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Odyssey’s 21-nation mini-grid schemes seek over $500m

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Odyssey’s 21-nation mini-grid schemes seek over $500m

Platform connecting private mini-grid developers and investors, Odyssey Energy Solutions, announced on Tuesday, August 7, 2018 that its pipeline had surpassed 550 projects, requiring a total estimated investment of more than $500 million.

Off-grid lighting Africa
Off-grid lighting in Africa. Photo credit: unep.org

Decentralised renewable energy solutions like mini-grids are said to be the least-cost option for bringing electricity to over 70 percent of the world’s one billion people currently living without access to basic power, most of whom live in rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. It is estimated that up to 200,000 mini-grids will be needed to lift these people out of energy poverty.

The mini-grid projects on the Odyssey platform represent an expected 275,000 connections, with a generation capacity of about 150 MW of installed solar PV. The 550 projects being developed on the platform come from 21 countries, including Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Project ticket sizes range from $40,000 to $3 million.

Odyssey platform users currently comprise a network of over 100 developers, investors, vendors, and government institutions, with recent month-on-month user growth of 30-40%.

“With no outbound marketing, we’re seeing incredible uptake of the Odyssey platform,” said company co-founder and CEO Emily McAteer. “Odyssey is proving just how quickly the mini-grid sector is taking off around the globe. By using software and data analytics to streamline and standardise mini-grid project development and financing, we’re able to aggregate projects into bankable portfolios that meet investors’ ticket sizes and diligence requirements, paving the way for more capital to come into the sector.”

“With Odyssey there is finally a one-stop shop for mini-grid development,” said Havenhill Synergy CEO, Olusegun Odunaiya. “Odyssey has allowed us to quickly conduct rigorous technical and economic analyses for mini-grid projects in our pipeline and then create portfolios suitable for financing.”

Odyssey is a web-based platform that streamlines the development and financing of mini-grid projects.

CIFOR hosts global database on REDD+ programmes

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CIFOR hosts global database on REDD+ programmes

The innovative REDD+ monitoring tool, International Database on REDD+ Projects and Programs Linking Economic, Carbon and Communities Data (ID-RECCO), is now hosted by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

Robert Nasi
Robert Nasi, Director General of the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR)

Launched in 2013, ID-RECCO highlights 467 subnational REDD+ initiatives from around the world. It includes 110 variables, such as carbon certification, sources of funding, and expected socio-economic and environmental impacts, in a format that can be used for research purposes and analysis. ID-RECCO is said to be the first tool to gather such a large amount of information on subnational REDD+ initiatives in a comprehensive way, and it continues to evolve.

“CIFOR is very pleased to host the ID-RECCO database given our priority for understanding the progress and performance of REDD+ on the ground. We are committed to keeping the database updated and ensuring that it stays relevant for the broader tropical forests and climate community,” said Amy Duchelle, Senior Scientist, CIFOR.

According to her, the next big change to ID-RECCO will allow users to easily distinguish between local REDD+ projects and subnational jurisdictional programmes. For REDD+ projects, CIFOR will validate the data through a survey with project implementers that will be conducted in upcoming months.

To expand the database to include subnational jurisdictional REDD+ programmes, CIFOR will draw on new collaborative research with Earth Innovation Institute (EII) and the Governors’ Climate and Forests (GCF) Task Force.

ID-RECCO was created by Gabriela Simonet when she was based at the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) and Climate Economics Chair (CEC) with founding partner the International Forestry Resources and Institutions (IFRI).

“ID-RECCO was born in the hands of Gabriela in CIRAD, pushed by her motivation to understand if REDD+ was going to fulfill the on-the-ground socio-economic and ecological impacts that stakeholders were advocating for. In that sense is a ground-breaking initiative and a unique dataset to reach such an understanding. It allows, for example, to extract simple statistics, like the number of hectares covered by REDD+, and understand the trends and types of REDD+ projects and initiatives,” stated Driss Ezzine-de-Blas, Researcher, CIRAD.

