The World Bank, the biggest provider of public finance to developing countries is not gambling on our future! It has just earmarked 28% of its 2016 budget for projects that  mitigate climate change, according to a statement released on Thursday. All of its future spending will take global warming into account, and all projects considered for WBG funding, including health and education, will now be screened for climate change resiliency. Refocusing investment towards green initiatives represents a significant adjustment to its overarching mandate to reduce global poverty.

John Roome, World Bank senior director for climate change, said in a statement, “This is a fundamental shift for the World Bank. We are putting climate change into our DNA.”

Climate related disasters such as food insecurity and drought could to push another 100 million people into poverty within the next 15 years.

Last December, the Paris Conference of Parties (aka COP 21), agreed that wealthy nations would fund developing countries involved in the pact with $100 billion USD per year by 2020. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change website states that funding could come from bilateral or multilateral, public or private sources, including creative financing (such as France’s contribution to the financial transaction tax). Public financing was equally flexible, and could take the form of multilateral funds such as the Green Climate Fund; regional institutions such as the World Bank; and government contributions.

“Following the Paris climate agreement, we must now take bold action to protect our planet for future generations,” said Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group (WBG) president. “We are moving urgently to help countries make major transitions to increase sources of renewable energy, decrease high-carbon energy sources, develop green transport systems and build sustainable, livable cities for growing urban populations. Developing countries want our help to implement their national climate plans, and we’ll do all we can to help them.”

Beginning immediately, WBG will give at least $16 billion USD annually to be spent on a portfolio of climate change projects including renewable energy development to power 150 million homes; construction of early warning systems for climate-related disasters – think extreme storms and floods – for 100 million people; “smart” agriculture systems, which use less water and energy and keep soil fertility; development of transport and urban infrastructure that produce less carbon. It also aims to mobilize an extra $13 billion from private sector contributions by 2020.

More than 1 billion people still live in destitution. At the same time, inequality is rising in many developing nations. The World Bank works to galvanize international and national support around two goals: to almost end extreme poverty in a generation and to push for greater equity. Welcome them now to the fight against climate change.

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New portable, and affordable, solar powered devices are now becoming more available to millions of people who live in areas where established electrical grids are not available.

A recent article on Mashable, the technology web news site, reports on 11 ingenious solar devices that are having a positive impact on the developing world. These devices range from simple solar stills to create fresh drinking water from dirty or saline water sources, to portable lighting for homes and power sources to run or recharge electronic devices, including cell phones. These are solutions that developing nations can afford now and many of them have been covered here on Green Prophet.

Many people in the developing world do not have proper lighting in their homes, which causes problems for school children needing to study at night. Inadequate lighting is also a serious issue for medical field workers, including midwives, who need adequate lighting to treat their patients.

Solar powered lighting devices such as one called d.light S20  can provide up to 8 hours of light after being charged by solar cells (see photo below)

Another solar powered device of interest is an irrigation called SunWater which provides crop irrigation to poor farmers by using solar powered pressurization of water flowing from nearby water sources.

This device, using easily erected solar panels and piping, can help millions of farmers whose fields do not have easy access to available water sources.

Although some of these devices, like an artificial, self-healing hydrogen producing leaf are still in the innovation stage, other new solar devices are now ready to be marketed to the masses who really need them in the developing world.

More articles on solar powered devices for the developing world:

WakaWaka’s Solar for Syria gives refugees energy and light (video)

iLAND’sSolar Packs for Peace-keepers, Festivals, Eco-jocks and Alpha Wolves Who Travel with theSun 

Jumpstarting Solar Power in the MENA Region

Barefoot College Bedouin Women Bring Solar Power to Jordan

Photo of Eliodomestico Solar Still by designer Gabrile Diamante

The post Practical Solar Powered Innovations for Developing Countries appeared first on Green Prophet.

Visiting Ethiopia after a thirty year absence, Geshaw Tahir an Ethiopian-born Muslim was struck by one thing. The green landscapes and trees that once surrounded his home had all but disappeared and were replaced with dry fields, eroded and ruined after years of deforestation.

Mountain rivers had dried up, temperatures were rising, malaria was spreading and untold destruction had been done to the environment.

Tahir was so shocked by this sight that he vowed to take action.

He went on to found the ‘Greenland Development Foundation Project‘ and used his own modest income to hire young people to plant over a million trees in Ethiopia. As well as impressing locals, he caught the eye of the UN who named him UN Green National Hero and also invited him to speak at the UN Climate Change Convention in Cancun this month about the impacts of climate change in Africa.

