I am reminded of a story told by Professor Wangari Maathai of a hummingbird trying to save a burning forest with drops of water carried on its beak, as larger animal forests watched. Bewildered at the hummingbird’s clearly futile efforts, the other animals ask the hummingbird what she thought she was doing. Without stopping, the hummingbird says, “I am doing the best I can.”

And this is the way the Professor lived. She called herself a hummingbird, doing the best she could, to viciously protect the environment, to the chagrin of more powerful people in authority who stood by and watched, sometimes calling her a crazy woman.

But Kenya’s hummingbird never lost momentum and was never discouraged — she pushed on and on and on. Some of the larger animals standing by suddenly got very uncomfortable. She was sometimes beaten and tear gassed for standing up for the environment she believed in. But our hummingbird never stopped. Her song got louder and louder, and soon other hummingbirds joined her. Thanks chiefly to her, Kenya’s Karura forests and Uhuru Park still stand.

In 2004, the world celebrated with the her when she became Africa’s first woman Nobel Peace Laureate. Gone were the disdainful references to “that crazy woman.” The world now hailed her, calling her a woman of substance, a woman of peace, a woman whose courage inspired us all.

I had the privilege of meeting and working with Prof. Wangari on a few occasions. The first time I met her was at an assignment in Nairobi’s Westlands area. Wangari was fighting for space for flower and tree vendors to continue their trade. We were soon dispersed by policemen and ordered to leave the area. But not before Wangari had her say, she let them know of the importance of this trade in securing a future for generations to come over the commercial building that the government was proposing to set up.

Ever versatile and down-to-earth, whether it was brushing shoulders with the powers that be on the corridors of Kenya’s State House, or the numerous VIP forums on the world’s stage to the hills of her Ihithe home, Prof. Wangari Maathai was boldly true to her message and consistent in her call to save the world’s forests.

Prof. Wangari began a billion tree planting campaign with the Greenbelt movement she founded in 1977, and it is said that she had planted at least 40 million trees across Africa before her untimely death. This is why, even at the age of 71, many Africans still feel the sting of her death. I could almost equate the sense of loss of Prof. Wangari Maathai to Africa, to that of Princess Diana to the British… gone too soon our hummingbird.

But even as Africa grieves her passing, your song lives in our hearts, your life continues in the trees; as I would say in her native kikuyu language, “huruka Maitu Wangari”—Rest in Peace, mama Wangari.

Opportunity International’s loan officers are going green. They are traveling to loan client locations with the assistance of electric bicycles. If electric cars are the epitome of a culture that is constantly trying to reduce its carbon footprint, then electric bicycles (e-bikes) rank in the same category. That’s why Daryl Skoog, Opportunity International’s SVP of technology, is so enthused about deploying e-bikes to the field.

According to Skoog, “With our rural expansions, we recognized that transportation would become a challenge in getting our loan officers to their customers. We were seeking a low-cost mode of transportation with a target of 5 cents per mile, versus the 50 cents per mile it costs us per officer today. Bicycles are a common mode of transport throughout the world, so finding a way to use bicycles that would transport our loan officers and leave them with energy to do their job all day long led us to this innovation.”

Currently in the pilot phase of implementation, two e-bikes each have been sent to partners in Rwanda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, India and Malawi. Kenya and Uganda are also set to receive e-bikes soon. The purpose of the pilot phase is to obtain feedback from the users as to how well they are working, get an idea of how reliable they are, and how much maintenance will be required. In the future, regional maintenance contracts may be established with local businesses which will also help stimulate growth in local economies.

In addition to the 350 watt, rear hub-based electric motor, the rider can pedal the e-bike like a regular bicycle, or use a combination of both to go even faster. Using the electric motor alone, the e-bike is capable of attaining speeds of up to 18 mph (29 km/h), but with pedal-assist, it can go as fast as 30-35 mph (48-56 km/h). Depending on the hilliness of the terrain, the battery has a range of 15-18 miles (24-29 kilometers), and charging takes 3-6 hours.

The initial feedback coming from users has been overwhelmingly positive. Skoog states, “Early comments coming back are telling us that hills are a lot easier to climb with the e-bike. Just like with that special head-turning automobile, an e-bike also turns heads. People notice that you are not riding just an ordinary bike, but something special, and when you can go uphill almost as easily as on flat ground, it gets their attention.”

Hopefully, many more loan officers will soon be turning heads as the e-bikes work their way into the mainstream of tools that help them accomplish their jobs more effectively and efficiently.

