NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - This year’s World Environment Day (WED) comes when the ogre of corruption, threatening to tear apart the fabric of our society is dominating the national debate in Kenya.

The World Environmental day celebrated on the 5th of June every year, seeks to raise consciousness and rally people across the world on the importance of a clean environment.

Thousands of activities, including tree planting, clean-ups, workshops, conferences and rallies are held, depending on the context in various parts of the globe.

The theme of this year’s WED, is “Beat plastics pollution”, and is being hosted by India. This year, we focus on the environmental challenges we face due to the piles of plastics produced and dumped on land and sea every hour, and their adverse effects on the beauty of the earth and the oceans. The global focus on this theme brings the issue of policy making and intervention to the centre-stage, with a view to “doing something” to arrest the problem.

Thousands of trees will be planted during this day, while tons of plastics will be collected and piled at some safer place away from people and water. The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) will join several partners, led by the City County of Nairobi, to plant trees at Kikuyu Springs, one of the main sources of the water we drink in the city, which is threatened by encroachment by private developers, illicit tree poachers and degradation.

Planting trees and collecting garbage in front of cameras, as many leaders have done during this rainy season, is one commendable thing. And tending those trees to maturity and stopping garbage gettingpile-up should be a process rather than an event. These symbolic gestures by the top leadership should be followed by a more sustainable effort to harvest this goodwill by institutions entrusted to guard our environmental with preservation and protection.

But due to the runaway corruption which has passed the red line, any effort to reverse the damage visited upon the environment will likely be futile. Indeed, the report of the taskforce appointed by Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary KeriakoTobiko exposed the rot in the Forestry department and recommended drastic action against forest officials who have plundered this important national resource. One of the chilling revelations of the report is the fact that a whooping two billion shillings earmarked for a school forestry programme, was misappropriated. This is in addition to thousands of tons of trees which were felled by unscrupulous merchants in collusion with people who were entrusted with the responsibility to keep watch over our forests across the country.

It will therefore be a pointless attempt and narrow way of seeing things if we plant trees without minding whether the land on which we are planting will be a target by marauding land grabbers and speculators. It will also be waste of resources and valuable time if we collect all that garbage just for the camera, and when we go back home, we are the first to throw away that kitchen left-overs and bottles without thinking about their immediate impact on their destinations – land and ocean.

Tackling corruption of any magnitude calls for consciousness beginning from the individual level and our individual actions on the environment, as it should start with “me”. And that is how we should tackle corruption. If we resist that bribe, small or big, to stop the marauding land-grabber, we will see our trees growing.
 

The war on corruption cannot be won by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) and allied Agencies if individual citizens remain indifferent. Whether in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, or the entire system of the government, the dragon of corruption will only be slayed if all people, the poor and the rich, the powerful and the powerless, the haves and have-nots, accept and join hands in all the spaces of work, whether in public places and or in private homes.

Transparency and Accountability are key provisions of the Paris Agreement, the global Pact to combat climate change, which poses the biggest threat to the survival of humanity and health of the planet. Plastics, which are also known as polymers, are produced by the conversion of natural products or by synthesis from primary chemicals generally coming from oil, natural gas, or coal. Science tells us that the fossil fuel-based energy sources such as oil and coal, as well as land-use and land-use change, are the main causes of climate change.

As we seek to fight one time plastics, as per the theme of this year’s WED, we are contributing to the goal of the UN Climate Change Convention and the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit greenhouse gases which are the primary causes of climate change. The Paris Agreement, to which Kenya is a signatory, envisions the challenge corruption, lack of accountability and transparency would have in the achievement of its overall goal, and particularly when implementing policies and mitigation and adaptation actions.

All climate response programmes supported by Donors, such as the forest management supported by the World Bank and which is supposed to be implemented by UNDP and the State Department of Environment, require high degree of transparency and accountability.  In addition, it goes without saying that respect for the rights of forest communities like the Sengwer of ElgeyoMarakwet County should be upheld at all times. This will removes any barriers to project implementations to such noble ideas as the Shs.360 Million Programme, whose commencement has been delayed due to various issues, including disagreements with indigenous communities.