Supporting Locals and Ecological Sustainability

From the very beginning Tahir realised the importance of sustainability and wanted to make sure that his tree-planting project not only protected the environment but also supported the local community. “My motto is making Africa green again, not only by just planting trees, but by planting fruit trees that will sustain, that will make a difference in people’s lives,” Tahir says. Starting with 450 young workers to plant a two-acre plot, the project grew and acquired more land and workers.

According to the video by America.gov on project, Tahir was granted permission to plant on 11,000 acres of land by the Ethiopian government and is planning to hire 1,000 workers. Women are also actively involved and plant corn, carrots, fruit trees and other vegetables to feed themselves and also to generate income by selling on any surplus food. Tahir explains that as well as providing shade and limiting erosion, planting food-bearing trees means that people are less likely to cut the trees for firewood. An agricultural research centre has also been established to educate farmers about modern farming techniques and the benefits of tree-planting for the entire community.

Taking The Green Message To The UN

The project was also an opportunity to promote religious tolerance between Ethiopia’s Christian and Muslim population. As well as hiring both Muslim and Christian workers, Tahir sought the approval of both communities. “I am a Muslim, (but) when I went to Ethiopia I went to churches and shared my plan,” he says. “The majority of people living in rural areas are Christian. I put the young Muslim and Christian kids together, and they started working together.”

Now, Tahir is taking his message to the UN in the hope of influencing world leaders to take more meaningful action to tackle climate change and warning of the dangers of deforestation. His simple and grassroots message is powerful one, which reminds people that there are practical things we can all do to tackle climate change.

::Image via america.gov on Flickr

For More Inspirational Green Muslims see:

Green Deen Ibrahim Abdul-Matin Connects Environmentalism With Islam

Interview with Naqa’a: Saudi Women Fighting For The Environment

From Rockstars to Recycling: Interview with Kristiane Backer – An Eco-Muslimah

The post One Muslim’s Mission To Make Africa Green Again appeared first on Green Prophet.

Last week’s UN Development Summit in New York kicked up significant MDG dust. What the Millennium Development Goals – adopted by 188 countries in September 2010 – represent, and whether or not we have any hope of achieving them has become all the more pressing as 2015 rolls closer. Designed to improve the quality of life by addressing issues related to education, the environment, health, and poverty, the MDGs are being adopted with varying degrees of efficacy throughout the developing world.

With over 80 million people relying on the Nile’s historic generosity, Egypt in particular has a poor environmental record that must be improved in order to meet the 2015 goals. In other respects, Egypt has shown encouraging signs of progress. “Sailing the Nile for the Millennium Development Goals” is just one project that is helping to implant MDGs in the consciousness of the Egyptian children, and they are starting with the children. 

What children see

Initiated in 2006, Sailing the Nile operates in nine Egyptian governorates in order to promote volunteerism and call attention to MDGs.

In 2008, Sailing the Nile received support from a variety of organizations including the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM), the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the Youth Association for Population and Development, Mansour Group, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Plan International, the National committee on Viral Hepatitis, Egypt Express, Kwik Kopy, and the UN family.

In 2009, children from Cairo’s Mokattam and Istabal Antar districts were given disposable cameras and encouraged to capture images that were relevant to the Millennium Development Goals. These 45 children aged 8-14 had the opportunity not only to see their work displayed in a collection, but also participated in two workshops focused on the various touchstones of healthy life.

This year they intend to publish a picture book.

Monitoring

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is eager to monitor Egypt’s progress towards the MDGs by collecting data and submitting regular reports. They also hope to install an internal monitoring mechanism, and cooperate with various Civil Society Organization Educational Networks.

So far, their research has demonstrated progress, but a growing schism between the income levels of upper and lower Egypt.

On their website, the UN reports that while lower Egypt’s poverty rate should decrease to 6% by 2015, upper Egypt’s will increase to 39%. Households run by women are expected to be hit hardest.

Reports also show that while child and maternal mortality, water and sanitation are being addressed at a pace that is both swift and sustainable, and the government is addressing education and poverty reduction at an “acceptable” rate, women empowerment and the environment are being tackled “slowly.”

Increasing awareness among the populace is crucial, but in Egypt most barriers to progress are built by politics. With the country’s President Mubarak in questionable shape and concerns that his son will succeed him, thereby maintaining the status quo, these barriers will not be easy to tear down.

image via muha…

More business and political news:

Israeli Environmental Protection Ministry to Rank Israel’s Beaches on Green-ness

Water Problems in Cyprus Worse Than Those of Israel, Syria and Lebanon

Ormat Technologies Secures US Funds For Geothermal Plants

The post Egyptian Children Track Environment With Disposable Cameras appeared first on Green Prophet.

