Wetlands Day 2021: Human and Nature-Induced Wetland stresses Call for Appropriate and Timely Actions

World Wetlands Day is celebrated on 2 February every year to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet. The 2021 theme: Wetlands and Water, shines a spotlight on wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages actions to restore them and stop their loss. Water and wetlands are connected in an inseparable co-existence that is vital to life, our well-being and the health of our planet.

According to the Global Water Partnership, 'We are facing a growing freshwater crisis that threatens people and our planet. We use more freshwater than nature can replenish, and we are destroying the ecosystem that water and all life depend on most – wetlands'.

Indeed, in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, United Nations member states are urged to “protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, …reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”. Wetland management is therefore essential because of the role it plays as a promoter of conservation and wise use of all wetlands through diverse local approaches and international cooperation to achieve sustainable development throughout the world. This role has long been recognized by the 1971 Ramsar Convention ratified by 170 member states.

The tension between development and the environment (develop first and address sustainability issues
later philosophy) remains rampant despite the global reiteration at the Rio+20 Summit that sustainable development goals require an integrated approach that simultaneously addresses economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability in a balanced way. 

In Uganda, for instance, unknown developers have descended on Kinawataka wetland near Lake Victoria, and are clearing it to pave the way for industrial development. Kinawataka wetland runs along the boundary between Nakawa division (Kampala district) and Kira Town Council (Wakiso district) and it is drained by five rivers. Despite its importance, the wetland could be no more within days if urgent measures are not taken to stop the encroachment.

Furthermore, from mid 2019 into 2020, Lake Victoria experienced rising water levels due the positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) that has resulted in significant flooding impacts on Lake shoreline communities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as downstream communities near Lake Kyoga and Lake Albert. This event has exacerbated the pressure on wetlands - as water recedes, communities whose farmlands and property was submerged, have descended on the wetlands with vengeance, especially after the covid19 lock down that had further limited their livelihood sources.

This combination of human and nature-induced stresses on wetlands in East Africa needs a range of rapid response measures. These include appropriate alternative  and timely options for large populations communities that rely heavily on wetlands; enforcement / upholding of existing laws and policies; and scaling up local innovations to strengthen resilience of adjacent communities and the pristine wetland ecosystems on which they depend (for water, farming, fishing and a range of indirect benefits among others).

 

Time to Promote Electric Cooking in East Africa?

The International Forum for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE East Africa) through its Coordinators (TaTEDO, SusWatch Kenya and Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development) organized a virtual meeting attended by more than 30 participants from East Africa and beyond. Guided by the topic:’ Electric Cooking as a Clean Cooking Option for East Africa: A ‘Silver Bullet’ to Reduce Dependence on Solid Fuels and Associated Indoor Air Pollution or is it Just ‘Chasing the Wind’?, the webinar sought to cross-examine Electric Cooking (eCook) as a viable clean cooking option for East Africa based on viewpoints from practitioners across the region and beyond.

Dr Jon Leary, MECS, Loughborough University- Overview of the Modern Energy Cooking Services MECS Programme in East Africa, while Mr. Estomih N. Sawe Tatedo, Centre for Sustainable Energy Service, shared the Tanzanian experience. Agnes Mwikali Kalyonge,Kisambara Ventures Ltd shared the Kenyan (behavioural change) experience in promoting the use of ecooking, while Gunnar B Olesen, INFORSE / INFORSE-Europe provided view points from a global perspective especially with regards to the importance of eCooking towards achieving the 100% Renewable Energy target.

Dr. Leary noted that eCooking is starting to enter urban East African markets, adding that ‘Many East Africans now have access to electricity but don’t use it for cooking. For example, O% Kenyans primarily cook with electricity, yet 73% are now connected’. He expressed optimism that emerging technologies & business models are likely to make eCooking accessible to many more people in East Africa. He concluded that eCooking is neither a ‘silver bullet’ for tackling biomass cooking in East Africa nor just ‘chasing the wind’. Mr Sawe (TaTEDO) highlighted Government efforts to promote clean cooking, barriers to scaling up clean cooking and policy recommendations for clean cooking in Tanzania especially for the smooth promotion of this innovation.

Agnes Mwikali noted that working in partnership with media (for example Citizen TV), Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) combined with use of social media to encourage the Kenyan public to polish their culinary skills on their favorite dishes, using the eCooking innovation.

