 people to cross into Rwanda in the coming days and has set up three temporary refugee sites: Inyemeramihigo site to accommodate 6,000 people, Busasamana site to accommodate 2,000 and Nyundo site to accommodate other 2,000 people.
Save the Children has a team on the ground in Rubavu, working to establish emergency child protection systems, register lost children, and provide support and family tracing and reunification for unaccompanied and separated children. Save the Children has also mobilized donations of essential items like mattresses and water buckets to the area, to distribute to displaced children and families.
Aurore Kiberinka, Save the Children’s Child Protection Case Manager in Rwanda said: “The three camps in Rubavu district are still receiving new refugees from DRC, the majority of whom are children. Yesterday alone, at least 800 children with their families joined the Inyemerahimigo Camp. Many of these children came with just the clothes on their backs. We are incredibly concerned for their welfare and are doing everything in our power to keep them safe while they are displaced. We are working with the Government to get systems in place in case of another sudden eruption.”
Maggie Korde, Save the Children’s Country Director in Rwanda said: “We are waiting with baited breath to see what the volcano will do in coming hours, days and weeks. If it were to fully erupt, we would have a humanitarian catastrophe on our hands. 60% of the people coming across the border into Rwanda are children. They are tired, hungry and scared, and our teams are working around the clock to meet their needs. I’m incredibly proud of their efforts, in a very difficult environment. We are working hard to ensure these kids are safe and protected while their parents seek out the essentials to keep their family while displaced.”
Save the Children is also in Goma, where it is working with the local partner Umoja in Action to support the reunification of children with their families, together with the Child Protection Working Group and other actors.
[i] As of yesterday evening, around 3,000 DRC refugees have crossed over to Rubavu District, Rwanda with 60% of the population being children. 70% are women (young girls and adults) while men are 30%.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.
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Majority of refugees flowing into Rwanda from DRC volcano are children: Save the Children

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Under the threat of another eruption, tens of thousands of people have been ordered to leave Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising fears that even more children are at risk of being separated from their families, Save the Children warned.

The organisation has been working to reunite children who were separated from their families since the deadly eruption of Mount Nyiragongo on 22 May. At least 243 children are still separated from their parents &#8212; most are in temporary family housing and transit centres.
The sudden eruption sent lava flowing into populated areas of Goma, destroying around 1,000 homes in four villages, six schools and vital infrastructure, cutting off power and water supplies to hundreds of thousands of people. In the ensuing chaos and earthquakes, 939 separated children [1] were identified &#8211; 696 have been reunited with their families.
The parents of Tresor*, 11 and Hortensia*, 5 live in Turunga and work at the market. They were not at home when the volcano started erupting and by the time they got home, some of the children had already fled. They searched for Tresor* and Hortensia* at the hospital, at the morgue and even at the prison. Their father Bahati* said, &#8220;*We were very scared. We were bitter because we had escaped the events but we were traumatised. We left the house at 6 am to look for the children.*&#8221;
Tresor* explained: &#8220;When the eruption happened, one man was driving in the neighbourhood offering a ride to people. I took my sister with me because I didn&#39;t want to leave her.&#8221;
When asked why he followed the fleeing people all the way to the town of Sake, he said: *&#8221;I thought that at home everyone must have been dead. I am very tired but when I go home I will embrace my little brother&#8221;. *
Edouard Niyonzima, Humanitarian Worker for Save the Children in Goma, said:
&#8220;We can see the situation in Goma district is getting worse. Earthquakes are continuing in the region which is already reeling from destroyed homes, schools and infrastructure. *Half a million people are without water, which raises the risk of a cholera outbreak.&#8221; *
*&#8221;This disaster comes while the DRC is already home to one of the largest populations of displaced people in the world and the most on the African continent. 5.2 million people are internally displaced, and this latest crisis is putting even more pressure on the already strained resources of the government and aid organisations.&#8221; *
*&#8221;Our teams come across unaccompanied children in the shelters &#8212; children at risk of abuse or exploitation if they are not noticed. They, and also the ones who already have been reunited with family, will have to deal with the trauma of losing their homes, schools, and sometimes even family members or friends.&#8221; *
Amavi Akpamagbo, Save the Children&#39;s Country Director in DRC, added: &#8220;*Our primary focus is the protection of all children particularly through family tracing and reunification. Mental health and psychological support is a key component to offer to affected communities and children.&#8221;*
Save the Children is in Goma, where it is working with the local partner Umoja in Action to support the reunification of children with their families, together with the Child Protection Working Group and other actors.
Save the Children has worked in the DRC for more than 25 years, including in Goma where it has a strong relationship with local communities, partner NGOs, and officials. The organisation manages programmes in Health, Child protection, Education.
*Names changed to protect children’s identities 
 [1] Identified by the Child Protection Working Group
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Save the Children.

DRC: More children risk being separated from family as tens of thousands flee on fears of another volcano eruption

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A U.K. Treasury -commissioned independent review on the economics of biodiversity has called for a change in the way the world thinks and acts with regard to nature. Africa, alongside the rest of the world, must heed the call to understand that our economies are embedded within nature and are not external to it, participants in a webinar heard.

Professor Dasgupta, Frank Ramsey Professor Emeritus of Economics at University of Cambridge, led the review, which was commissioned by the UK Treasury in March 2019, with support from an advisory panel drawn from public policy, science, economics, finance and business.
Sir Dasgupta spoke about the report’s findings at a virtual event hosted by the African Development Bank on Tuesday. The report’s implications for Africa were the focus of the afternoon’s panel sessions, co-organized with the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and the United Kingdom Treasury.
The report, The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review, assesses the economic benefits of biodiversity globally. It looks at the economic costs and risks of biodiversity loss and identifies actions that can simultaneously enhance biodiversity and deliver economic prosperity.
In a conversation between Professor Dasgupta and African Development Bank President Dr. Akinwumi A.  Adesina, the two experts highlighted the need to change approaches, actions, and measure of success in mainstreaming biodiversity in economics and finding a balance between “what humanity takes from nature, and what we leave behind for our descendants.” The responsibility to protect nature is a global, shared one.
 “Biodiversity is not really an asset&#8230;it is a combination of assets…Nature is central in every decision,” Partha Dasgupta said.
President Adesina said: “We need to price what we value better, if we value natural capital. If we value biodiversity, we value ecosystems, then let’s make sure that the accounting price we put on biodiversity gives an incentive for its preservation.”
Africa, which contributes the least to global emissions, bears the brunt of the negative effects of climate change. Now, the African Development Bank president said, the added burden of the novel coronavirus pandemic means that countries have even less resources for biodiversity initiatives and to adapt to climate change.
Other speakers,  Dr. Pushpam Kumar, Professor Prof. Théophile Azomahou, Dr. Al-Hamdou Dorsouma, and Dr. Philip Osano, SEI Africa Director, and one of the two moderators, discussed  opportunities to implement Africa’s “options for change.”
One suggestion was that multilateral development banks like the African Development Bank could play a greater role in financing and developing a financial system that channels financial investments – public and private – towards economic activities that enhance the stock of natural assets and encourage sustainable consumption and production activities.
Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission, outlined the many initiatives and programs that the Commission is already supporting to combat illegal poaching, conserve wildlife and the preservation of wild fauna and flora.
These initiatives include a regional cooperation framework on advancing the biodiversity economy. It will see transformation of raw materials and the enhancement of value chains, as well as scaled up investment in the sustainable utilization of biological resources as part of Africa’s transformation.
As part of the post Covid-19 response actions, the African Union has set up the African Green Stimulus Program. It addresses biodiversity conservation, combating illegal wildlife trade, revitalizing ecotourism and biodiversity economy, and the sustainable management of forests. The African Union counts the United Nations Environment Programme and the African Development Bank among its top champions, Sacko said.
The African Development Bank has a growing portfolio of initiatives focused on natural capital and biodiversity which are being channeled through its integrated approach to supporting a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19 in Africa.
Dr. Kevin Chika Urama, Senior Director of the African Development Bank’s African Development Institute, commended the Dasgupta Review for the strong business case that it makes for realigning investments and decision-making to integrate the values provided by nature.
Earlier, in opening remarks, Dr. Åsa Persson, Research Director and Deputy Director at the Stockholm Environment Institute, emphasized the role and duty of SEI to support policy recommendations with “evidence and data” before they reached the negotiating tables and treasury departments of governments.
Sandy Sheard, Deputy Director with the UK Treasury, said she hoped the report would spur new and ambitious commitments. Her important takeaways were the importance of science and data; doing things differently with what we already have,  and walking the talk.
“The solution at one level is really simple… nature is our home and economics means that we manage it better,” Sheard said.
While opening the event, SEI Africa Director Dr. Philip Osano, underscored the strong connection between culture and biodiversity in Africa, noting that “It  is timely that this policy dialogue on the economics of biodiversity is being held on the occasion of the celebration of the Africa Day on 25th May, whose theme this year is on African cultural renaissance”
For more information and to read the report, click here (https://bit.ly/3fndZ0P).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contacts: African Development Bank Amba Mpoke-Bigg Communication and External Relations Department email: a.mpoke-bigg@afdb.org
Stockholm Environment Institute Lawrence Malindi Nzuve Communications Coordinator email: lawrence.nzuve@sei.org
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Act now to safeguard biodiversity, nature’s asset class in Africa – Dasgupta Review