The evils of plastic water and beverage bottles have already been noted in previous Green Prophet articles, including one dealing with bottled water conflicting with green values ; and another more recent one that noted how so-called bottled water is really mostly tap water that is bottled and then sold at premium prices.

But now, there may be some redemption for that one-and-a-half  liter polystyrene bottle as a safe and low cost way to purify drinking water. Known as solar disinfection, or SODIS  for short, the method is almost cost-free and is now being used in many developing countries to make well and tap water safe for human consumption.

The SODIS purification process involves filling a number of one and a half or 2 liter  plastic bottles about 3/4 full of clear water (if the available water is cloudy, it should first be filtered through a layer of sand). The bottle is then shaken vigorously to mix sufficient air with the water, and then filled to the top with more water and closed. The filled bottles are then placed on a metal or concrete surface (like the roof of a building or house) and left in the sun for at least 6 hours, or until hot to the touch. The bottles should then be taken inside and allowed to cool before being opened for use.

 The SODIS water purification process utilizes the sun’s ultraviolet rays to purify the water, killing harmful bacterial growth and other disease causing organisms. To enable the water to heat faster, paint one side of the bottle black and then place the bottle on a roof or other surface with the black side down. This acts like a miniature sun boiler, and works on a similar principle as solar water heater collecting plates.

Many Middle Eastern countries have serious water problems.  Some of them, including Iraq, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (especially Gaza), have dire shortages of safe drinking water, especially in Gaza’s case. The use of this very inexpensive way of water purification by people living in these locations  considerably lessens the dangers of a number of water borne diseases such as cholera and dysentery.

The SODIS method of disinfecting drinking water was discovered at a Swiss research institute, The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology.

Although the technology has been known for some time, it’s only been given real media attention in the last year or so. But now, it appears that this very effective and low cost method of purifying drinking water may become a Godsend in parts of the world that are simply too poor to use more sophisticated methods of making water safe to drink.

So if you happen to live in an area with problems of  having enough safe drinking water, don’t throw those plastic water bottles away – they may also be used for  purifying  your water supply, and thus solve their recycling problem at the same time. 

(Our photo for this article comes via of the SODIS /Eawag Aquatic Research Institute.)

The post The SODIS Makes Light – And Water – Of Plastic Bottles appeared first on Green Prophet.

Last week, Israeli company Netafim, a pioneer in drip irrigation technology, signed a $22 million deal to supply irrigation for a large-scale sugar cane project in Peru.

In conjunction with Maple Energy, a Peruvian company that produces energy for industrial clients, the project will cultivate 20,000 acres of sugar cane for the creation of ethanol, an alternative energy fuel.

This project concerns me for a few reasons.

Drip irrigation, the water-saving technology that Netafim and other Israeli companies pioneered, increases water efficiency, but not necessarily sustainability.  Indeed, a study that came out in November found that, contrary to its reputation, drip irrigation actually increases the total amount of water consumed.  In an era when countries all over the world are facing worsening drought conditions, I’m not sure it’s prudent to encourage such large-scale, thirsty agricultural projects, especially in developing nations (like Peru) that are more economically and environmentally vulnerable.

Furthermore, I’m not sure the production of sugar cane for ethanol fuel is a wise choice.  Although the energy balance for sugar cane ethanol is higher than it’s oft-criticised counterpart, corn ethanol, it is still rather low.  This means that, while ethanol is a renewable fuel whose greenhouse gas emissions are much lower than those of petroleum, the process of producing and processing the sugar cane into ethanol is quite energy intensive, and might even produce more greenhouse gases than are saved by burning the ethanol in the first place.

Last but not least, the mono-cultivation of such a large area is dangerous, and could lead to problems like soil erosion, nutrient runoff, and widescale crop infestation and failure.  Also, as the market price for sugar cane increases, it is likely that other lands – even those that grow food for people – will be converted to similar intensive sugar cane production, which could have large economic, social, and environmental ramifications.

It’s good news that Netafim, who recently had to lay off 200 workers, was able to sign such a valuable deal in amidst a global economic crisis.  But I wish economic prosperity didn’t come at the cost of the Peruvian (or the global!) environment.

:: Ynetnews

Image Credit: sheilaellen

More Prophecies related to biofuels:
Squeezing Energy From a Plant’s Metabolism at Hebrew University
Elite Coffee Factory Uses Leftover Beans to Make Great Smelling Energy
Olivebar Rolls Out “Green” Olive Logs To Power Your Wood Stove With Olive Waste

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