Get more information about this Ecooking webinar presentations and discussion from here 

 

Access to Clean Cooking Targets Worse in Sub-Saharan Africa – Global Report

The 2020 edition of Tracking SDG 7 by the custodian agencies — the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the United Nations Statistics Division, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization: monitors and assesses attainments in the global quest for universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy by 2030. 

 

The latest available data and select energy scenarios are set forth in this year’s report, which finds that although the world continues to advance toward SDG 7, its efforts fall well short of the scale required to reach the goal by 2030. According to the Report, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world will have to take exceptional measures to bring the health emergency under control, limit its human toll, and avoid deep recession. Under such circumstances, countries have an opportunity to consider options for economic stimulus that not only respond to the immediate crisis, but also ensure longer-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability. At the heart of such objectives is access to modern energy, with its immense potential to spur the achievement also of other Sustainable Development Goals and global climate objectives.

SDG target 7.1 is on universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy services; with 7.1.2 focusing on access to clean cooking solutions. Recent years have seen rapid growth in access to electricity after an accelerated deployment of affordable electrification options, including on- and off-grid solutions. As a result, the global population lacking access to electricity dropped to 789 million in 2018, from 1.2 billion in 2010. By contrast, the global population without access to clean cooking solutions remained largely unchanged during the same period, standing at close to 3 billion. The rate of increase in access to clean cooking has even decelerated since 2012, falling behind population growth in some countries. 

 

The Report notes that the share of the global population with access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking increased from 56 percent in 2010 to 63 percent in 2018, leaving approximately 2.8 billion people without access. While promising improvements were made in Eastern Asia and South-eastern Asia, and in Central Asia and Southern Asia, but Sub-Saharan Africa moved in the opposite direction, as population growth between 2014 and 2018 outstripped growth in access by an average of 18 million people a year.

The SDG 7 custodian agencies therefore urge the international community and policy-makers to safeguard the gains already attained for SDG 7 and not lose sight of the need to continue action on affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. Furthermore, the agencies highlighted that before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, stepped-up efforts toward all targets were urgently required if SDG 7 was to be met within the coming decade. Therefore, even greater efforts will be needed to meet the SDG 7 targets in a post COVID-19 world

 

Rising Lake Victoria Water Levels: Boon or Bust?

Lake Victoria water level has risen to new heights, breaking the record that was attained 55 years ago. In May 1965, hydrologists measured the water level and established that it was at an average of 1,134.27 meters above the sea level.

However, in March 2020, the level had reached 1,134.47 meters above sea level. As a result, over the last few months, many shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have been submerged.

But environmentalists have warned that in future, the (unpredictable) rise in water levels will intensify the occurrence of floods, this will affect livelihoods and economic activities at the shores of Lake Victoria which are already awash with challenges of pollution, encroachment and destruction of swamps.

In Bunyala sub county (Kenya), at the beginning of March it was reported by The Star Newspaper that a backflow from the lake had resulted in flood victims affecting over 260 families at Musoma and Sidokho in Bunyala South ward. This prompted the Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong to ask for assistance from Government of Kenya for dredging machines to desilt the lake, especially the mouth of River Nzoia.

On the other hand, in Tanzania, The Citizen newspaper reported that farmers, fishermen, transporters and livestock keepers might be rubbing their hands with glee following the rise of Lake Victoria water level, as this will positively impact their economic activities. 

Mr. Gerald Itimbula from the Lake Victoria Basin Water Board (LVBWB) was quoted by The Citizen Newspaper as saying that, ‘From a hydrology point of view, a rise in water levels means enough water for carrying out community projects like farming, livestock keeping, transportation, fishing and industrial activities”. He noted that the increase in water levels may also have some negative effects on people who conduct their income-generating activities close to the lake and thus the warning issued on February 8, 2020 for people living or having businesses close to the lake to relocate.

In Uganda, communities in Kalungu, Masaka, Kalangala, Entebbe, Wakiso and Kampala have been severely affected, as homes (including posh ones) and work places that have been submerged, including hotels (for example the Lake Victoria Serena Hotel - Kigo) and several beach fronts in Entebbe.

Explaining the occurrence, Dr Callist Tindimugaya, the water resources specialist in-charge of Lake Victoria management at the Ministry of Water and Environment was quoted by ChimpReports saying that Lake Victoria is refilling its parts where it had receded from. 

“When it rains, all the rain water from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo comes into Lake Victoria and it does not come in one day. However, he warned that encroachers should expect the water to invade them because it is reclaiming the place where it used to be. Dr Tindimugaya added that the floods could get worse due to the rains and increasing inflows from mainly River Kagera and other rivers that pour water into Lake Victoria. 