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Today, climate activists marked Africa Day by staging protests at Total’s petrol stations. The protests took place in Benin, Togo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana and Nigeria. The protests highlighted Total’s human rights violations, greenwashing strategies and climate inaction.

Total is involved in controversial projects across the continent, notably the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) and the Mozambique Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project that have witnessed displacement of local communities from their ancestral land as well as several human rights abuses other issues that have been called out by activists and frontline communities.

Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan activist, said: “We cannot drink oil. This is why we cannot accept the construction of the East African Crude oil pipeline. It is going to cause massive displacement of people, destruction of ecosystems and wildlife habitats. We have no future in extraction of oil because it only means destroying the livelihoods of the people and the planet. It is time to choose people above pipelines. It is time to rise up for the people and the planet.”

Andre Moliro, DRC activist, said: “Total’s fossil fuel developments pose grave risks to protected environments, water sources and wetlands in the Great Lakes and East Africa regions. Communities have been raising concerns on the impact of oil extraction on Lake Albert fisheries and the disastrous consequences of an oil spill in Lake Victoria, that would affect millions of people that rely on the two lakes for their livelihoods, watersheds for drinking water and food production.”

Landry Ninteretse of 350.org said, &#8220;At a time when the international scientific community is telling us that the world cannot absorb any new fossil fuel developments if we are to tackle the climate crisis, Total is still pushing for the construction of highly controversial pipelines such as the East African Crude Oil Pipeline and the Mozambique LNG that threaten to destroy the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people, while affecting a great portion of diverse ecosystems and adding millions of tons of carbon emissions yearly.”

Earlier in the year, more than 260 African and international organisations sent an open letter (https://bit.ly/3fjfi0D) to 25 banks urging them not to finance the construction of the EACOP. Total issued statements on its website describing its environmental and social risk assessment and mitigation strategies for the EACOP and Tilenga oil extraction project as “rigorous” (https://bit.ly/2SrCUr6) and claiming to act “responsibly and transparently” (https://bit.ly/3wwNCuZ) on the social and environmental issues related to the projects.
The #StopEACOP Alliance went ahead to issue a statement (https://bit.ly/3vonX7Q) clarifying several misleading figures presented by Total such as the number of oil wells to be drilled within Murchison Falls National Park, and the number of project-affected people for Tilenga and EACOP.
Total seeks to position itself as a climate leader but chooses to ignore the massive climate risks posed by going ahead with its fossil fuel projects across Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of 350.org.
For interviews and additional information contact: 350Africa.org Christine Mbithi Email: christine.mbithi@350.org Telephone: +254725906695
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Hundreds protest against TOTAL across Africa

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By Charity Migwi and Nicole Rodel

The world has no business investing in new fossil fuel developments in our race to the 1.5°C pathway. The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) newly released Net Zero by 2050 roadmap (https://bit.ly/3vmJj5j) has closed the door on new fossil fuel extraction, and fossil fuel giants have lost their claim to fame of new oil and gas reserves being aligned with the Paris Agreement. It’s a small victory for climate, and the big polluters, governments, and public finance institutions will have a tough time giving grounds for dirty developments &#8211; but there is seemingly no slowing down Total SE, Standard Bank and AfDB from riding their gravy train through Africa at full steam ahead.

Since 2012, Total SE has been the largest fossil fuel spender in Sub-Saharan Africa (https://bit.ly/3ujpZ7N). The French energy giant expanded its dominance in the region when it signed the Shareholding Agreement (SHA) and the Tariff and Transportation Agreement (TTA) alongside the governments of Uganda and Tanzania, with Tanzania recently signing the Host Government Agreement (HGA) (https://bit.ly/3uhmr5N). This deal has paved the way for oil exploration in the Albertine Graben and the construction of the longest heated pipeline in the world, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). The signing of this long awaited deal has spelled doom for communities affected by the project as compensation delays and mixed messages have only triggered anguish (https://bit.ly/3uekZkV) and controversy among the Project Affected Persons (PAPs). Not only will tens of thousands of people be displaced but locals risk losing their land in exchange for peanuts as the valuation report used by the government relies on old property rates (https://bit.ly/3oUBSQr). In consequence, Total will continue enriching itself at the expense of already vulnerable East Africans.

EACOP is not the only African charm for the French energy giant. Its mega Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project in Mozambique is targeted for completion in 2024 &#8211; and the added conflict has displaced hundreds of thousands of people (https://bit.ly/3oM0GtK) from their homes, farmlands and fishing areas, leaving them without livelihoods and reliant on food aid. Total’s operation in Mozambique has ignited flames for the province of Cabo Delgado as the gas industry is fuelling social tensions. The already vulnerable locals are feeling frustrated being caught up in the manifestation of the paradox of plenty. Their resource rich province is being plundered by political and global economic elites as they suffer violence, human rights abuses and massive displacements, amid escalating insurgencies and security threats conveniently labelled as terrorism. In response, Total declared force majeure on its $20 billion LNG project (https://reut.rs/3yEAc27), thereby absolving itself of its commitments and contractual obligations, while still holding the major benefits of being the project concessionaire even at a time when survival is at stake.

