African Bloggers on Climate Change kicked off this morning and will run through October 31st. Below is a list of all the commentary and blog posts related to AVCC. We will update this list daily with all the blog posts that have been written so far. If you are an African blogger or a climate change, environment blogger, we encourage you to join the conversation. Check out the original AVCC posts for guidance on how to engage in the global conversation.
1) Voices
by Rowan Emslie
Recently the whole climate change debate has been mostly dominated by ‘climate deniers’ and those who deny their denials. A tale as old as time, we have progressive thinkers attacking conservative thinkers and vice versa.
2) Rwanda Shines in Conservation Where Her EAC Partners Falter
by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome
Conservation is never easy, always full of the challenge to keep growing populations reconciled with having protected areas set aside near where they live and percolate benefits to those who live nearby, derived from tourism and conservation income.
3) Blogging for Connect4Climate - WildLife
by Solomon Jagwe
With most of the wildlife in the East African Rift Valley depending on the changing of seasons to migrate to areas where their offspring can stand a chance of survival, it is of great importance to discuss how the climate change adversely affects those migration patterns.
4) Innovative Solutions in Africa
By Independent Global Citizen
Deforestation and waste management are two challenges facing the global community. Trees are often cut down in rural parts of developing countries to be used as firewood to cook and to fire mud bricks used in the construction of buildings like houses, shops, and latrines.
5) Act now, Act together, Act differently
By Mimieux
In just 3 years, Kenya has suffered two bouts of severe drought leaving thousands of people dead. Northern Kenya, boasting extreme temperatures of up to 35 degrees falls under the 80% of Kenyan land that is arid/ semi-arid and consequently not suitable for Agriculture.
6) This is about Climate Change really, but it's about My Childhood Too
By Iwaya Mataachi
The boys would run naked into the “river” and splash water at the giggling girls huddle on the bank and I could see, even then, in the corner of my eye, the boy and the girl who had split from the group to talk in private under a tree away from us.
7) Energy poverty - Where does the answer lie?
By Evelyn Namara
In Uganda today, according to a report submitted by UNESCO "Overall, only 9 percent of Uganda’s population is supplied with grid electricity (20 percent in urban areas compared to only 3 percent in rural areas), and 70 percent of these customers reside in the three major towns of Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja."
By Ruth Aine
You and I may never make it to The UN Convention on Climate Change: We may never be able to be part of the debate on the environment in Uganda led by the Ministry of Water and Environment; We may never be able to know and understand what is meant by major greenhouse gases being necessary to identify the current trends in atmospheric concentrations and climate change: But I believe that we can effect change by being the voice in our communities where we belong.
9) Listen; the trees and water are talking
By Mark Keith Muhumuza
Little known to the active men and human nature is that their actions will be met with vast environmental misgivings. The energy demands by human nature often growing and depleting natural resources like water and forests have vast consequences mostly unknown or that they have no control over.
10) "Climate Smart" - Agriculture Initiatives Will Save Africa
By Maureen Agena
Climate change impacts are much localised and hence some areas are more vulnerable than others. Therefore African Governments need to spearhead initiatives of climate proofing Agriculture with all partners involved in climate change adaptation strategies.
11) The environment does not need saving
By John K. Abimanyi
Go build an industry in a wetland, a sugar cane farm in a forest, a shopping arcade in a wetland, a hydro power dam on the longest river, a collection of nightspots in the few green spaces in the capital, cut some trees and make some charcoal, drain all the fish from the seas, and help promote the cause of humanity. Self-destruction is, after all, what humanity is best experienced at doing.
By Lydia Idem Finkley
I’ve always been a tree hugger. Directly because they are Nigerian, mine have always been “waste-not-EVER” parents. So even if they never admit it, it’s in my blood. I do my best to support local farmers and green companies. When I grow up, I’ll be an investor in green and sustainable technology.
13) Connecting4Climate: Promoting an Active Recycling Culture in Nigeria
By Tukeni Obasi
The present stigma attached to waste management and recycling reveals the disconnect between the average Nigerian and their waste and yet as reality has shown, climate change continues to connect us all. In order to turn that connection into a beneficial one, we must change our cultural practices.
14) Reflections on the festival of lights
By Neha Misra
Electricity access is fundamental for achieving UN’s millennium development goals (MDG’s), the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon.
15) Energy at the cost of the environment
But that said, the energy demands of our nation need to be paid attention to and planned for wisely because our current energy consumption isn’t sustainable even in the short run. Uganda as a country needs a sustainable model of handling its energy demands and still paying respect to the environment from which these demands are met.
16) The road to sustainable energy in Nigeria
By Lyinoluwa.O Aremu
This is why the introduction of the new electric prepaid meter, few years back, is a good idea for sustainable energy in Nigeria. This meter, unlike the old one, requires customers to buy electric units on the meter, which will eventually be used up, depending on how many electric appliances are used or the frequency of the usage of the electric.
17) Our Health and Climate Change
By Njeri Nancy Maina
Water is life and as long as man shall live, water remains the most essential element to life on earth. Liquid in normal room temperature and ice when frozen; water is basic to our everyday activities especially around the home. Water may appear of less importance to those who have consistent access to it but once it’s out, one then realizes the service water offers.
18) 6th African Economic Conference: Youth employment within the new African Green Economy Agenda
By Esther Agbarakwe
So does Green Economy bring hope to African youths seeking Jobs? Speaking at the Special Session on the Role of the State in promoting Green Economy, African Youths and experts urge government to ensure that decent Jobs are indeed created for Africa’s youths and not use the notion of technology transfers and innovation to give jobs to non-Africans employed to help Africa transits to a green economy.
19) Dear baby Seven [ Billion ]
By TMS Ruge
That intelligence and ambition drives us to invent and reinvent. We are destructively creative beings by nature; never satisfied with the status quo. “Out with the old and in with the new,” is a motto you will hear a lot in your lifetime. We create to destroy.
20) A key: the role of women in climate change
By Iyinoluwa O. Aremu
So, how do we go about this? We don’t need much of government action in raising awareness of climate change to women, we only need interested and motivated people or organisations, who are ready to go into the rural areas, meet the women and show them demonstrations of how they can save their environment.
21) Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food
By Olumide Idowu
Populations in the developing world, which are already vulnerable and food insecure, are likely to be the most seriously affected. In 2005, nearly half of the economically active population in developing countries—2.5 billion people—relied on agriculture for its livelihood. Today, 75 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas.
22) Nigeria: Why Climate Change
By Olumide Idowu
Peer-reviewed research accepted by the Journal of Geography and Regional Planning concludes that Nigeria’s average temperature has risen by 1.7 degrees in the period 1901-2005. The increase has been higher in the semi-arid regions and lower in the coastal zone. The paper also demonstrates that the rate of change has increased since the 1970s.
23) 7 Billion People and Counting: {Connect 4 Climate - Change}
By Andy Kristian
In short, more than 45% of the people that dwell in urban areas do not have electricity. And that’s not all, in the cities, the other 45% who have electricity, they probably don’t have it all week and sporadically experience power outages during the week.
24) Of Human Waste and Water: Cleaning up Lagos City
By Olatunbosun Obayomi
In July, Lagos experienced heavy rain fall. Storm water overwhelmed the poorly designed drainage and canal systems which were already choked with refuse. Twenty-five people lost their lives and the city came to a halt. Both rich and poor were impacted. The event was blamed on climate change, specifically the rise of the Atlantic Ocean.
