This week, as South Africa adjusts to the eased of restrictions of lockdown Level 1, more people are likely to travel domestically again, many heading to SA’s economic hub for business. According to Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s Makoma Lekalakala, “Many South Africans do not know that Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, is also the most radioactive city on the … [Read more...]
Africa’s efforts towards eradicating plastics
The ongoing global movement for eliminating plastics is gaining momentum in Africa. Several countries are now taking steps to eliminate the production and distribution of single-use plastics, some adopting a total ban on the production and use of plastic bags. Cameroon, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Tanzania have taken the … [Read more...]
Experts flay Nigeria’s dalliance with coal
Nigeria’s decision to adopt coal as alternative source of generating electricity has attracted several reactions among industry players over the long term health and environmental effects on host communities. The stakeholders who gathered on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to brainstorm the preferred energy mix for the country raised worrisome questions, particularly … [Read more...]
Nigeria joins the world climate march
Climate Change is a matter of justice. The world’s most vulnerable people have done the least to cause global warming and yet they are suffering most from its devastating efforts. Climate Change threatens to undermine progress on fighting poverty and hunger. It is still possible to make a difference but we have to act quickly. The momentum to galvanize positive actions to … [Read more...]
Finding the real Africa
In 2005, Binyavanga Wainaina published a brilliantly sarcastic essay in Granta called “How to Write About Africa,” advising people on how to sound spiritual and compassionate while writing a book about the continent. “Always use the word ‘Africa’ or ‘Darkness’ or ‘Safari’ in your title,” Wainaina advised. “Never have a picture of a well-adjusted African on the cover of your … [Read more...]
UNESCO publishes climate change guidebook for journalists
African media can and should do more to tell the story of climate change, observes a new UNESCO publication, titled Climate Change in Africa: A Guidebook for Journalists. “This guidebook is part of UNESCO’s overall effort to raise awareness of the interdisciplinary core of climate change, and how journalists can reflect that in their practices”, says Fackson Banda, UNESCO … [Read more...]
It’s time to make big oil pay!
In days, Nigeria's Parliament could approve a $5 billion fine against giant oil polluter Shell for a spill that devastated the lives of millions of people, and pass a law to hold all oil companies to account for polluting and plundering. This is a watershed moment, but unless we all speak out, oil giants will crush it. Finally, Big Oil is having to pay for the wasteland and … [Read more...]
Lagos ocean surge levels Kuramo Beach
Four people, including a six-year-old girl, have been confirmed dead after the Atlantic Ocean charged into Lagos, Nigeria's Kuramo beach on Saturday. With the aid of a boat, the officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) recovered the body of the girl, identified as Bisi Kolawole, and two adults, as they floated on the water body, on Sunday … [Read more...]
Women at the forefront of the energy revolution
Access to cleaner, more affordable energy for their people is a current priority for many African nations. 70 participants from 13 African Nations - policy makers as well as representatives from business and civil society - discussed the topic of renewable energy at an international conference from 30 June to 1 July in the Nigerian capital of Abuja. In sessions on policy, … [Read more...]
Power Kick for Africa
It feels as though the world closed ranks in June, united by the universal love for football. The World Future Council was in the middle of it, with the 'Power Kick for Africa' project keeping many of the staff on their toes. To promote the use of renewable energy in Africa, we organized a policy workshop in Ghana's capital Accra. Also, a World Cup public viewing powered by … [Read more...]
Hydropower conference explores additional energy source
'Sustainable hydropower as a feasible solution to Africa's energy need' is the focus of the Hydropower Africa Conference happening at Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg from 16 to 20 August. A bright future lies ahead for hydropower in Africa as a critical component of Africa's energy mix. The resource uses proven technology and is easily accessible across the … [Read more...]
Turning plastic bottles into homes in Nigeria
A house constructed from recycled plastic bottles has been built in Kaduna State, Nigeria. The house has been built using earth-filled plastic bottle 'bricks' and mud. The three-room structure is so sturdy that it could stand for thousands of years. Plastic bottles take hundreds years to biodegrade in landfill. In Nigeria millions of plastic bottles are dumped into … [Read more...]
The Naked Option: a last resort
The Naked Option: A Last Resort celebrates the power of an organized group of women! Fueled by the determination for a better future, grassroots women in Nigeria's Niger Delta use the threat of stripping naked in public, a serious cultural taboo, in their deadly struggle to hold the oil companies accountable to the communities in which they work. Through the leadership … [Read more...]
