(Kampala) National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) of Ugandawarns that the country’s environment is in danger. as much of its forest cover and wetlands could soon disappear.
July 2010
Of heat waves and when “extreme weather” becomes just plain vanilla weather
Folks,
First off, apologies for the radio silence over the past week. We were slowed down a bit by the heat wave that struck the Northeastern United States but which seems to have passed, at least for now.
CONGO: End of armed conflict in 2003 signals wholesale devastation of forest in sout of Rep. of Congo
By Arsène Séverin KINKALA, Congo, Jun 22, 2010 (IPS) – The trees are falling in Pool, and there are plenty of people to hear the sound. In a painful irony, the end of armed conflict in 2003, has signaled the wholesale devastation of forests in this southern region of the Republic of Congo. All along the 75 kilometre road between the capital Brazzaville, and Kinkala, the southern region’s principal city, there are bundles of wood and sacks of charcoal stacked ready to be trucked to feed the household energy demands of the capital. Since the end of the civil wars Continue reading
MADAGASCAR: WWF: with draught & poverty, poor people turn to charcoal-making
14 June, 2010 via WWF website
Toliara – Field staff at WWF Toliara in Southwestern Madagascar have reported a substantial increase of charcoal production in the last couple of months in their zones of operation. Due to the missing rainy season, farmers abandoned their fields by the hundreds and try to make a living producing charcoal. The lack of regulations and control makes the charcoal business an easy one to work in.
Help us track the cost of biomass fuel around the world
We just couldn’t resist preempting Steve Jobs‘ announcement of the next hot Apple gadget with our own launch today, the world’s first Global Biomass Index.
As we indicated before, the index will track the price of biomass and related fuels around the world.
The tool is a work in progress and you can expect to see greater functionality with each new version.
Ultimately, however, the index will only succeed if you help us by contributing information from wherever you are!