The effect of Total’s presence ranges from human rights violations, violent conflict, environmental destruction, displacement, and death; all while fueling the climate crisis. Environmental racism has put black, indigenous, and people of colour communities in the path of polluters and the climate crisis &#8211; one of the biggest global threats to ensuring human rights and dignity for all.

At the forefront of championing these crises is Standard Bank, as they continue to play an advisory role in organizing funding for the $3.5billion EACOP project as well as finance the Mozambique LNG to a tune of $485 million (https://bit.ly/3oPJt2x), thereby fuelling a climate catastrophe. In the meantime, Standard Bank prides itself in being a leading oil and gas sector banking team on the continent (https://bit.ly/3oPJt2x). With its tremendous assets totalling over $162 billion regionally, Standard Bank has the potential of influencing positive transformation across the African continent through clean renewable energy that will not only meet the continent’s energy needs but also create thousands of jobs. Instead, the bank opts for life long torture of already vulnerable communities by investing in fossil fuels.

While governments and fossil fuel companies champion these projects under the guise of economic revival and job creation, growing environmental, social, and governance concerns &#8211; and stranded assets &#8211; are beginning to make their way into the boardrooms of the public finance institutions footing the bill, in large part due to pressure from civil society and grassroots movements. The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) &#8211; who poured $400 million (https://bit.ly/3fNfAMr) into Total’s Mozambique LNG project, but strongly refuted claims (https://bit.ly/2QT8TQy) of its involvement in financing EACOP &#8211; recently released its draft Climate Change and Green Growth Strategic Framework for public comment, which finally put in writing that the Bank will “cease all investment in coal or coal-related technologies, ensuring that it will not perpetuate or provide longevity to coal”. The strategic framework tiptoes around the subject of natural gas, with the seemingly cuddlier cousin to coal and oil set to play a limited and transitional role in Africa’s energy access development goals, but no mention of oil is made whatsoever. However, a golden thread weaved throughout the draft policy is the AfDB’s commitment to Paris Alignment &#8211; and with the IEA’s new stance against oil and gas for a 1.5°C warmer world, it may be back to the drawing board for the AfDB to uphold their goal of operationalising the Paris Agreement.

The climate crisis is already here and hurting the most vulnerable people. In 2020, the warmest year (https://bit.ly/3fjafxd) on record, extreme climate disasters displaced more people globally than war (https://bit.ly/2RBFkDz). It is time for governments, public finance institutions, and fossil fuel giants to take heed of what we, the people (https://bit.ly/3bSbX6u), have been calling for (https://bit.ly/3bSbX6u), and reimagine our development pathway for a sustainable and equitable future. The people and the planet do not need to be weighed against profit and economic development. This is a climate emergency, and we need to use all of our energy and might to fight for the Africa we want &#8211; one that prioritises its abundance of wind and solar potential to fuel its prosperity and puts its people, heritage, and environment at the centre of our development.
 Distributed by APO Group on behalf of 350.org.
About the Authors: Charity Migwi is the Africa Regional Campaigner at 350.org Nicole Rodel is the Junior Manager, Communications and Campaigns, at African Climate Reality Project
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Polluters are slowing down Africa’s progress (By Charity Migwi and Nicole Rodel)

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By NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, African Energy Chamber (www.EnergyChamber.org)

On May 18, 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released “Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector,” which outlines plans for the global energy sector to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Achieving net zero emissions means the amount of greenhouse gases being emitted into the atmosphere would equal the amount being removed. Achieving this balance, the IEA maintains, would require more than aggressive carbon-capture measures: It would call for a swift and immediate shift from petroleum energy sources to energy provided through naturally replenished sources like wind, water, and solar power.
From an environmental standpoint, this is a great concept.
But we live in reality. And today, in real-world Africa, this goal is not feasible. Nor is it advisable. While I agree with their data on many topics, the IEA’s conclusion is flat-out wrong on this issue. Africa needs oil and gas.
Unreasonable Objectives
Some of the critical steps in IEA’s roadmap include:
 	No new investment in new fossil fuel supply (including oil and gas) after 2021 	No new sales of fossil fuel boilers after 2025 	No new internal combustion engine (ICE) car sales after 2035 globally 	60% of car sales are electric by 2030, and 50% of heavy truck sales are electric from 2035 
These steps assume a lot about the state of the world — assumptions that are faulty, especially for Africa. For one, it will require universal energy access by 2030, meaning that everyone has access to electricity and clean cooking. And with approximately 592 million Africans currently without this access, we’re going to be hard-pressed to flip that switch in less than 10 years.
The IEA’s roadmap to net zero also relies on unprecedented investments in renewables — a substantial boost in clean energy investments from the $1 trillion made over the last five years all the way up to $5 trillion annually by 2030 — and cooperation from policymakers who are unified in their efforts. In this idyllic partnership, our Western counterparts talk a good game. But the fact is, to date, these same Western countries have invested little to no funding into Africa&#39;s renewables space. To our dismay even the International Oil Companies that have tried to accept the IEA’s publicity stunt have little or no renewable projects in Africa.
“For many developing countries, the pathway to net zero without international assistance is not clear,” OPEC wrote in response to IEA’s roadmap release, issuing a “critical assessment” on the very same day. “Technical and financial support is needed to ensure deployment of key technologies and infrastructure. Without greater international co‐operation, global CO2 emissions will not fall to net zero by 2050.”
As I have stated in the past, demonizing energy companies is not a constructive way forward, and ignoring the role that carbon-based fuels have played in driving human progress distorts the public debate. We cannot expect African nations, which together emitted seven times less CO2 than China last year and four times less than the US, according to the Global Carbon Atlas, to undermine their best opportunities for economic development by simply aligning with the Western view of how to tackle carbon emissions.
Creating New Problems
China, meanwhile, appears willing to continue investing in fossil fuel projects in Africa. This means that to keep their nations energized, African governments will have little choice but to partner with China — whose performance is notoriously poor when it comes to environmental protection, despite having signed the Paris climate accord. In this scenario, China will become the most influential entity in the African oil and gas industry. And giving China (or any foreign entity) such a monopoly is a dangerous play.
For the IEA plan to work, no new oil and natural gas fields would be developed. The potential energy security risk here is twofold: Concentrated production means that demand will exceed the supply of traditional fuels, while new energy security issues emerge related to the new technologies such as cybersecurity and a dwindling supply of rare earth and critical minerals. And energy insecurity brings economic insecurity and geopolitical instability.
At the same time, a ban on fossil fuel production would bring about the collapse of many carbon-dependent governments. The oil industry is the primary source of income for many African nations. Without the continuation of petroleum production — or time and opportunities to cultivate new revenue sources — their economies will suffer — along with their citizens.
Interestingly, the very announcement of this roadmap features an admission by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol that net zero will unhinge socioeconomic structures.
“This gap between rhetoric and action needs to close if we are to have a fighting chance of reaching net zero by 2050 and limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 °C. Doing so requires nothing short of a total transformation of the energy systems that underpin our economies,” Birol wrote.
And many of the world’s economies cannot bear this.
Excellent Points from Australia
Energy officials from Australia, for example — incidentally, one of the IEA member countries —  had plenty to say in response.
“There are many, ways to get to net zero, and the IEA just looked at one narrow formula,” said Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chief Andrew McConville. “The IEA report doesn&#39;t take into account future negative emission technologies and offsets from outside the energy sector — two things that are likely to happen and will allow vital and necessary future development of oil and gas fields.”
In urging policymakers to maintain a degree of skepticism about the wisdom of the IEA roadmap, McConville isn’t alone.
“We are bringing emissions down,” stated Angus Taylor, Australia’s Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, “but we’re going to do it in a way that ensures we’ve got that affordable power that Australians need.”
Rather than being dictated to by entities abroad, Taylor argued that Australia must proceed at a pace that makes sense locally. And part of these local considerations includes ensuring that people have energy and jobs. The IEA’s call to cease investment in fossil fuels will impede both of these metrics.
“Global gas demand is forecast to grow by 1.5% on average per year out to 2025, providing incentive to ensure our large gas fields … are developed as soon as possible,” said Keith Pitt, Minister for Resources. “Large upcoming offshore developments … will create thousands of new high-wage jobs.”
Africa’s Realities
The same holds true for African countries.
While environmental causes are a major focus in the West, lawmakers in Africa’s developing countries are more concerned with living wages and supplying basic necessities to the continent’s growing population.
The IEA plan amounts to austerity measures that would see Africans leaving petroleum resources in the ground. It would essentially brand poor Africans criminals — or at the very least enemies of the environment — for using fossil fuels.
This is folly. Let’s keep in mind the critical role that natural gas is playing in the global transition to clean energy: It’s an affordable and reliable bridge to renewables. And natural gas is particularly important to Africa. As I’ve written in the past, the African Energy Chamber’s 2021 Africa Energy Outlook report projects that African gas production and consumption are going to rise in the 2020s. As a result, Africa’s natural gas sector will soon be responsible for large-scale job creation, increased opportunities for monetization and economic diversification, and critical gas-to-power initiatives that will bring more Africans reliable electricity. These significant benefits should not be dismissed in the name of achieving net zero emissions on deadline. To tell African countries with gas potential like Mozambique, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Libya, Algeria, South Africa, Angola and many others that they cant monetize their gas and rather wait for foreign aid and handouts from their western counterparts makes no sense.
What’s more, we can’t overlook the fact that renewable energy solutions are still young technologies —they are less reliable and more expensive per unit of power than tried-and-true petroleum products. Not only that, but achieving net zero by 2050 would require widespread adoption of technologies that are not even available yet.
Don’t get me wrong: I understand the importance of working toward renewables. I believe they are the future of the energy industry. But the global energy transition must be inclusive, equitable, and just. Unfortunately, the roadmap laid out by the IEA is none of these.
The IEA is a respected institution whose opinions help shape the rhetoric of the global energy market. So instead of mandating these strict guidelines from abroad, the IEA should try working with African countries to find solutions that we can actually abide. At the very least, I encourage the IEA to consider partnerships with African Private sector and financial institutions, whose collaboration with indigenous and international energy stakeholders provides invaluable insight from all sides across the energy industry. The IEA should use its voice to push for what I have always believe Africa needs the most at this time,  free markets, personal responsibility, less regulation, low taxes, limited government, individual liberties, and economic empowerment will boost African energy markets and economies.
Africa deserves the chance to capitalize on its own oil and gas to strengthen itself, rather than being bullied onto a path determined by Western institutions that don’t face the same obstacles. We must be able to improve our energy sector by exploring our continent’s full potential in a way that benefits our people.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Media files

