The Guardian, London, UK — 10 December, 2010 As ministers discuss the technicalities of carbon emissions at the Cancún climate change conference, 1.5 billion people in poorer countries still have no access to electricity. We need to address this injustice While the discussions on strategies to reduce global emissions rage on in Cancún, too many of the world’s poorest people continue to live without adequate access to energy. It’s clear that for people living in poverty, energy access is absolutely essential for a better life. The services provided by energy are needed in so many ways: cooking meals, lighting, refrigeration Continue reading
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VIDEO: A modern take on the “killer in the kitchen.”
No, we’re not referring to Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. From our friends at WorldStove comes this playful video intended to drive home the point about the perils of cooking on three stone fires, which, as we all know, is the only technology available to almost half the world’s population. Factoid: Glenn Close’s Dad was a physician in the Zaire during Mobutu’s reign. He was one of the first Western doctors to encounter the Ebola virus. Continue reading
KENYA: Demand for food and fuel endangers forests
A report by the Kenya Forest Services (KFS) and environmental lobby groups says that most parts of the country are likely to suffer desertification if measures to control indiscriminate cutting of trees are not taken.
“Water volume in at least eight rivers in the North Rift have drastically declined while springs that feed River Kerio and Sosiani River are on the verge of drying up,” said Mr John Chumo of Friends of Nandi Environmentalists, a local lobby group.
Relieving Haiti’s homefuel crisis through ethanol
Most people in the United States, Europe, or Brazil think of ethanol as a heavily subsidized corn- or sugar-based liquid biofuel that is often mixed with gasoline to power so-called “flex-fuel” vehicles.
But for the 3 billion people who depend on wood, charcoal, or animal dung for their household cooking or heating, ethanol means … … Well, ummm, actually, the word “ethanol” probably doesn’t mean all that much.
One plucky non-profit is hoping to change this by making locally and sustainably produced ethanol an attractive homefuel alternative to solid biomass fuels for the world’s 3 billion energy poor
Cancun’s Lost Kittens
The rural poor of the world are the custodians of huge quantities of terrestrial carbon. As an example about 60% of Africa’s carbon is found in the drylands of the continent. These are vast, sparsely vegetated areas mainly inhabited by poor farmers and pastoralists.
For poor farmers and pastoralists, conserving carbon is – of course – not a priority.