Africa Climate Conference 2013 Identifies Four Priority Areas of Research

The ability to identify, understand and respond to the necessary requires in-depth knowledge of the topic at hand; and this is what a lot of 'action plans' are currently missing. Thankfully, at the Africa Climate Conference 2013, it was agreed that the outcome of the conference would be to develop a list of research areas that needs to be focused on the African Climate System and to "bridge the divide between climate science and policy".

From Africa Climate Conference 2013 website

The four priority areas of research are:

• Co-designed multidisciplinary research for improving climate forecast skill and reliability, across different time and spatial scales
• Filling the climate data gap
• Capacity building at all levels
• Mainstreaming climate services into decision making

It can be identified that through addressing these priority areas of research, many aspects that currently lack within responding to climate change and the impacts there of. In my opinion, addresses the need for the multi-disciplinary approach to gather relevant applications (which increases the accuracy) that can assist in forecasting/modeling. The second priority area focuses on enabling platforms that are already available and culminating them into one application through which integrated data analysis can be achieved. The data required will be found within multidisciplinary data sets, then would then be able to feed into an integrated information system and the development of risk profiles.

Capacity building, the third priority area, will seek to link climate knowledge with action - This would be the priority area that can address the matter with which i started this statement regarding 'action plans'. This priority area majorly focuses on skills development and increasing the research pool. However, this item can find ways in linking research centres that are within dispersed locations through establishing common and collaborative focus areas.

Finally, the fourth priority area, aims towards "improved and more effective communications between climate science policy and  to identify end user needs." So, in a nutshell, this priority area will focus on bringing together and creating a platform for dialogue between all stakeholders through which outcomes will be orientated towards the local stakeholders.

Interesting to see these developments withing Africa.

And as always for more information about what was discussed at the Africa Climate Change Conference, please visit the links below:

Africa Climate Conference 2013
Conference Statement

Urban Mobility, Resilient Cities - The focus of World Habitat Day

Just over a week ago, 7th October 2013, World Habitat Day was celebrated. So the rest of you know, it is observed annually on the first Monday of October. The theme for this year was 'Urban Mobility'. Therefore, this day recognized the essential role of mobility as it provides access and connectivity to amenities, goods and services.

Now, we all know that vehicles, anthropogenic activities, and urbanization (especially those activities that takes place in an urban setting) contributes to and is a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These factors also impacts on environmental and economic sustainability. However, at the same time - mobility can inverse these impacts through improved mobility and urban design.

Furthermore, through a statement by Joan Clos (ED: UN-HABITAT) stated that:

"..accessible cities encourage a shift towards more sustainable modes of transportation and draw more and more travelers out of cars and onto trains, buses, bike paths, and sidewalks."

True mobility is not only having the ability to access services and amenities through your own will, but also doing so responsibly. As stated above, mobility is also traveling responsibly and sustainably through the transport network provided. 

For more statements and press releases of the day, please follow the links below:

• Ban Ki-moon (UN Secretary-General)
• John Ashe (UN General Assembly President)
• UN-HABITAT Press Release
• UN Press Release on 7th October 2013

I would like to encourage each and everyone out there to start thinking about commuting with public transport and that private vehicle use is a luxury enjoyed too often for our own good.

Eye on Earth: Crowed Sourced Mapping?

Over the years there has been an increased interest between environmental impacts, such as flooding and drought, and their geographical location. It is stated that displaying and analysing information pertaining to these impacts may assist in understanding its occurrences and variability. With this said, the Environmental European Agency (EEA) published the "Eye on Earth" map, an on line mapping tool that currently displays locations and intensities of urban flooding and other data in European states.

The on line mapping tool brings together a variety of official date and other data from civil society, independent businesses and research institutions within their network in order to increase the reality of the current environment. The mapping tool is said to also assist policy makers in developing appropriate strategies and mechanisms that encourages sustainable development and other coping mechanisms to respond to other global challenges. 