While, Dr Ally Matano (Head, Lake Victoria basin Commission) strongly recommends that those people living in lowland vacate to avoid further disasters due to the an unprecedented rise of water levels since October 2019, it is equally important that the East African Community mobilizes all stakeholders and coordinates coherent bottom-up joint actions in the short to long-term in order to mitigate this challenge, that might put more livelihoods at stake than it is now.

IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook: A Blatant Notice to Defer CO2 Emissions by Advancing Renewable Energy options

Today, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has released its first Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050, amidst a global lock down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is no coincidence that among other findings, the Global Renewables Outlook calls for recovery measures following the COVID-19 pandemic to consider flexible power grids, efficiency solutions, electric vehicle charging, energy storage, interconnected hydropower, green hydrogen and other technology investments consistent with long-term energy and climate sustainability.

Overall, the Global Renewables Outlook notes that raising regional and country-level ambitions will be crucial to meet interlinked energy and climate objectives. This is further to the UNEP’s Emissions Gap Report (2019) fossil CO2 emissions from energy use and industry, which dominates total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, grew 2.0 per cent in 2018, reaching a record 37.5 Gigatonnes of CO2 per year. There is no sign of GHG emissions peaking in the next few years. Since every year of postponed peaking means that deeper and faster cuts, acting now rather than tomorrow is urgent.

In 2020, as countries review and update their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), it is paramount that they take candid steps to scale up renewable energy in order to secure less and less emissions as we approach 2030.

According to the IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook Report, the Sub-Saharan Africa region whose average energy consumption per capita (51 GJ/year) is well below global average, holds over half the oil and gas reserves of the African continent.  On the contrary, bioenergy dominates the primary energy mix, accounting for 60% of primary energy demand while the share of energy supply from modern renewables is only about 10%. As a result, a growing numbers of people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lack access to clean cooking options, resulting in substantial degradation of forests and indoor air pollution.

According to UNECA, the lack of energy – traditional or renewable – for health care, agriculture, education, and economic diversification remains a critical barrier to overall growth and prosperity on the continent. In Africa, nearly 600 million people (about half the population) lack access to electricity, with 110 million of these living in urban areas—all within proximity of existing power grids. Failures and inefficiencies in energy transmission infrastructure, combined with high costs of last-mile connections to rural communities and other factors, mean that many Africans are moving off-grid – choosing expensive options like fossil fuel powered generators, and in some instances constructing home and mini-grid solar systems in their communities.

IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook (2020) is therefore an important reminder that while all options are sought for deep and fast GHG emission cuts, advancing renewable energy options is one of the most viable options. In sub-Saharan Africa with the lowest access to electricity in the world (two-thirds of region’s population), this has potential positive spin-off effects in improving lives in key sectors like health, agriculture and employment provision in rural settings.

Globally, advancing renewable-based energy transformation is an opportunity to meet international climate goals as set out in the Paris Agreement (through updating and reviewing NDCs before 2020), and in fulfillment of the UN Global Goals (SDGs)

Are We Serious About Achieving the SDGs? A Statistician’s Perspective | IISD SDG Knowledge Hub

Global SDG monitoring is not yet taken seriously enough by countries, regional and international organizations, and donors. This is one of the main restraints on progress in achieving the SDGs, in addition to institutional, operational, financial and capacity constraints that hamper countries’ ability to report on SDGs. The framework has four times more indicators than we had in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) era, with many indicators being completely new or produced outside of the national statistical system.

Despite the many real constraints in SDG reporting, countries themselves have been slow in their commitment to measuring SDG indicators. Never mind that the global indicator framework was established by a country-led process – many countries still view it as an imposition by international organizations. In a misuse of the “country ownership” mantra, countries are systematically replacing global SDG indicators with different national proxy indicators, making it impossible to have a common benchmark to assess global progress. National indicators that focus on specific problems faced by each country are essential, but they should complement rather than replace the global indicators (as foreseen in paragraph 75 of the UNGA resolution that endorsed the 2030 Agenda).

Regional organizations too haven’t done enough. A proliferation of regional “SDG indicator” frameworks by Eurostat, CARICOM, the African Union and the Pacific Community, among others, tend to compete with, rather than complement, the global SDG indicator framework. Recent efforts by the African Union to harmonize the different monitoring frameworks are a step in the right direction, although much more must be done. 