Net Zero? Not For Africa. Not Yet. Africa Must Fight Energy Poverty with Oil and Gas Development (By NJ Ayuk)

By Peter Burdin, former BBC Africa Bureau Chief.



The Green Economy has long been seen as a key player in Africa’s transformation.



This week the Tenth Annual Summit of the&nbsp;<a>African Green Revolution Forum &#8211; hosted in Kigali by Rwanda&nbsp;</a>-is discussing how best to move African agriculture forward.



The farming industry hosts 60% of the continent’s workforce and creates more than 40% of its GDP. Hundreds of thousands of livelihoods depend on it.



This virtual Forum has often been described as the world’s premier forum on African agriculture and this year is meeting at a time of global crisis in which the Covid-19 pandemic threatens jobs, yields and food security.



The virus has seen food processing plants slowing production or closing down completely, while the demand for exports such as flowers and fruits have&nbsp; been hit hard bringing economic hardship to many farmers.



The pandemic disguises the reality that agriculture in Africa has much to be proud of. In South Africa, for instance, maize production this year is expected to be more than 30% higher than in previous years –and digitalisation is transforming the sector.



The impact of the African Green Revolution Forum can be seen from last year’s event when some 2,400 delegates from 89 countries took part, and $3 billion worth of deals were concluded in the wings of the Forum.



Last year Isaac Sesi from Ghana shared a $100,000 prize with Tswana Bonolo Monthe of Botswana. Isaac employed affordable technologies to help reduce post harvest losses while Tswana developed a technique to turn underused, indigenous fruits into gourmet low sugar preserves.



The Rwandan organisers hope these successes will be repeated this year – and they say the key is digitalisation as farmers&nbsp; embrace data to boost production and sales and increase yields and profits.



Pilot studies across the continent have seen yields rise between 50% and 300% through better use of information, better seed selection, irrigation and mechanisation.



The Digital revolution provides the sector with enormous opportunities.&nbsp; There are innovations to help overcome challenges in land and soil mapping, water management, pest and disease management, particularly important as climate change starts to impact on Africa with locust invasions, floods and drought becoming more commonplace.



Today, a farmer in a remote area of the country can use his or her phone to see satellite images of their farm, and select the best seeds, the best type of fertilizer, the best soil health package for their crops, and the best markets to sell their produce.



Other innovations are less widespread but could catch on soon, like the use of drones and artificial intelligence to help with pest and disease monitoring.



It is fitting that just down the road from the Forum is the home of the Agriculture Growth Network (AGN), (<a href="http://www.agnetwork.rw/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.agnetwork.rw</a>&nbsp;) a social enterprise that helps some 800 small and medium scale farmers increase their productivity while creating jobs for the youth.



AGN was founded by Daniella Uwase and her fellow students from Kigali’s African Leadership University. The students train the local farmers in the latest techniques through e-learning platforms and provide microloans while connecting them to better markets for their products.



African Green Resources (<a href="http://www.afrigreenresources.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">www.afrigreenresources.com</a>&nbsp;) is another leading agribusiness company that trains farmers in good agriculture practices to achieve higher yields and build a sustainable agriculture economy.



African Green Resources also provides farmers with microfinance, particularly important during the pandemic when production and sales have been hit.&nbsp;



It’s chaired by Zuneid Yousuf who also works with the Economics Association of Zambia.&nbsp; Together they support a community entrepreneur development programme&nbsp; which places great confidence in the ability of continent’s farming revolution to achieve food security, create jobs and build economic growth.



One of the long-term aim of groups like the African Green Resources, AGN and the delegates at the African Green Revolution Forum is to help millions of young Africans find meaningful employment in agriculture.&nbsp; And all are convinced that embracing digitalisation will speed up that ambition.



The World Bank has pledged to invest US $50 billion in Transforming Africa’s Digital Economy, and it’s clear that if the delegates at the Forum have their way Africa’s farmers will be at the forefront of this investment.

