Fire occurs in most parts of the Miombo woodlands and is used for a variety of purposes, including hunting and farming. However, fires can have significant negative ecological and socio-economic impacts such as a reduced water supply; decline in biodiversity and agriculture production; increased pollution of water sources; and reduced carbon sequestration. Despite years of regulation and attempts to control, there are no apparent solutions to the fire problem in most districts of Tanzania. In fact, fire incidence is believed to be increasing.
An Environmental Information System (EIS) aims to respond to decision-makers’ needs for information on the evolution of the environment, and its impact on people’s lives and the natural resources on which they depend.
Since about 1.5 billion people in the world use traditional stoves for cooking (and heating), efforts to improve the efficiency of cookstoves have been increasingly popular in the developing world. Improved stoves come in different forms and sizes.
Agricultural ecosystems hold large carbon reserves (IPCC, 2001a), mostly in soil organic matter.Historically, these systems have lost more than 50 Pg Carbon, but some of this carbon lost can be recovered through improved management, thereby withdrawing atmospheric CO2 (Paustian et al., 1998; Lal, 1999, 2004a).
Energy poverty is a problem that has a disproportionate effect on women and girls, especially in rural areas. Many women in developing countries have to spend long hours gathering fuel and hauling water, using their own energy to carry heavy loads over long distances. As fuel wood becomes scarce due to over-harvesting, land clearing, or environmental degradation, many women are forced to travel further in search of fuel.
The Amazon forest greatly influences the global climate and may be coming under increasing threat due to climate change. This report explores the relationship between the Amazon, climate, and the changes in this relationship that are underway as a result of forest destruction and the release of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. The paper seeks to interpret the best information available to determine how close we are to a point of no return for a major forest “dieback” in the Amazon, and to identify some steps that might be taken to counter this process.
This paper explores the opportunities available for financial institutions in low-income housing sustainable energy projects in South Africa. It will consider what contribution the financial sector can make, as well as the terms under which it might do so.