Ezzine-de-Blas notes that while the data can be used by researchers to match their expectations to the reality of REDD+, other stakeholders will also benefit by taking REDD+ more seriously and will have data-based evidence in hand to continue their work.

“ID-RECCO is the first comprehensive database on REDD+ projects worldwide. It has the great advantage to allow international comparison of very diverse types of projects, in various locations. Being frequently updated and open access, it then constitutes a unique tool that makes possible monitoring and impact evaluation of those initiatives, which will provide a better understanding of the conditions of success of REDD+ implementation,” submitted Philippe Delacote, Researcher, Climate Economics Chair.

ID-RECCO can be accessed at http://www.reddprojectsdatabase.org/

WEP director emerges co-facilitator of UNEP’s women group

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WEP director emerges co-facilitator of UNEP’s women group

The Executive Director of Women Environmental Programme (WEP), Dr Priscilla Achakpa, has been elected as one of the Co-Facilitators of the Women’s Major Group (WMG) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Priscilla Achakpa
Priscilla Achakpa, Executive Director of the Women Environmental Programme (WEP). Photo credit: http://i.ytimg.com/

The election results confirming her emergence as one of the Co-Facilitators were announced through the listserve of WMG to UNEP on August 4, 2018.

“Going by the votes, the new Co-Facilitators are: 1. Priscilla Achakpa – Women Environmental Programme, 2. Mrinalini Rai – Global Forest Coalition,” announced Caroline Usikpedo-Omoniye and Isis Alvarez, on behalf of the Steering Committee members who oversaw the conduct of the elections.

The process of electing new Co-Facilitators of WMG to UNEP who will serve for a term of two years started since May 28, 2018 when the WMG called for Steering Committee members to oversee the process. This was followed by nominations and elections throughout the month of June 2018.

The responsibilities of the Co-Facilitators include:

  • Consult with national/regional women’s networks working on environmental issues to prepare written inputs for UNEP policy processes;
  • Ensure that the principles and values of the WMG are respected in all publications, statements and other communication given on behalf of the WMG;
  • Organise, manage and disseminate data and information on the WMG and UNEP;
  • Identify participants and consult with the Women’s Major Group members and allied networks for United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA)-related global and/or regional events;
  • Facilitate the participation of Women’s Major Group members and organise side events in UNEA and other related global and/or regional processes;
  • Work in collaboration with other Major Group representatives to ensure continued space for civil society engagement in the UN Environment Assembly and other related processes, as necessary;
  • Serve on UN Environment’s Major Groups Facilitating Committee;
  • Fundraise on behalf of the Women’s Major Group; and
  • Provide strategic direction and guidance to the Women’s Major Group through an inclusive, consultative and transparent process, of decisions surrounding WMG positions on all UN Environment Assembly decisions.

The Women’s Major Group (WMG) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the focal point for UN environmental policies. The WMG-UNEP’s responsibility covers the UN Environment Assembly and related meetings, Regional Consultative Meetings (RCM), and the environmental interlinkages to the 2030 Agenda and the High-Level Political Forum. In addition, the WMG-UNEP aims to cooperate closely with other Women’s Major Groups and Women’s constituencies linked to other UN policy processes.

Last black rhino moved to Kenya’s Tsavo park dies

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Last black rhino moved to Kenya’s Tsavo park dies

The last of the 11 black rhinos translocated to a newly established sanctuary at the Tsavo National Park in Kenya has died. It is believed to have died from injuries after it was attacked by a lion about a fortnight ago.

Rhino
Kenya Wildlife Services proceeded to relocate some rhinoceroses on June 26, 2018 from Nairobi National Park to Tsavo-East National Park in an effort to repopulate habitat around the country which rhinoceros’ population had been decimated by poaching and harsh climatic changes. Photo credit: Getty Images

The other 10 rhinos died in quick succession just days after being moved because of what investigations say was intake of salty water and starvation.

Under normal circumstances, an adult rhino should be able to defend itself from a lion, but in this case the rhino was already weak after drinking salty water.