Many opportunities abound as the country readies itself for the implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a set of actions under its Paris Agreement obligation. This will however be derailed by the nauseating reports from corruption, not only from the department of Forestry, but also other Agencies of the Government, the most blatant being the National Youth Service, as well as the National Cereals and Produce Board. The dragon of corruption should not be let to eat the yoke of future generations, nor should it be let to cannibalize the very sources of livelihood of the people of this great nation.

The writer is the Executive Director, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (www.pacja.org)

NAIROBI, Kenya (PAMACC News) - This year’s World Environment Day (WED) comes when the ogre of corruption, threatening to tear apart the fabric of our society is dominating the national debate in Kenya.

The World Environmental day celebrated on the 5th of June every year, seeks to raise consciousness and rally people across the world on the importance of a clean environment.

Thousands of activities, including tree planting, clean-ups, workshops, conferences and rallies are held, depending on the context in various parts of the globe.

The theme of this year’s WED, is “Beat plastics pollution”, and is being hosted by India. This year, we focus on the environmental challenges we face due to the piles of plastics produced and dumped on land and sea every hour, and their adverse effects on the beauty of the earth and the oceans. The global focus on this theme brings the issue of policy making and intervention to the centre-stage, with a view to “doing something” to arrest the problem.

Thousands of trees will be planted during this day, while tons of plastics will be collected and piled at some safer place away from people and water. The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) will join several partners, led by the City County of Nairobi, to plant trees at Kikuyu Springs, one of the main sources of the water we drink in the city, which is threatened by encroachment by private developers, illicit tree poachers and degradation.

Planting trees and collecting garbage in front of cameras, as many leaders have done during this rainy season, is one commendable thing. And tending those trees to maturity and stopping garbage gettingpile-up should be a process rather than an event. These symbolic gestures by the top leadership should be followed by a more sustainable effort to harvest this goodwill by institutions entrusted to guard our environmental with preservation and protection.

But due to the runaway corruption which has passed the red line, any effort to reverse the damage visited upon the environment will likely be futile. Indeed, the report of the taskforce appointed by Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary KeriakoTobiko exposed the rot in the Forestry department and recommended drastic action against forest officials who have plundered this important national resource. One of the chilling revelations of the report is the fact that a whooping two billion shillings earmarked for a school forestry programme, was misappropriated. This is in addition to thousands of tons of trees which were felled by unscrupulous merchants in collusion with people who were entrusted with the responsibility to keep watch over our forests across the country.

It will therefore be a pointless attempt and narrow way of seeing things if we plant trees without minding whether the land on which we are planting will be a target by marauding land grabbers and speculators. It will also be waste of resources and valuable time if we collect all that garbage just for the camera, and when we go back home, we are the first to throw away that kitchen left-overs and bottles without thinking about their immediate impact on their destinations – land and ocean.

Tackling corruption of any magnitude calls for consciousness beginning from the individual level and our individual actions on the environment, as it should start with “me”. And that is how we should tackle corruption. If we resist that bribe, small or big, to stop the marauding land-grabber, we will see our trees growing.
 

The war on corruption cannot be won by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) and allied Agencies if individual citizens remain indifferent. Whether in the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, or the entire system of the government, the dragon of corruption will only be slayed if all people, the poor and the rich, the powerful and the powerless, the haves and have-nots, accept and join hands in all the spaces of work, whether in public places and or in private homes.

Transparency and Accountability are key provisions of the Paris Agreement, the global Pact to combat climate change, which poses the biggest threat to the survival of humanity and health of the planet. Plastics, which are also known as polymers, are produced by the conversion of natural products or by synthesis from primary chemicals generally coming from oil, natural gas, or coal. Science tells us that the fossil fuel-based energy sources such as oil and coal, as well as land-use and land-use change, are the main causes of climate change.

As we seek to fight one time plastics, as per the theme of this year’s WED, we are contributing to the goal of the UN Climate Change Convention and the Paris Agreement, which seeks to limit greenhouse gases which are the primary causes of climate change. The Paris Agreement, to which Kenya is a signatory, envisions the challenge corruption, lack of accountability and transparency would have in the achievement of its overall goal, and particularly when implementing policies and mitigation and adaptation actions.

All climate response programmes supported by Donors, such as the forest management supported by the World Bank and which is supposed to be implemented by UNDP and the State Department of Environment, require high degree of transparency and accountability.  In addition, it goes without saying that respect for the rights of forest communities like the Sengwer of ElgeyoMarakwet County should be upheld at all times. This will removes any barriers to project implementations to such noble ideas as the Shs.360 Million Programme, whose commencement has been delayed due to various issues, including disagreements with indigenous communities.