Peter Burdin

COMMENT: Green revolutionaries to boost African growth

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Africa is striving to accelerate digital transformation and is deploying infrastructure to meet this ambition. However, there seems to be little to no awareness on the threat the environment is facing from digital advances. Author of World Wide Waste, Gerry McGovern joins CNBC Africa for more.

World Wide Waste on how to achieve digital growth in environmentally friendly ways

By <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true">Alicia Adamczyk</a>



With new stories near daily about the <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/31/raging-wildfires-trap-4000-at-australian-towns-waterfront.html">latest environmental disaster</a>, it might seem like changing your personal consumption habits won’t make much of a difference.



It’s true that systemic change is critical to combating climate change: A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/08/how-to-reduce-your-eco-footprint-and-save-money.html" class="">2018 report from the United Nations</a>&nbsp;found that humans have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">12 years to significantly reduce carbon emissions</a>&nbsp;to ensure a “safe” planet, which cannot be accomplished without buy-in from companies and governments across the globe. But individuals also have a part to play, Andrea George, director of the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office at Vanderbilt University, tells&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/make-it/" class="">CNBC Make It</a>.



If you want to live more sustainably, don’t put too much pressure on yourself to change all of your habits overnight. Focus on making one smaller change at a time, George suggests.



“It’s hard to change all of your behavior at once, or get somebody else to change all of their behavior at once,” says George. “Pick one thing.”



Here five ways to get started.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Consume less</h2>



By far the biggest change people can make is to not consume to begin with, says George.



“If you think about the hierarchy of consumption, it’s reduce, reuse, recycle,” she says. “It’s that ‘reduce’ piece that’s really key. I’m trying not to sound strident or harsh, but the thing you don’t buy is the most sustainable of all.”



It’s well and good to buy from sustainable clothing brands or shop for a hybrid car, but it’s even better to wear what you already have and drive the car you already own if it still runs. The tech industry has a huge environmental footprint; try to limit the number of new devices you buy and instead&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/technology/personaltech/green-environmental-tech.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">repair your older phones and laptops</a>.



“Think about: What do you need versus what do you want?” suggests George.



At the very least, cutting back on online shopping and expedited shipping — which is bad for the environment and has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/15/on-prime-day-amazon-workers-brace-for-two-months-of-hell.html" class="">serious humanitarian implications for workers</a>— is one concrete step the eco-conscious can take. George calls this combating the “Amazon effect.”



“Waste generation per person is rising in America, and a lot of it is the online shopping,” says George. Giving up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/reuters-america-analysis-amazons-rising-air-shipments-fly-in-the-face-of-climate-plan.html" class="">overnight shipping from Amazon</a>&nbsp;and other online shops in 2020 will go a long way to reducing your carbon footprint.



For more tips on cutting back on your spending, <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/11/how-no-spend-tactics-can-help-you-save.html">read this article</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Travel smarter</h2>



<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/22/juncker-proposes-climate-change-spending-after-greta-thunberg-speech.html" class="">Climate change activist Greta Thunberg</a>&nbsp;made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/kidspost/greta-thunberg-reaches-new-york-by-crossing-the-atlantic-by-boat/2019/08/28/736eb9b2-c04c-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">headlines across the country</a>&nbsp;by traveling by ship in 2019 rather than flying. You don’t necessarily need to go as far as Thunberg, George says, though changing your travel habits is important.<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/climate/airplane-pollution-global-warming.html" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">&nbsp;Airplanes</a>&nbsp;contribute&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/regulations-greenhouse-gas-emissions-aircraft" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">12% of all U.S. transportation greenhouse gas emissions</a>, according to the EPA. If you travel by plane regularly, this is likely where you can make the biggest difference, says George.



“Air travel is a hard nut to crack. The only way to offset it is not to do it, or to buy carbon offsets,” she says. Most airlines allow passengers to buy&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/sep/16/carbon-offset-projects-carbon-emissions" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">carbon offsets</a>&nbsp;while booking their tickets, though, once again, the most fuel-efficient flight is the one you don’t take.



If you drive a vehicle, George also suggests bundling tasks together so that you are spending less time in traffic idling and using less gas overall. If you have access to reliable public transportation, or can walk or bike to your destinations, try to make those your primary modes of transportation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Eat more vegetables</h2>



Around 30 to 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a>, which makes buying and consuming only the food you need one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-wasted-food-home" class="" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">easiest and most impactful ways to reduce your carbon emissions</a>, says George.



Cutting down on meat consumption is especially important, according to the <a class="" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/08/how-to-reduce-your-eco-footprint-and-save-money.html">United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>. An added bonus: Less food waste means less money wasted.



“People get really touchy when you start getting into what they eat,” says George. But “you don’t have to have meat at three meals a day, you can get by with a lot less than that.”



Try&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/20/meatless-alternatives-vegetarian-vegan-plant-based-foods-diets.html" class="">substituting vegetarian options</a>&nbsp;when you can, and when you do buy meat, George recommends free range or organic options, or cuts from your local farmer’s market. Cookbooks and cooking sites specializing in flavorful vegetarian options abound.



George also says to be conscious of the materials used to package or consume your food. She suggests buying in bulk rather than single-serving food and to reuse plates, napkins, cups, cutlery, and so on, whenever possible.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Give sustainably</h2>



One way to engage your family and friends in a conversation about sustainability without coming across as overbearing or critical is to gift them a sustainable good, like a reusable water bottle, beeswax food wrap or locally-produced items like jewelry or soap made by artisans, says George.



“I don’t take well to other people telling me what I’m doing wrong, so I don’t try to tell people what they’re doing wrong,” she says. Instead, “you can take the opportunity to talk to them about why you chose that sustainable gift.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Don’t give up</h2>



It’s easy to be cynical about whether or not our individual choices really make a difference, says George. But she believes that there is power — not to mention savings — in continuously tweaking our behaviors to be more environmentally friendly.



“I kind of think of sustainability as health,” she says. “For most of us, you’re always striving to do better and all of those cumulative improvements and cumulative ways to change your thinking add up to real change over time.”



This article was first published on CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true">https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/02/5-easy-ways-to-be-more-sustainable-and-save-money-in-2020.html?forYou=true</a> and is republished with its permission.

5 easy ways to be more sustainable and save money in 2020

By Kaj Pihl, Environment and Recycling Advisor, Europe* 



COP25, Madrid:&nbsp;As the textile and fashion industry scramble to address the impact
of throwaway fashion on the environment, a new report by the European
Environment Agency’s (EEA), Textiles and the Environment in a Circular Economy,
places textiles as the fourth most environmentally harmful sector, after food,
housing and transport.



This conclusion is not surprising, we have long known
the textile and fashion industries use large amounts of water, chemicals and
energy resulting in extensive pollution and CO2 emissions.



Yet many of the facts laid out in the report are
nonetheless startling: of the 3,500 chemicals used in textile production, 750 are
classified as dangerous to human health and 440 are classified as
environmentally hazardous.



It is estimated that 20% of global water pollution is
caused by the dyeing and finishing of textile products, with attendant
consequences for the health of textile workers and local communities.



In an attempt to placate their damaging practises, the
fashion industry is pursuing an impossible concept: sustainable fashion. Fast
fashion and sustainability are inherently in opposition, despite what the
fashion industry would like us to think. 



Instead of chasing the oxymoronic concept of eco-friendly fashion, what
is required is a shift in our approach to consumption. As emphasised in the
EEA’s report, there is the need for further development and large-scale implementation
of circular production and consumption models.



