Uganda: When good intentions go bad
Banning timber and charcoal production to protect the country’s remaining tree cover is well intentioned but completely impractical.
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NEWS: Nature Kenya said in a press release on March 14 that forests are rapidly disappearing as a result of charcoal and firewood for salt manufacturing factories at the Coast despite a ban on firewood collection by the National Environment Management Authority and Kenya Forest Service in January.
NEWS: When ending poverty outweighs sustaining environment
“Hundreds of, mainly, men from around the Dzalanyama forest reserve in Malawi have been descending on it, camping deep inside it, felling trees for charcoal burning. Lizinet Josiah, 28, reckons that there are no culprits worse than those from her village.
She also knows that sustaining the forest would bring back the reliable rainfall. But she chooses to stun you, instead.
“As long as the charcoal alleviates our poverty and gives us something with which to buy food, the forest can go,” she says.”
“It’s all because of poverty. We want to have food but we don’t have money to buy the food or fertiliser to boost our food yields. We get something from the charcoal from the forest. We buy food and top up what we get under the farm income subsidy programme. What we get is little and this season was worse.”
NEWS: United States Creates New Climate Change Coalition
We anticipate that this news will have important implications for the clean cookstove and efficient charcoal production industry in the developing world. This item comes to us via EESI. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the formation of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants, a coalition of nations to curb climate change and reduce air pollution by reducing short-lived pollutants. In conjunction with the United Nations Environment Programme, the United States, Bangladesh, Canada, Mexico, Sweden and Ghana are launching a global drive to curb black carbon (soot), methane and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). “We know that in … Continue reading
NEWS: Uganda: Charcoal Boon is a Bust for Forests
According to the Uganda National Environment Management Authority, pressure on land, water, forest and biological resources has dramatically increased to meet the needs of a growing population, leading to a loss of 76 percent of the country’s forest cover.
Geoffrey Oryema, the district leader of Nwoya, said poverty and lack of a meaningful livelihood source were the driving factors for environmental destruction.
“What do you expect somebody in the village without money to pay for his needs such as soap, salt, medicine and food to do?” Oryema said. “People are struggling to find alternatives to survive.”