Many opportunities abound as the country readies itself for the implementation of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a set of actions under its Paris Agreement obligation. This will however be derailed by the nauseating reports from corruption, not only from the department of Forestry, but also other Agencies of the Government, the most blatant being the National Youth Service, as well as the National Cereals and Produce Board. The dragon of corruption should not be let to eat the yoke of future generations, nor should it be let to cannibalize the very sources of livelihood of the people of this great nation.

The writer is the Executive Director, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (www.pacja.org)

Bénin (PAMACC News) - Fita et kokohou sont deux villages  du Bénin. Le premier est de la commune de Dassa, au centre du Bénin et l’autre, est une localité de la commune de Djougou dans le Nord du Bénin. Deux hameaux dont la vie des habitants a changé depuis quelques jours avec l’arrivée de l’électricité. Il s’agit de la mise en service de deuxmini-centrales solaires photovoltaïques résilientesqui alimentent kiosques et lampadaires solaires. Une solution alternative à la lutte contre les effets du climat.

« Même dans mes rêves, je n’ai jamais imaginé voir un jour de mes propres yeux l’électricité dans mon village »disait un habitant de Fita, village de la commune de Dassa, situé à 15 kilomètres du centre-ville. « Ici, on était habitué à l’obscurité. Ce qui fait que le soir venu tout le monde se terre chez lui ». Et pourtant, ce n’est plus un rêve. L’électricité est belle et bien à Fita, depuis quelques jours, même si c’est une énergie hors-réseau. C’est d’ailleurs pour ça, que l’intéressé  a passé de longues minutes à remercier non seulement ceux qui ont permis l’installation de cette mini-centrale mais aussi le ciel pour lui avoir offert de son vivant ce beau cadeau. Et pourtant, le cadeau dont il parle n’est pas du tout tombé du ciel. Il a fallu le Programme des Nations-Unies pour le Développement (PNUD) et le Fonds pour l’Environnement Mondial à travers le Projet de renforcement de la résilience du secteur de l’énergie aux impacts des changements climatiques au Bénin (PANA Energie) pour que l’électricité à Fita soit une réalité.Sa majesté, le roi de FitaGbèdozanKinmafli, sous l’autorité de laquelle est placée la cérémonie officielle de mise en service de la mini-centrale, a eu des mots très aimables à l’endroit du gouvernement pour avoir pensé à sa région. « L’arrivéede l’électricité va régler un problème fondamental, a indiqué le roi. Les élèves n’auront plus à étudier sous les lampions, les lanternes et les torches, forcément, ils auront de meilleurs résultats ». Il s’agit là, a fait remarquer le maire de la commune de Dassa, Nicaise Fagnon,  « de la territorialisation de l’un des projets phares du gouvernement, celui d’améliorer les conditions de vie des populations ».

Mise en service des lampadaires solaires résilients

C’est au Ministre de l’énergie, Dona Jean-Claude, qu’il est revenu l’honneur d’allumer le premier lampadaire résilient. « Lalumière, c’est la vie, a-t-il souligné en s’adressant à la population enthousiaste. « Ce gouvernement vous doit et va vous donner plus, pour que vous soyez heureux, a-t-il ajouté ». Contrairement aux lampadaires solaires classiques, ceux de Fita sont des lampadaires solaires à éclairage puissant, constant puis dégressif, tout intégré, conçu de façon compact. Il jouit d’une durée minimum de six heures et une autonomie de trois jours. La plupart des lampadaires sont disposés dans des endroits stratégiques de façon à offrir à tout le village un éclairagepublic. C’est donc un système beaucoup plus amélioré qui n'a besoin que d’une faible quantité de rayons solaires pour produire une grande quantité d’éclairage.Il n’est pas unidirectionnel. Il est multifonctionnel à triple éclairage qui permet, en fonction de la densité de l’obscurité dans laquelle se trouve les populations de déployer la quantité d’éclairage nécessaire.