The principles of the circular economy model can be
applied to the fashion industry, meaning clothes, textiles and fibres would be
kept at their highest value through reuse and recycling, never ending up as waste. 



The reuse of clothing offsets production of new
products and thus the exploitation of land, water and other raw materials. This
is critical as the production of new textiles is exhausting natural resources
and is causing harm to our planet to a degree soon beyond repair. 



For reuse to be truly effective, consumers need to
understand the importance of
reuse as a replacement for the production of new products. We must shift the
‘make, use, dispose’ mindset. In its most sustainable model, we would only buy
second-hand clothes to replace old or damaged items, not as additional items,
putting an end to the fast fashion model which demands more and more. 



Though the principle of reuse is not new, a new level of urgency has been added to its need given the devastating environmental effects of the textile and fashion industry. We must use better what already exists. It is the antidote to our addiction to fast fashion. 



*Kaj Pihl is an environmental expert and researcher. He specialises in the reuse rates of textiles and the circular economy of second-hand clothes. He led research in partnership with DTU Environment, which specialises in water, environmental engineering and sustainability in Europe. Kaj works as an advisor for the international development charity, Humana People to People.

Op-Ed: Reuse is the antidote to our addiction to fast fashion

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By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-new-189846">Mark New</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a>

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/nz/topics/climate-explained-74664">Climate Explained</a> is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change. 

If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, please send it to climate.change@stuff.co.nz

<blockquote>
How much climate change is natural? How much is man made?
</blockquote>

As someone who has been working on climate change detection and its causes for over 20 years I was both surprised and not surprised that I was asked to write on this topic by The Conversation. For <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/24/scientific-consensus-on-humans-causing-global-warming-passes-99">nearly all</a> climate scientists, the case is proven that humans are the overwhelming cause of the long-term changes in the climate that we are observing. And that this case should be closed.

Despite this, climate denialists continue to receive <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjuGCJJUGsg">prominence</a> in some media which can lead people into thinking that man-made climate change is still in question. So it’s worth going back over the science to remind ourselves just how much has already been established.

Successive reports by the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a> – mandated by the United Nations to assess scientific evidence on climate change – have evaluated the causes of climate change. The most recent <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">special report on global warming of 1.5 degrees</a> confirms that the observed changes in global and regional climate over the last 50 or so years are almost entirely due to human influence on the climate system and not due to natural causes.

<h2>What is climate change?</h2>

First we should perhaps ask what we mean by climate change. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/glossary">defines climate change as</a>:

<blockquote>
a change in the state of the climate that can be identified by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer.
</blockquote>

The causes of climate change can be any combination of:

<ul>
<li>Internal variability in the climate system, <a href="https://www.nap.edu/read/23552/chapter/5">when various</a> components of the climate system – like the atmosphere and ocean – vary on their own to cause fluctuations in climatic conditions, such as temperature or rainfall. These internally-driven changes generally happen over decades or longer; shorter variations such as those related to El Niño fall in the bracket of climate variability, not climate change.</li>
<li>Natural external causes such as increases or decreases in volcanic activity or solar radiation. For example, every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field <a href="https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/solar-cycles/en/">completely flips</a> and this can cause small fluctuations in global temperature, up to about 0.2 degrees. On longer time scales – tens to hundreds of millions of years – geological processes can drive changes in the climate, due to shifting continents and mountain building. </li>
<li>Human influence through greenhouse gases (gases that trap heat in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide and methane), other particles released into the air (which absorb or reflect sunlight such as soot and aerosols) and land-use change (which affects how much sunlight is absorbed on land surfaces and also how much carbon dioxide and methane is absorbed and released by vegetation and soils).</li>
</ul>

<h2>What changes have been detected?</h2>

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">recent report</a> showed that, on average, the global surface air temperature has risen by 1°C since the beginning of significant industrialisation (which roughly started in the 1850s). And it is increasing at ever faster rates, currently 0.2°C per decade, because the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have themselves been increasing ever faster. 

The oceans are warming as well. In fact, <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/">about</a> 90% of the extra heat trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases is being absorbed by the oceans.

A warmer atmosphere and oceans are causing dramatic changes, including <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/arctic-sea-ice-greenland-melt">steep decreases in Arctic summer sea ice</a> which is profoundly impacting arctic marine ecosystems, increasing sea level rise which is inundating low lying coastal areas such as Pacific island atolls, and an <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180321130859.htm">increasing frequency of many climate extremes</a> such as drought and heavy rain, as well as disasters where climate is an important driver, such as wildfire, flooding and landslides.

Multiple <a href="https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/3">lines of evidence</a>, using different methods, show that <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/spm/">human influence is the only plausible explanation</a> for the patterns and magnitude of changes that have been detected. 

This human influence is largely due to our activities that release greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, as well sunlight absorbing soot. The <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions">main sources of these warming gases and particles</a> are fossil fuel burning, cement production, land cover change (especially deforestation) and agriculture.

<h2>Weather attribution</h2>

Most of us will struggle to pick up slow changes in the climate. We feel climate change largely through how it affects weather from day-to-day, season-to-season and year-to-year.

The weather we experience arises from dynamic processes in the atmosphere, and interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the land surface. Human influence on the broader climate system acts on these processes so that the weather today is different in many ways from how it would have been. 

One way we can more clearly see climate change is by looking at severe weather events. A branch of climate science, called extreme event or weather attribution, looks at memorable weather events and estimates the extent of human influence on the severity of these events. It <a href="https://www.worldweatherattribution.org">uses weather models</a> run with and without measured greenhouse gases to estimate how individual weather events would have been different in a world without climate change.

<a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/mapped-how-climate-change-affects-extreme-weather-around-the-world">As of early 2019</a>, nearly 70% of weather events that have been assessed in this way were shown to have had their likelihood and/or magnitude increased by human influence on climate. In a world without global warming, these events would have been less severe. Some 10% of the studies showed a reduction in likelihood, while for the remaining 20% global warming has not had a discernible effect. For example, <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aae9f9">one study showed</a> that human influence on climate had increased the likelihood of the 2015-2018 drought that afflicted Cape Town in South Africa by a factor of three.

<h2>Adapting to a changing climate</h2>

Weather extremes underlie many of the hazards that damage society and the natural environment we depend upon. As global warming has progressed, so have the frequency and intensity of these hazards, and the damage they cause.

Minimising the impacts of these hazards, and having mechanisms in place to recover quickly from the impacts, is the aim of climate adaptation, as <a href="https://gca.org/global-commission-on-adaptation/home">recently reported by the Global Commission on Adaptation</a>.

As the Commission explains, investing in adaptation makes sense from economic, social and ethical perspectives. And as we know that climate change is caused by humans, society cannot use “lack of evidence” on its cause as an excuse for inaction any more.