For more information about the Eye on Earth mapping tool visit the EEA press release here.

Responses to Article: "Public Backing is the Key to Political Action on Climate Change" by Yvo de Boer

I developed the response below while reading the Article by Yvo de Boer "Public Backing is Key to Political Action on Climate Change" - Published on 25th February 2013.

It has been noted that political forces do not necessarily think long term. I think that this sort of thinking becomes inherent as their lifespan in office is normally that short - either 4 or 5 years (country dependent). Therefore, they foresee change to be immediate through implementing a policy without considering necessary pre- and post-actions required to perpetuate towards the desired outcome. This makes mega-forces and their associated challenges - such as climate change, population growth, potable water scarcity, food security and ecosystem decline - are harder to remedy if policy and decision makers remain focused on short term economic and financial gains.

Focusing on the above, consensus about what needs to change should be sought deeper within the mindset of society. Therefore I agree with Mr de Boer when stated that we require long term "political focus, public support and international cooperation" to address these mega-forces.

The publication of reports, policies and legislative material will also not have substantive impacts on these challenges if society does not accept these inherent motivators to their actions. Therefore a pre-action to consider would be to establish behavioural change within the man vs. nature relationship.

I also agree with the 4 criteria for a successful agreement (or consensus) as set out by Mr de Boer. However, with regards to seeking leadership, industrialised countries do not always have the answer. Some countries and their leadership have the ideology that the 'west is the best' (referring to the westernised economy), but they forget that there are numerous examples of indigenous initiatives being implemented locally which are successful. Therefore, I suggest that leadership should be delivered on the premise of establishing concrete arguments and the correct motivation for meaningful support to the initiatives that will progress towards what is required.

At this point, I then think, "Why are all decisions regarding these risks that are worst experienced by vulnerable poor nations made by industrialised countries?." Localised mitigation initiatives are required to not only bring communities together but to also adjust their behaviour so that it is geared towards more sustainable practises

... What happened to the Bottom-Up approach?...

These sorts of materials (policies, legislation, etc) also offer substantial indicators to develop frameworks that are established and address the current and possibly foreseeable issues regarding climate change, potable water scarcity, etc. However, we retain institutional inertia through red tape, lack of political leadership/motivation and social cohesion. Therefore, these frameworks have not worked thus far.

Finally, regarding this article, I also agree with Mr de Boer when he states that "The only chance of success lies in the new definition of value to create broad band prosperity rather than wealth." We can no longer work within silos and exclusion. To really make the best of what we have, we need to fully and actually understand what we have.

UNEP Releases Their Latest Publication: The 3rd African Environmental Outlook

The 3rd African Environmental Outlook (AEO3), published by UNEP and commissioned by the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), recommends a bold statement for African environmental policy drivers. This would be to place the implementation of environmental and health initiatives at the top of their agenda's.

The report focuses mainly on the links between the environment and health, and how the environment contributes to major health impacts on livelihoods. The report also highlights indoor pollutants such as particular matter as a major impact on respiratory systems of the human body- as many African household still use wood as a resource for heating and cooking, these emissions remain in the immediate air for extended periods (without proper in house air circulation) and can be inhaled.

The Report also notes that although African countries have an array of good policies and strategies that concentrates on environmental change to implement, these initiatives are weekend by institutional inertia and the inability to implement due to lack of capacity. What the AEO3, as a framework for Policy Makers, intends on doing would be to produce measurements as to increase capacity, develop appropriate strategies and monitor the implementation and success of such policies.

H.E. Terezya Huvisa, Minister of State - Environment of the United Republic of Tanzania and President of AMCEN stated the following:

"As this report highlights, African governments are all too aware of the challenges facing the continent in terms of environmental impacts on human health. There are significant on-going efforts to combat these challenges, including putting in place many relevant policies," She Added: "However, these policies must be strongly implemented to have an impact, and enforcement mechanisms should be put in place and strengthened to reduce the negative consequences, ... If the recommendations in AEO-3 are followed, our citizens can look forward to healthier, and ultimately more productive, lives."

