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Towards monitoring sustainable use of biomass in Ethiopia and Kenya
Over 80 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africa's rely on biomass for cooking and heating. Much of it, however, is harvested and used unsustainability due to the lack of access to clean, affordable alternatives and the use of inefficient applications (for combustion).
Inconsistency in monitoring and evaluating national bioenergy programmes make it difficult to track the contribution of biomass use to national sustainable development objectives. Gaps in the expertise of national researchers and policymakers, the decentralized nature of biomass and the lack of financial resources for data collection and analysis generate additional barriers.
"While awareness exists concerning bioenergy sustainability and some multi-stakeholder engagement, a clear and established means of measuring the sustainability of bioenergy is yet to be achieved across Africa. A robust understanding among stakeholders of the multiple benefits of sustainable bioenergy is lacking," said Richard Munang, Climate Change coordinator for Africa at UN Environment Programme.
"With the technical support from UN Environment, Ethiopian and Kenyan researchers are now applying sustainability indicators to various biomass pathways, using the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP). These indicators look at the environmental, economic and social implications of biomass use," Munang added.
With its partners, UN Environment is implementing a project designed to support policymakers in Ethiopia and Kenya to develop effective, integrated policies for sustainable bioenergy. It is structured around the use of 24 sustainability indicators. Results from the indicators can then be used to inform the decision-making process. The project focuses on building the capacity of those responsible for bioenergy issues to: identify critical bioenergy pathways; collect data; calculate the indicators and interpret the results, ultimately shaping bioenergy policy to meet sustainability objectives.
In Ethiopia, researchers are examining biogas from organic waste and solid biomass (charcoal and firewood) used in improved cookstoves for cooking and heating.
Tirhas Mebrahtu, the Global Bioenergy Partnership Focal Point, welcomed the Partnership's sustainable indicator report. It is expected to help the country monitor the Climate Resilient Green Economic plan, while bringing benefits to the Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute.
In Kenya, researchers are focusing on agricultural residues used by the tea industry, and charcoal produced from agroforestry resources and used by households.
"Tangible and scientist-based indicators will help us a lot to monitor the bioenergy sector and inform how it contributes to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Big Four Agenda of Kenya—Food security, affordable housing, manufacturing and universal healthcare," said Charles Sunkuli, former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Kenya.
Technical support, provided by UN Environment and its partners, focuses on how to calculate both the greenhouse gas and non-greenhouse gas emissions associated with biomass use in the selected pathway, using a simple model developed specifically for the project. So far, over 15 researchers from national research centres and ministries have benefited from this support.
"As a result, researchers from the Ethiopian Environment and Forest Research Institute, Stockholm Environment Institute for Africa, Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Strathmore University as well as the World Agroforestry Centre have started using the new model," said Kouadio Ngoran, Climate change expert at UN Environment, Africa Office.
7 eating habits that we know are good for us:
1. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits – Some countries are very specific about the number of servings of fruits and vegetables that we should consume daily, for example Greece says six, Costa Rica and Iceland say five. Canada even specifies the colors of vegetables to consume (one dark green and one orange vegetable a day). Serving sizes can vary by country; however, all guidelines recommend eating plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits on a daily basis.
2. Watch your intake of fats– Said in different ways, most guidelines make mention of reducing solid, saturated fats and give recommendations for replacing animal fats with vegetable oils. In Greece, olive oil is recommended, in Viet Nam it is sesame or peanut oil – demonstrating the importance of availability and cultural preference in each country's guidelines.3. Cut back on foods and beverages high in sugar – It is generally agreed upon that processed sugar is harmful to our health. The guidelines in every country recommend to maint…
Humans are a massive minority on Earth. Why don't we act like it?
Most of us, including scientists, are blind to the full scope of the living world. This was illustrated by an informal survey which asked biologists and ecologists from elite universities two questions. In terms of mass, is the living world mostly composed of animals, plants or bacteria? And is there more global biomass on land or in the oceans? The majority of them answered both questions incorrectly.In an age of unparalleled access to information, this is a glaring gap in our knowledge. We are now equipped to close it. I joined colleagues from the Weizmann Institute in Israel and the California Institute of Technology to estimate the biomass of all kingdoms of life on Earth. The results were published in the journal of the American National Academy of Sciences, and were widely (and more digestibly) covered by the popular press.It required years of work, collecting and integrating information from hundreds of previ…
Chart of the day: These countries create most of the world's CO2 emissions
With CO2 levels on the rise, being able to track global emissions is crucial. Image: REUTERS/Regis Duvignau Just two countries, China and the US, are responsible for more than 40% of the world's CO2 emissions. With CO2 levels still on the rise, being able to track the global emissions hotspots is becoming more important than ever. Before the industrial revolution, levels of atmospheric CO2 were around 280 parts per million (ppm). By 2013, that level had breached the 400ppm mark for the first time. On 3 June 2019 it stood at 414.40ppm. Fifteen countries are responsible for more than two thirds of global CO2 emissions. Image: Visual Capitalist There are huge disparities between the world's top 15 CO2 emissions-generating countries. China creates almost double the emissions of second-placed US, which is in turn responsible for more than twice the level of third-placed India.