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This article is part of <a href="https://www.cjr.org/covering_climate_now/covering-climate-partnerships.php/">The Covering Climate Now</a> series
 This is a concerted effort among news organisations to put the climate crisis at the forefront of our coverage. This article is published under a Creative Commons license and can be reproduced for free – just hit the “Republish this article” button on the page to copy the full HTML coding. The Conversation also runs Imagine, a newsletter in which academics explore how the world can rise to the challenge of climate change. <a href="https://theconversation.com/imagine-newsletter-researchers-think-of-a-world-with-climate-action-113443?utm_source=TCUK&amp;utm_medium=linkback&amp;utm_campaign=TCUKengagement&amp;utm_content=CoveringClimateNow">Sign up here</a>.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123604/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important">

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<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/mark-new-189846">Mark New</a>, Director, African Climate and Development Initiative, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cape-town-691">University of Cape Town</a>

This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-how-much-of-climate-change-is-natural-how-much-is-man-made-123604">original article</a>.

Climate explained: how much of climate change is natural? How much is man-made?

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Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research says the current fire in the Amazon rainforest is burning at its highest rate. It is source of concern for scientist and climate change enthusiast all over the world. To discuss this story, Desmond Majekodunmi, Environmentalist and Founder of Lufasi Urban Forest Park joins CNBC Africa for more.

Climate change an existential threat to humanity: Lessons on biodiversity

<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240415/original/file-20181012-119144-mkc6vv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20181012 119144 mkc6vv.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>Kenya is ill-prepared for the environmental, health and safety impacts that accompany oil production. 
Signature Message/Shutterstock</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/melba-k-wasunna-441896">By Melba K. Wasunna</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/strathmore-university-2081">Strathmore University</a>
After decades of failed attempts, Kenya finally <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2012/03/2012326174456726672.html">struck oil six years ago</a>. <a href="https://nationaloil.co.ke/pdf/NOCK_Newsletter.pdf">Commercially viable</a> reserves were discovered in Turkana – the northwest of the country– by British oil company, Tullow Oil. The basin is estimated to contain about <a href="https://www.tullowoil.com/operations/east-africa/kenya">560 million barrels of oil</a>.
While commercial production is a few years away, there’s <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/epwg/EHS-Discussion-Paper-Policy-Dialogues.pdf">growing</a> concern that Kenya isn’t ready for the environmental, health and safety risks that accompany oil production.
A <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/epwg/EHS-Discussion-Paper-Policy-Dialogues.pdf">recent forum</a> involving key stakeholders – community, civil society organisations and the Ministry of Health – outlined some of these concerns. These 
include that; workers aren’t well protected, waste isn’t being well disposed of and water sources could be <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/water-quality-quantity-versus-turkana-oil-production-daniel-lagat/">contaminated</a>. Other problems identified included the fact that those regulating these issues don’t have clear mandates and that policies and standards that deal with managing risks don’t exist or aren’t clear.
Kenya has several state agencies that try to regulate the industry. This means that there’s an uncoordinated approach and a great deal of uncertainty. A framework is needed that speaks specifically to environment, health and safety for the oil sector. It must have a clear division of roles and responsibilities, ensuring the sector is efficient, and encouraging investment.
<h2>Oil spills and pollution</h2>
A key concern for communities in the Turkana area is how waste and pollution will be managed. This includes; the disposal of drill cuttings, reduced air quality due to flaring of gas and negative impacts on human and animal health.
There’s also concern over the technology used to handle hazardous waste as it doesn’t meet the standards of those in other countries. For instance, <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/Publications:%20Government/Final%20SESA%20Report%20March%202017.pdf">most</a> waste oil treatment facilities don’t meet international standards and are run by the informal sector.
Trying to deal with these risks is challenging and there are significant gaps in policies and laws.
For example, there’s a general <a href="http://kenyalaw.org/kl/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/bills/2017/Petroleum_Exploration_DevelopmentandProductionBill_2017.pdf">requirement</a> that contractors be prepared in case of an emergency – like a fire. But there’s no direction of who is responsible for what and the procedures that must be followed. Kenya’s National oil Spill Contingency Plan is meant to make this clearer, but it has been in draft form for over four years.
There also needs to be clarity on who is responsible for damage incurred as a result of oil spills or other pollution. Currently the <a href="https://kma.go.ke/index.php/marine-environment/oil-spill-response">Kenya Maritime Authority</a> is responsible for coordinating this, but they are a maritime agency – authority should rest with the National Environment Management Authority.
<h2>Worker safety</h2>
There also need to be more policies that protect the health and safety of workers. An <a href="http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/Acts/OccupationalSafetyandHealth(No.15of2007).pdf">occupational safety and health act</a> in on the statute books. But there are no policy guidelines that look at how health and safety is monitored. These are needed to govern the industry’s hazardous work operations like; rigging safety, flaring of gas, drilling or chemicals handling.
Policies should be created by the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining in collaboration with the other relevant ministries – like environment and health.
Other policies that need to be reviewed include those related to reducing the risk of fires – <a href="http://kenyalaw.org/lex/sublegview.xql?subleg=No.%2015%20of%202007#KE/LEG/EN/AR/O/NO.%2015%20OF%202007/SUBLEG/HC_17">current legislation</a> only deals with small workplace fires – and those related to first aid.
Regulations must also be drawn up to cover community health and safety. These don’t exist yet the impact of oil and gas operations goes beyond the workplace.
Finally, there are <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/Publications:%20Government/Final%20SESA%20Report%20March%202017.pdf">not enough</a> health facilities and emergency service providers should accidents occur.
<h2>Regulation issues</h2>
Three key bodies are meant to regulate environment, health and safety issues in the sector. These are the <a href="https://www.erc.go.ke/">Energy and Regulatory Commission</a>; the <a href="http://www.labour.go.ke/directorate-of-occupational-safety-and-health-services-doshs/">Directorate of Safety and Health Services</a> and the <a href="https://www.nema.go.ke/">National Environmental Management Authority</a>. But their activities aren’t coordinated. This means that companies aren’t being held to proper enforcement and compliance regulations.
Regulations can also clash. For instance, the <a href="http://www.kenyalaw.org/klr/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/Acts/OccupationalSafetyandHealth(No.15of2007).pdf">occupational safety and health laws</a> require workplaces that use or produce toxic substances to <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/Publications:%20Government/Final%20SESA%20Report%20March%202017.pdf">ensure</a> they’re safely collected, recycled or disposed of. But there isn’t currently a body that can actually process waste coming from the oil and gas sector. The closest facility is in <a href="http://www.oilinuganda.org/features/environment/uganda-gets-its-first-oil-waste-treatment-plant.html">Uganda</a>.
<h2>Developing policy</h2>
There are attempts to improve on policy. Kenya’s occupational safety and health act, for example, is <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/862581530195474639/pdf/Plan-Archive-14.pdf">under review</a>. But it’s not easy.
Developing policies, and ensuring they’re adhered to, is a major challenge as government regulatory bodies lack skills and manpower. The Directorate of Safety and Health Services, for instance, <a href="https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_protect/@protrav/@safework/documents/policy/wcms_187632.pdf">has</a> 71 professional officers to inspect about 140,000 workplaces. This is a huge challenge for inspectors working in the remote areas where oil exploration is taking place. They <a href="http://extractives-baraza.com/assets/content/PDF/Publications:%20Government/Final%20SESA%20Report%20March%202017.pdf">can take</a> one to two years before they visit, leaving most workers exposed to hazards.
The goods news is that steps are being taken. the <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/862581530195474639/pdf/Plan-Archive-14.pdf">environmental and occupational health and safety</a> policies are under review by two different set of consultants to establish more robust policies and guidelines.
Legally, efforts are also being taken to coordinate an approach. The <a href="http://kenyalaw.org/kl/fileadmin/pdfdownloads/bills/2017/Petroleum_Exploration_DevelopmentandProductionBill_2017.pdf">new bill is</a> being considered by the Senate. Among other things it proposes a new Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
Over the last three years, a technical assistance project has also <a href="http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/531591529359535996/pdf/Disclosable-Version-of-the-ISR-Kenya-Petroleum-Technical-Assistance-Project-KEPTAP-P145234-Sequence-No-07.pdf">trained</a> 220 government officers in lead agencies responsible for enforcement of environment, health and safety regulations.
These developments are all encouraging. But it’s important that policymakers don’t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach but rather develop methods that adequately address the specific needs and priorities of the oil industry and the risks it brings.
Laura Muniafu, of Strathmore University’s Extractives Baraza, assisted in the writing of this article<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103845/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/melba-k-wasunna-441896">Melba K. Wasunna</a>, Director and Lecturer, Extractives Baraza, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/strathmore-university-2081">Strathmore University</a>
This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-kenya-needs-to-do-to-better-protect-those-working-in-the-oil-sector-103845">original article</a>.