As for the above statement, we can only hope.

The report thus suggests key messages and policy recommendations. Furthermore, a section is dedicated to understanding the state of the environment within the context of environmental impacts on human health. The environmental factors looked at within this section includes:

• Air quality
• Biodiversity
• Chemicals and Waste
• Climate change
• Freshwater and Sanitation
• Land

You can read about this press release further on the UNEP website here.

Release of the TEEB: Water and Wetlands Report

Water Flow Habitat (of the Ramsar Convention) and the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) and other partners (IEEP, IUCN, UFZ, FOEN, GEN)have released a report entitled: "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for Water and Wetlands". The report gives insight into the importance of water related services from the ecosystem - locally and on a wider scale. Therefore, it can be said that the report is about the interface between "Water - Wetlands - Ecosystem Services".



Source: Screen Shot of Report


The report was launched at the on the 1st February 2013 at the International Environment House, Geneva - With a presentation introducing the TEEB Report by Patrick ten Brink, which highlights benefits of wetlands, with economic benefits and including lessons learnt into decision making. The presentation concludes with certain recommendations that includes restoration, indigenous knowledge, poverty alleviation and transition management. Ramsar also sees the launch of this report as an opportunity further their endeavours to increase public awareness on the values and benefits of wetlands.

Furthermore, the United Nations have dubbed this year as the International Year of Water Cooperation, they have also dedicated a website with Campaign Material and related reports.

Source: UN Water

For more information about the Report and other documentations - please follow the links below.

• More about the Report
• Press Release
• Launch Agenda
• Launch Presentation by Patrick ten Brink

Another Handbook on Climate Change Adaptation in Africa

I am kind of two sided with regards to promoting more handbooks on climate change - do yourself a favour and search that in quotes - on my side Google shows 52 000 results.

But non the less, this handbook (Produced by the UNDP - African Adaptation Programme) looks at the skills and the methodologies adopted and needed in African countries within 2012.

The handbook is divided into two parts - first is a refresher on key concepts and the second concentrates on the tools and skills required for the capitalisation of climate change adaptation experiences.

Source: African Adaptation Programme



Generating More Income from Intercropping

According to a study done by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and other partner organisations, it stated that farmers in Uganda receive 50% more from intecropping banana and coffee than growing coffee alone. The study was conducted across 30 districts of Uganda.

Not only has this type intecropping assisted these farmers economically, but another study indicates that it may also assist them with coping mechanisms against climate change. With possible temperature increase and erratic rainfall due to the impacts of climate change, the yield of Ugandan coffee crops could drastically reduce. Coffee grains such as Robusta and Arabica need to be grown at altitudes that are climate specific to there species, which are typically 1500 and 1400 meters respectively.

Using climate models, the study indicated that there will be a huge drop in locations and areas suitable for Arabica coffee with loses of up to US$100m that threatens not only foreign revenue but also the livelihoods of local farmers and their dependents. Therefore, if farmers and assisting organisations do not implement interventions (such as utilising traditional varieties and limited water), areas below the 1300 - 1700 meters mark may become totally unsuitable for crop production.

Some of the positives of intercroppng banana and coffee are outlined below:

1. Shade of the taller banana tree creates a canopy and reduces temperature on coffee crops,
2. The canopy, roots and mulch from the banana tree also reduces and prevents soil erosion and degradation of the hilly Ugandan landscape,
3. Finally, intecropping captures carbon dioxide through banana trees mulch and mitigates climate change.

However,  although these positives have been pointed out there are still other negatives that needs to be considered such as species competition. A quote from Van Asten points this out below:

"The downside of adding shade or shade crops to a coffee system is that it increases competition among the different plants for water, nutrients, and light. This competition needs to be managed by using good agronomic practices such as integrating fertilizers and organic nutrient inputs, managing plant density and canopy cover appropriately, and practicing good soil and water conservation to adapt successfully to climate change"

For more information and other resources follow the link to the press release on the CGAIR website.