- John Larson, MIS division of Opportunity International

For the first time in history, Africa held its first All Africa Energy Week in Maputo, Mozambique last week. The African Union, the African Development Bank and the United Economic Commission for Africa joined forces to launch the conference, which focused on clean energy for sustainable development.

The fact that this event even happened shows tremendous progress. Electricity poverty is a huge problem in Africa, despite the fact that the continent has huge reserves of cheap fuels like coal and natural gas. Almost two-thirds of Africans do not have access to electricity, an unfortunate circumstance that impedes economic growth, slows down businesses and productivity and keeps the cycle of extreme poverty going ’round and ’round.

The solution? Amp up efforts to create a low-carbon infrastructure and encourage public-private partnerships to tap into Africa’s energy potential. Think strategically, using energy policy and regulations to help bridge the gap in the energy infrastructure. Consider biofuels, solar energy and hydropower.

Having a regular and affordable source of electricity can increase wealth and boost productivity. And investing a strong energy infrastructure can create jobs and attract investments. Either way, Africa’s energy sector is a priority and can help eradicate poverty for millions of Africans. In fact, it’s such a priority that it has made its way onto the agenda of this year’s G20 Summit in Seoul for the first time.

Concentrating on Africa’s energy sector is the right step in the right direction, and it’s great to see that African organizations are working to coordinate their efforts while staying environmentally conscious. Learn more about All Africa Energy Week on their website.

Reuters reports:

The scientists also found that the lake saw its biggest warm-up in the 20th century.

This unprecedented warm water could interfere with the lake’s unique ecosystem, which relies on nutrients churned up from the bottom of the lake to feed the algae that form the base of the lake’s food web. As Lake Tanganyika heats up, the mixing of waters is lessened and fewer nutrients get to the top level where algae and fish feed. More warming at the surface magnifies the difference between the two lake levels and even more wind is needed to churn the waters enough to get nutrients to the upper layer.

Some researchers believe declining fish stocks in Lake Tanganyika are due mainly to overfishing. However, climate change models show a general warming trend in the region, which would cause even greater warming of Lake Tanganyika’s surface. But in a statement from the U.S. National Science Foundation, which helped fund the research, scientists said that warming of the lake is making the decline in fish stocks worse, even if that is not the cause.

The glacier is located at an altitude of 5,109m (16,763ft) in the Rwenzori mountain range, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The authorities say a crevasse has blocked access to the Margherita summit – the third-highest peak in Africa, and a popular destination with climbers.

Scientists say glaciers in the Rwenzori range could disappear within 20 years.

UWA officials said a team had been sent to the mountain to assess the extent of damage on the route to Margherita.

According to researchers, the ice cap covered 6 sq km (2 sq miles) 50 years ago. It is now less than 1 sq km.

He writes:

The visit to Senegal provided me an opportunity to discuss this issue with policymakers in the national and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, academics who are studying the phenomenon, and leaders of local communities that have been affected by displacements. The team was also able to examine first-hand the impact of environmental and climate changes at very local levels, including among fishing, herding and agricultural communities. For example, we met with the leaders of a fishing community in Camberene (near Dakar), which has experienced both an inflow and outflow of migrants.

The local imam opened the meeting with a prayer and told us the story of the founding of the community by a religious man — a history that continues to influence the community’s generally welcoming attitude toward incoming migrants, including those leaving farming communities in northern Senegal because of desertification. The community members lamented the loss of their beaches to coastal erosion, the rising sea water temperatures, and the slow decline of fishing as a sustainable livelihood. Some of the women said that it is good for young men to migrate abroad, but others lamented that migration isn’t a long-term solution for the community and that the financial crisis has taught them that they cannot always count on remittances.

We also met with a community in Lebar Boye in northern Senegal where the land has become too salinated to farm because of the decreased amount of fresh water, accentuated by a dam that was built to prevent flooding. As a result, most of their children were now working in urban centers. Some farming continued in the Senegal River Valley despite the drought conditions because of a government-funded irrigation system. At one of the farms, we met two young men from Guinea Bissau who travel north to work during the dry season and then head back to Guinea Bissau during their community’s farming season. Climate change and the consequences are not bound by national boundaries.

Full piece here.

Worth a read when you have a minute:

In most developing countries and most least-developed countries, women often have lower social statuses and have lower accessibility to social/political affairs participation than do men. The same is true in the context of international climate change negotiations, where women’s efforts are often downplayed, and women’s opinions are underweighted. Attention on international climate change negotiations and their agendas is not focused on climate-vulnerable women in the developing world. To reach gender equality and gender justice in terms of climate change issues, the harmonious role many women play in managing natural resources with minimal ecological footprint needs to be recognized and valued more. In order to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts, it is critical for the international community, through women empowerment, to involve women’s participation and reinforce women’s capabilities in the face of climate change disasters.