Is Kenya doing enough to protect workers in the oil sector ?

<figure><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/233858/original/file-20180828-86147-1xhaopz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="File 20180828 86147 1xhaopz.jpg?ixlib=rb 1.1" /><figcaption>31moonlight31 / shutterstock</figcaption></figure>
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/patrick-byrne-520375">Patrick Byrne</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/liverpool-john-moores-university-1319">Liverpool John Moores University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/karen-hudson-edwards-538369">Karen Hudson-Edwards</a>, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-exeter-1190">University of Exeter</a>
Nearly <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Phone-Smartphone-Usage-Varies-Globally/1014738">five billion people</a> worldwide will use a smartphone by 2020. Each device is made up of numerous precious metals and many of the key technological features wouldn’t be possible without them. Some, like gold, will be familiar. Others, such as terbium, are less well-known.
Mining these metals is a vital activity that underpins the modern global economy. But the environmental cost can be enormous and is probably far greater than you realise. Let’s walk through some of the key metals in smartphones, what they do, and the environmental cost of getting them out of the ground.
<h2>Catastrophic mine waste spills</h2>
Iron (20%), aluminium (14%) and copper (7%) are the three <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/270454/top-10-materials-in-a-smartphone/">most common metals</a> by weight in your average smartphone. Iron is used in speakers and microphones and in stainless steel frames. Aluminium is used as a lightweight alternative to stainless steel and also in the manufacture of the strong glass used in smartphone screens. Copper is used in electric wiring.
However, enormous volumes of solid and liquid waste (termed mine “tailings”) are produced when extracting these metals from the earth. Typically, mine tailings are stored in vast impoundment structures that can be several square kilometres in area. Recent <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883292718300246">catastrophic mine tailings spills</a> highlight the danger of improper construction methods and lax safety monitoring.
The largest spill on record occurred in November 2015 when a <a href="https://theconversation.com/who-should-we-blame-for-the-brazil-mining-dam-disaster-50521">dam collapsed</a> at an iron ore mine in Minas Gerais, Brazil, releasing approximately 33m cubic metres (enough to fill 23,000 Olympic swimming pools) of iron-rich waste into the River Doce. The waste inundated local villages killing 19 people and travelled 650km until it reached the Atlantic Ocean 17 days later.
This was just one of <a href="http://www.grida.no/publications/383">40 mine tailings spills</a> that have occurred in the past decade and the long-term ecological and human health impacts remain largely unknown. One thing is clear though – as our thirst for technology increases, mine tailings dams are increasing in number and size, and so is their risk of failure.
<h2>Ecosystem destruction</h2>
Gold and tin are common in smartphones. But mining of these metals is responsible for ecological devastation from the <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2016/05/gold-mining-shifts-course-peruvian-river-will-destroy-ecosystems/">Peruvian Amazon</a> to the tropical islands of Indonesia.
Gold in smartphones is used primarily to make connectors and wires but gold mining is a major cause of <a href="https://www.brilliantearth.com/gold-mining-environment/">deforestation</a> in the Amazon. Furthermore, extraction of gold from the earth generates waste rich in <a href="https://theconversation.com/acid-drainage-the-global-environmental-crisis-youve-never-heard-of-83515">cyanide and mercury</a> – two highly toxic substances that can contaminate drinking water and fish, with serious implications for human health.
Tin is used for soldering in electronics. Indium-tin oxide is applied to smartphone screens as a thin, transparent and conductive coating that gives touchscreen functionality. The seas surrounding Indonesia’s Bangka and Belitung Islands supplies about a third of the world’s supply. However, large-scale dredging of the seabed for the tin-rich sand has <a href="https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/tin_mining.pdf">destroyed the precious coral ecosystem</a> while the decline of the fishing industry has led to economic and social problems.
<h2>The most polluted place on the planet?</h2>
What makes your smartphone smart? That’ll be the rare earth elements – a group of 17 metals with weird names like praseodymium that are mined mostly in <a href="https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2018/mcs2018.pdf">China, Russia and Australia</a>.
Often dubbed “technology metals”, rare earths are fundamental to smartphone design and function. Crystal clear smartphone speakers, microphones and phone vibration are possible due to small yet powerful motors and magnets manufactured using neodymium, dysprosium and praseodymium. Terbium and dysprosium are also used to produce the vibrant colours of a smartphone screen.
Extracting rare earths is a difficult and dirty business, typically involving the use of sulphuric and hydrofluoric acids and the production of vast amounts of highly toxic waste. Perhaps the most disturbing and thought provoking example of the environmental cost of our smartphone thirst is the “world’s tech waste lake” in <a href="http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150402-the-worst-place-on-earth">Baotou, China</a>. Created in 1958, this artificial lake collects the toxic sludge from rare earth processing operations.
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The valuable metals used to manufacture smartphones are a finite resource. Recent estimates indicate we will run out of some rare earths in the next <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/112/14/4257">20 to 50 years</a>, which makes you wonder if smartphones will still be around then. Reducing the environmental impact of smartphone use requires manufacturers to increase product lifetimes, make recycling more straightforward and be open about where they source their metals and the environmental impact. Around the world mining companies have made huge strides in practising more sustainable mining. But we as consumers also need to consider smartphones as less of a throwaway item and more of a precious resource that carries an enormous environmental burden.<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/102148/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/patrick-byrne-520375">Patrick Byrne</a>, Senior Lecturer in Geography, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/liverpool-john-moores-university-1319">Liverpool John Moores University</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/karen-hudson-edwards-538369">Karen Hudson-Edwards</a>, Professor in Sustainable Mining, <a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-exeter-1190">University of Exeter</a>
This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-making-a-smartphone-can-harm-the-environment-102148">original article</a>.

Here’s how smartphones are hurting the environment

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Gauteng MEC Lebogang Maile engaged with developers, investors, and environmental consultants on the measures being undertaken by the provincial government to improve the ease of doing business in the province.

Improving the ease of doing business in Gauteng

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Veolia Environment’s Gabonese unit is seeking arbitration after the government seized its assets in the central African nation. Helman le Pas de Sécheval, General Secretary of Veolia joins CNBC Africa on the line to shed more light on this story.

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