ECB Launches "Toward Resilience: A Guide to Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation"

There has been an ever increasing need to increase resilience and providing appropriate coping mechanisms to vulnerable communities, and in order to do so there were also many other tools created in order to measure vulnerability. These tools (such as the Hyogo Framework for Action and the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach) looks at and analysis individual and institutional capacities to assist in developing coping mechanisms that would reduce vulnerability.

There are many forms of vulnerability that can be experienced: Political Vulnerability, Economic Vulnerability and Social Vulnerability. However, there is the generally accepted Environmental Vulnerability which looks at the impacts of natural occurrences (or induced by anthropogenic activities) that impacts on the daily lives of communities. These natural impacts include floods, mud slides, climate change effects - such as droughts.

Therefore, understanding and yet developing tools and frameworks that assists in responding to disasters and those left vulnerable to due climate change impacts contribute to the knowledge pool of disaster risk reduction (DRR). Therefore, I would like to highlight the Emergency Capacity Building (ECB) Project and the release of their resource for stakeholders and community/humanitarian organisations entitled: "Toward Resilience: A Guide to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)".

Source: Emergency Capacity Building Project

The guide looks at six main factors that include understanding DRR and CCA, the vulnerable groups that may be affected (women, children and high risk groups), and also importantly looks at the programme cycle management for DRR and CCA which incorporates the implementation of projects and other areas of interest.

Water Managmenet and Storage for Climate Change Scenarios - Volta River Basin

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) released a report entitled "The Water Resource Implications for Changing Climate in the Volta River Basin" which utilised a dynamic regional climate model (CCLM), a hydrological model (SWAT) and a water resource model (WEAP) to assess the impact of planned agricultural and hydro-power developments along the Volta River that serves approximately 24 million people. This report was initiated as part of the project "Re-thinking Water Storage for Climate Change Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa" that has an overall aim to develop guidance on methods for better inclusion of climate change in the planning and management of the full range of agricultural water storage options.

As previously stated, the Volta River serves 24 million people, it is most likely that this river will receive further stresses from climate change, increased developments and increased water demand due to population increase.

Considering the possible errors through modelling, variables do indicate a possible future changes that should be considered for water resource planning. The results indicate that mid-21st Century the average annual rainfall (basin wide), mean annual runoff and mean annual groundwater recharge, will decline. The report also sets up different scenarios and the outcomes based on these variables. However, these scenarios conclude that there would be an annual drop by 30% of Hydro-power generation and a reduction of technical performance of reservoirs. One can only imagine the domino affect that these outcomes may have on the production of much needed water for agricultural and livelihood development purposes. Spin-offs would therefore impact socio-economic development and food security.

Therefore, this report recommends that water management and storage planning within the basin should be systematic, increase and improve the communication and cooperation between stakeholders of the riparian states of the Volta River; and to consider innovative measures to water storage.

"Dont forget to switch off your PC!!"

This is something that I would often hear from my line manager, however I am guilty of not switching off my PC entirely. Sometimes I forget and sometimes I have something still running in the background, and I would let it continue running till the next day - like yesterday. But on the real side, it is amazing to see how much energy our IT&C networks and appliances consume. Not too long ago it was television that consumed large amounts of energy per household, no matter if it were switched on or not. But thankfully to the International Energy Agency (IEA) that spearheaded the "1-watt initiative", it reduced energy consumption by appliances, considerably.

Now think about this, that those were appliances that we could switch on and off, and hold in standby and it would be 'inactive' - but still consume loads of energy. Then think about "appliances" or technologies that are not even in your surroundings but you are probably using it right now to read this entry... OK, have you guessed what it is yet?