The report states that if finance for climate change adaptation were to come from existing and promised aid flows it would necessarily result in a money being taken away from health and education, and reallocated to sectors such as agriculture, coastal defence and water.

While sub-Saharan Africa receives 38% of global aid, the World Bank estimates that their share of adaptation needs is 22% – in part because there is less expensive existing infrastructure to protect. ODI conclude that “It is crucial to underline the importance of additionality of climate finance to aid. If this is not explicitly stated and implemented, the possibility of aid diversion allocated according to adaptation needs is likely to lead to the neglect of aid to Africa.”

The findings come just days after Bill Gates warned in his annual letter that health funding could be cut if the $100bn target set at Copenhagen took money out of other development priorities. “If just 1% of the $100bn goal came from vaccine funding, then 700,000 more children could die from preventable diseases” he wrote. If countries do not avoid this type of dangerous double counting, the already off track Millennium Development Goals will be dealt another heavy blow.

The millions of people around the world who took action in the run-up to Copenhagen, including tens of thousands of ONE members, will now be needed more than ever as we attempt to make sure that vital work on climate does not come at the expense of the world’s poorest people.

Read the report ‘Climate financing and Development – Friends or foes?’

Update: The Financial Times today published a letter from ONE’s co-founder and Executive Director Jamie Drummond on this important issue. Read the letter here.

I share the growing concern caused by economic and political resistance to combating the degradation of the environment…I would like to stress again that the protection of creation calls for an appropriate management of the natural resources of different countries and, in the first place, of those which are economically disadvantaged. I think of the continent of Africa, which I had the joy of visiting last March during my journey to Cameroon and Angola…The Synod Fathers pointed with concern to the erosion and desertification of large tracts of arable land as a result of overexploitation and environmental pollution. In Africa, as elsewhere, there is a need to make political and economic decisions which ensure forms of agricultural and industrial production capable of respecting creation and satisfying the primary needs of all.

The Pope also noted that the environment and national security were closely linked:

How can we forget, for that matter, that the struggle for access to natural resources is one of the causes of a number of conflicts, not least in Africa, as well as a continuing threat elsewhere? For this reason too, I forcefully repeat that to cultivate peace, one must protect creation.

Pope Benedict has been dubbed the ”green pope” for his increasingly vocal concern about the need to protect the environment. Under his watch, the Vatican has installed solar panels and joined a reforestation project in Europe. To read the Pope’s entire speech, click here.

Late last night an agreement was brokered by the US, China, South Africa, India and Brazil. This included $10bn a year in so called ‘fast track’ financing for the next 3 years and $100bn a year by 2020 for poor countries to cope with climate change. But currently these sums will largely be subtracted from promised resources to help these same countries fight poverty.

ONE has been campaigning hard against this dangerous double counting, which undermines both sustainable international development and a good global deal on climate change. Last week we handed over a petition from more than 80,000 ONE members to the Danish government, as chair of the summit, and the US delegation. We called on them to ensure that new funding is additional to existing and promised aid flows and that development promises are kept in full.

Here’s what ONE’s Executive Director Jamie Drummond had to say on the agreement that was reached last night:

“Climate change is putting additional stress on poor countries – which is why they need additional funds to cope with it – on top of existing and promised aid levels.

Promises of aid made by the G8 in Gleneagles in 2005 must not be lost in Copenhagen. Without a clear commitment that these climate funds are additional, the dollar amounts are next to meaningless.

This debate over ‘additionality’ might seem arcane, but within the details lie billions of dollars – and very real impacts on millions of lives. Without this additionality, Copenhagen adds up to nothing.

It is not clear how a cap on 2 degrees will be achieved, but it is very clear that much more can and must be done, including harnessing the potential of African and other developing countries to be renewable energy hubs and help capture carbon through growing trees.”

ONE supports the African proposal for an interim target of US$50bn by 2015 on top of existing and promised aid to help the poorest countries – many of them in Africa – with pressing adaptation needs. The “Copenhagen Accord” mentions a High Level Panel to assess how alternative sources of funding can contribute to raising genuinely additional funds.

This urgent High Level Task Force should be convened immediately to look into alternative sources of climate finance to complement additional public funding from rich countries. These sources could include: revenue from aviation and shipping, international auctioning of emissions allowances, a financial transactions tax and the proposal to use the IMF’s own currency, known as Special Drawing Rights. The need for accountability and transparency for these new funds is also paramount.

With the agreement in Copenhagen weaker than we hoped, we now know we have much more work ahead of us.