Les kiosques  solaires, l’autre innovation

D’après un diagnostic, réalisé par le projet PANA Energie, fait observer Marcel Toni, expert en énergie renouvelable, « les populations béninoises en général et celles des deux villages en particulier, dépensent en moyenne milles francs CFA  par jour et par famille dans les formes d’énergie traditionnelles pour répondre aux besoins d’éclairage ». Il s’agit des piles, du pétrole et des bougies.La mini-centrale photovoltaïque résiliente permet, donc,  aux populations de faire des économies. Elle offre quatre services énergétiques. Une session électrique de recharge d’appareils de faible puissance à base d’énergie solaire, au moins cent portables peuvent être chargés. Elle comporte aussi, une autre session pour la recharge de 200 lampes à diode électroluminescente et puis de deux postes, l’un destiné à la congélation pour la commercialisation des produits frais et l’autre pourle matériel audio-visuel. Désormais les populations peuvent suivre les programmes d'information et de divertissement à la télévision, en particulier ceux qui ont trait aux changements climatiques.

Kiosque solaire : Un modèle propre à PANA Energie

C’est le lieu de rappeler que ces mini-centrales, sont les toutes premières en Afrique,conçues selon des spécificités dictées au fabriquant. Sa particularité réside dans le fait, qu’elles peuvent être déplacées sans dommages en cas de sinistre et tout le matériel récupéré pour être déployé sur un autre site. Les zones d’installation étant des zones inondables ou susceptibles d’être inondées, cette précaution a été prise pour éviter la destruction du matériel après une inondation.Le Ministre d’Etat Chargé du Plan, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, qui a mis en service la mini-centrale de Kokohou, était accompagné du Représentant Résident des Nations-Unies au Bénin Siaka Coulibaly et de la Directrice de Cabinet du Ministre du Cadre de vie et du Développement Durable. Aux notables, têtes couronnées, sages et populations sortis nombreux pour la circonstance, le Ministre d’Etat, a fait savoir que lorsque l’énergie arrive dans un milieu, c’est toute une vie sociétale qui s’organise autour. Il les a invités à en faire un bon usage. L’arrivée des mini-centrales solaires au Bénin, est sans nul doute un pas important vers l’utilisation  des énergies propres par les communautés et moins de pression sur les ressources naturelles. C’est aussi un gain en matière de lutte contre les effets du climat.

The Federal Government of Nigeria and the Tropical Wood Exporters Association of Nigeria, TWEAN, have commenced moves to stop the export of processed and semi-processed woods.

Disclosing this yesterday, the Secretary-General of TWEAN, Mr. Joseph Odiase said that the decision to stop the export of these categories of woods was initiated by the group and supported by the Forestry Department of the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Odiase also disclosed that a three-year moratorium has also been given to wood exporters to prepare for eventual ban of the export of primary semi-processed wood from Nigeria.

The group’s scribe explained that the idea behind the move to stop primary semi-processed wood export is to ensure more value-adding measures were added to these wood products before they are exported.

He further explained that the decision was taken by a Ministerial Committee on deforestation, afforestation and re-afforestation set up by the ministry of environment adding that the Committee decided on the matter in 2016.

Odiase also said that by the time the ban on wood export comes into effect, more job opportunities would have been created in the wood industry.

“The policy was initiated by the TWEAN because we want to do business in line with sustainable environmental and economic policies of the government of the Republic of Nigeria.

“We want to do business in line with the well-being of the nation’s economy and the Nigerian people.
“If we continue to export primary semi-processed and semi-processed woods, we will continue to miss the value that comes with fully processed woods.

He also added that wood exports have become revenue contributors and generators to the Government for afforestation drive. This development is in addition to the direct contribution of members of TWEAN/PROPMAN for tree planting across the federation.

“TWEAN has asked the government to allow for a three-year moratorium to let exporters key into the initiative by way of bringing in more wood processing equipment and machinery for wood industry, enhance the confidence of foreign investors and promote the transfer of technology.

The department of forestry of the ministry of environment has introduced a quota system thereby checking the volume of exports and controlling the activities of exporters. He also told Vanguard that more wood factories have set up across the country adding that only fully processed and fully finished wood products will be allowed for export from the beginning of the year 2020.

Confirming the development, Mr. Audu Ochuma, a Deputy Comptroller of Customs in charge of export at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos also disclosed that the agency had received a directive to stop the exportation of primary semi-processed woods early 2020