I hope you don't shoot yourself for this - but have you thought about the consumption of office server networks? What about the Internet that you use at home? The source of that connection has to come from some physical IT&C infrastructure. World wide, it is estimated that IT&C consumes 5% of global energy consumption - so high, as it is required to remain on standby so that it will be ready and fired up for you to use it the next time you click on the little Chrome/IE/Fire Fox/Opera icon, or sending an email. Now, people are just using their PCs, what about smarter technologies that have IT&C capabilities standard? Fridge, televisions - like the Samsung Series 7 (Awesome TV!!!), home audio? All these technologies will be linked to some server at some time of its use - and that server unfortunately has to be online for its use.

Now, to refresh your memory a bit, the IEA released a one pager document entitled "Guiding Principles for Energy Efficiency in Networked Products" in 2007. Very basic principles and should be easy to apply - unless the manufacturer of that networked product has some other mandate. However, progress is being made by other countries and unions that are implementing policies that concentrate on the energy efficiency within networked products. Such as USA (Energy Star), Republic of Korea (e-Standby Programme and Energy Efficient Labelling Programme), and the European Union (Code of Conduct on Energy Efficiency of Broadband Equipment). But, as you know, drivers should not only come from national or international responsible authorities, energy efficiency should also be driven by the corporates that house these servers.


Source: Ethan Pines for The New York Times

Considering a Report by The New York Times: "Power, Pollution and the Internet" that looked at large corporates such as Google and Facebook. Here, they have incorporated and re-engineered their cooling systems and supported their energy and electricity consumption with the use of renewable energy, and also redesigned their hardware to improve energy efficiency. Within the corporate environment, it becomes a economic and monetary issue, where I would expect that they would aim to answer questions like: Are our operations feasible and viable considering the cost implications? Which activities can we implement that will reduce consumption and cost within the organisation? - Lets hope that companies are considering these questions and identifying the areas within their processes with the highest consumption... Lets hope.

Please read follow this link for more information on other initiatives

European Environment Agency releases IAS Report and their Impacts

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to work with a PhD student on her work in identifying the relationship between South African Policy, Biodiversity and Invasive Alien Species. What was interesting for me while listening to these transcripts was the way that stakeholder engagement took place and how this affected IAS project implementation on the ground.

Like the aim of the European Environment Agency (EEA) report entitled: "The Impacts of Invasive Alien Species in Europe", I believe that proper IAS project implementation can only be successful once there are proper public and stakeholder awareness and education programmes in place about these impacts that concentrates on themes within the environment and the economy. "Once the public knows, the goal grows" - think I will coin that one.

The impacts that the report focuses on are biodiversity, ecosystem service, human health and economic activities. This report not only highlights threats The report also highlights certain recommendation to specifically deal with IAS within Europe, however, I do believe that although these recommendation are location specific there could be some application within the South African or developmental location context.

CEM Collaborates to launch World EV Cities and Eco-systems

I find it to be a challenge to head into a direction that is not mainstream, does not fit into the norms of the world and seems to be odd to the everyday person on the street. However, I am pleased when such thoughts are shared in a sort of cloud/knowledge sourcing environment where everyone can contribute and learn. Now you can only imagin how I felt when I read the article that the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)  and other like-minded organisations launched the Electric Vehicle Initiative (EVI) website: "World EV Cities and Eco-systems".

The aim of the EVI website and that of the CEM would be to create a space where industry specialist. practitioners and developers can assist each other in leveraging resources, share electric vehicle best practices and increase collaborative work being done between cities around the world. The site is not only for story telling and real life experiences of customers and perceptions but also a place where not only qualitative information is shared but also where quantitative information gives insight into the electric vehicle experience.

As the site is fairly new, one would expect that content and resources are still running low at this point. However, EVI have already uploaded a document entitled: "EV City Casebook" which contains information and experiences of 16 cities across 9 countries and 3 continents. Obviously, as this site gains momentum and relevance, it should then be able to increase the amount of cities that are represented in this casebook.

To read more about the CEM and the organisations that collaborated to develop the World EV Cities and Eco-systems website, click here.