 

Read the full article from here

World Environment Day 2019: What Can be Done Differently But Consistently to Beat Air Pollution in Uganda?

The 2019 theme for the World Environment Day: Air Pollution raises the profile of a growing environmental challenge across the globe, irrespective of economic status. According to the UN Environment, “understanding the different types of pollution and how it affects our health and environment will help us take steps towards improving the air around us”. Air pollution sources include households, agriculture, industry, transport and waste.

Among others, air pollution has both direct and indirect impact on poverty efforts (SDG 1), through impeding good health and well-being (SDG 3). For example, health experts reveal that as urban air quality declines, the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases, including asthma, increases for the people, who live in them. This in turn weakens energies towards improved quality of education (SDG 4), enhanced gender equality (SDG 5), having in place decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). As a result, this affects efforts towards reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and having in place sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11). Air pollution also frustrates any lifestyle changes towards responsible production and consumption (SDG 12) for the current and future generations.

At the global level, the UN estimates that around 3.8 million premature deaths are caused by indoor pollution each year, with a vast majority of them in the developing world

In Uganda, air pollution at the household level is also related to waste management, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises - SMEs (including informal set ups like Jua Kali) that employ thousands of people. A 2018 report from Kampala Capital City Authority from a pilot study revealed that Kampala’s air quality index measured at Nsambya (a city suburb) by the air pollution monitor on September 5, 2018 at 10 A.M is six times higher 162(𝜇g/m3) than World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines 25(𝜇g/m3). The results of this pilot study are indicative of unhealthy air and suggest that exposure to ambient air in Kampala may increase the burden of environmentally induced cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory diseases including infections.

In addition to Uganda’s huge reliance on biomass-based fuels (to cook, heat and light homes) that have documented indoor pollution impacts like many other developing countries, households and SMES continue to openly burn unsorted waste comprising plastics, organic waste, electronic waste, expired and remains of drugs, paint, medical waste, broken plastic pipes and other chemicals. This mix releases harmful dioxins, furans, and other gases into the atmosphere.

It is also not abnormal to find agro-related SMEs usually operating in close proximity to heavily inhabited settlements, openly and regularly burning rice husks, tree shavings, cattle horns, maize cobs, among others.

For example, the pungent smell which emerges from many abattoirs close to the Kampala City that openly burn cattle horns (normally done in the late evening) persists throughout the night, creating sleepless nights by choking people (link to asthma and other respiratory illnesses) especially the sick, expectant mothers, children and the elderly residing close to them. This is worsened by the hilly nature of Kampala that allows this polluted air to naturally ‘log’ in from valleys to the top, depending on the wind strength and directions.

In some areas, SMEs that process foodstuffs (like maize, sorghum, soya bean); as well as those that mine sand, clay and stones from small to large scale, the budding fine particles are potential causes of respiratory problems and declining water quality.

Uganda’s mute air pollution challenge is the passive smoking in public places like public service vehicles, busy streets, restaurants and other meeting places. According to Tobacco Control Uganda, 38 Ugandans die from tobacco related diseases every day. While Uganda’s The Tobacco Control Act (2015) stipulates that smoking in public places and 50 meters of it is prohibited, only a few success stories in implementing this. As a result, non-smokers are on the receiving end of this, putting their lives in danger. In the meantime, the WHO (2019) reports that in 2017, tobacco killed 3.3 million users and people exposed to second-hand smoke from lung-related conditions. It adds that more than 60,000 children aged under 5 die of lower respiratory infections caused by second-hand smoke. Those who live on into adulthood are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) later in life.

What can be done differently but consistently?

1. Public information on the sources and effects of air pollution needs to be increased especially with respect to the effects of open burning of wastes especially plastics; and smoking in public places
2. In addition to existing national laws, local authorities should enact air quality ordinances and bye-laws to address air pollution across the country
3. Instead of the widespread open burning of the waste, Government needs to partner with private sector to provide incentives that can prop up cleaner production approaches for agro-related industries, mining, and waste management
4. More in-depth research should be carried out to identify personal exposure and pollution sources, and to develop air quality management plans and policies to protect public health and safety.
5. Related to the above, there should be targeted support and strengthening of citizen monitoring of air quality so as to exert accountability from local authorities, SMEs and other industrial establishments
6. Incentivize industry from SMEs to large ones to increase energy efficiency and production from renewable energy sources. This largely untapped potential could improve electricity systems and cooking solutions, both on the demand & supply sides. At the same time, this also has a huge leeway to address the increasing air quality challenges