Mountains in East Africa: the missing Commonwealth dimension
Mountains play a vital ro˘le in the global ecosystem and economy. They are a source of most of the world's fresh water and many mountain regions possess key sites of biodiversity, while forested areas are both economically and ecologically important. While international agencies variously highlight mountain issues, there is virtually no direct involvement of Commonwealth-based activities, despite the fact that the Commonwealth contains some of the world's most significant mountain areas. In the wake of the 2002 International Year of the Mountains, the author draws on 15 years of studies of the East African Mountains to examine the successes and failures of government policies and international interventions.
Water, environment and development in mountain areas and surrounding lowlands
The mountain areas of Africa are scattered throughout the continent and occupy approximately 2,960,997 Km 2 . Mountain areas of Africa have a high diversity in terms of ecological conditions, resource use, physical constraints to resource use, socio-economic characteristics of resources users, biodiversity and biodiversity and scenic beauty. The immediate challenge for sustainable development of mountain areas “is how can we slow the process, reverse the trend and move towards sustainable development in mountain areas”. This paper highlights the environmental and socio-economic importance of mountain areas, the constraints and opportunities and the way forward. Environmental benefits from mountain areas related to climate moderation, mountains as water towers and mountains as biodiversity reserves are discussed. Socio-economic benefits highlighted include settlement, food security, wood and non-wood products, water sources and hydropower, tourism and aesthetic values, cultural and spiritual values and source of livelihood to lowland communities. Threats associated with resource utilization and their causes are identified and the way forward identified.
Climate change, disasters and electricity generation
Abbrevia ons Foreword 1. Introduc on 8 2. The impacts of changing climate pa erns and changing disaster risks on energy 9 op ons and electricity genera on infrastructure 2.1 The rela onship between climate change and disaster risks 10 2.2 The impact of changing climate pa erns and changing disaster risks on electricity 11 genera on from fossil fuels 2.3 The impact of changing climate pa erns and changing disaster risks on electricity 14 from nuclear power 2.4 The impact of changing climate pa erns and changing disaster risks on electricity 17 genera on from renewable energy 2.4.1 Hydropower 17 2.4.2 Wind Energy 19 2.4.3 Bioenergy 22 2.4.4 Solar Energy 24 3. Climate change and changing disaster risks: implica ons for energy policy and 26 planning