 

Found Dead

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) communications boss, Paul Udoto, said the rhino was found dead in the morning of Monday, August 6, 2018, and that is was hard to tell exactly when it died.

A report released by Wildlife and Tourism CS Najib Balala a week ago concluded that the rhinos were neglected at a sanctuary. He suspended six KWS officers he said were responsible for taking care of them.

 

Assess Water Quality

He also demoted Mr Julius Kimani, the director-general, and replaced him with Dr Charles Musyoki, who was the Principal of the KWS Training Institute, in an acting capacity with immediate effect.

He said KWS had failed to assess the water quality before moving the animals.

With the 11 translocated animals now dead, it is not clear what will happen now, since the plan was to move 14 from the Nakuru and Nairobi national parks to the Tsavo sanctuary.

By Pauline Kairu, Daily Nation

Scientists demand Shell’s immediate response to Niger Delta spill

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Scientists demand Shell’s immediate response to Niger Delta spill

After more than 50 years of continuous oil spills into Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Shell oil has reportedly caused another big oil spill, this time in and around the village of Aghoro in Bayelsa State.

Oil spill pollution
A water body in the Niger Delta polluted by crude oil

On Thursday, May 17, 2018 (although some reports state the spill began much earlier, on April 24, 2018), the Aghoro community experienced a significant oil spill due to what is said to be a mechanical failure in Shell’s 24” Trans-Ramos Pipeline across Bayelsa State.

Dr. Ebikeme Festus Odubo, an environmental consultant and a regulator in the United States, who also is from Aghoro Community, recently visited the spill site to examine the spill’s effects first hand.

“The impact of the ecological devastation from this oil spill on the community, its citizens, and our way of life is tremendous. This tranquil community of fisherman, farmers and people who, for centuries, have relied upon our natural resources for life-sustaining purposes will be changed forever,” stated Dr. Odubo.

The Aghoro River and its productive mangrove forests, which serve as a major resource for the livelihood of its residents, has been covered in crude oil, severely affecting fish and wildlife in the area. The Aghoro River is also the main source of drinking and cooking water for the community. The incident is said to have resulted in an impending food, health, and environmental crisis in the financially impoverished area.

Yeitiemone Frederick Agbedi, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives serving the Aghoro community, recently stated: “This is a devastation on the people and the environment.  A medical team should have been on the ground before now, dealing with expected medical issues and conditions. Shell should have made provision for alternative water supplies for these Communities having ruined their source of cooking and drinking water.”

Professor Richard Steiner, a marine scientist and oil spill expert in the University of Alaska who has worked on oil spills in the Niger Delta for many years, says the 2018 Aghoro spill is yet another tragic example of Shell’s reckless treatment of the Niger Delta environment and people.

“This is an old story in the Niger Delta. Shell consistently fails to maintain its pipeline network to global Best Available Technology (BAT) standards as required by the Nigerian federal law. Their pipelines continue to fail, causing massive oil spills and severe environmental and human health injury. Shell then resists its legal responsibility of spill clean up, claims compensation, environmental restoration, and repairing/maintaining its pipelines. This historic corporate recklessness needs to end,” Steiner said.

Nigeria, one of the world’s most oil rich countries, has a history of catastrophic oil spills that have wreaked havoc on the environment and local communities. The Aghoro Community is in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

Because of the extensive oil spill, Dr. Odubo and Prof. Steiner call for an immediate corporate and humanitarian response to assist the people of Aghoro and its neighboring communities in Bayelsa State with food, clean water, health and medical care, spill clean up, victim’s claims compensation, and an environmental restoration programme.

Gombe residents urged to imbibe tree planting culture

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Gombe residents urged to imbibe tree planting culture

The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has advised Gombe State residents to imbibe the culture of planting tree in their environment.

Tree-Planter
Tree planting

Mr Wuave Daniel, the Gombe State Coordinator of NESREA, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gombe, the state capital, on Monday, August 6, 2018.

Daniel said that environmental protection should be the concern of all residents, adding that tree planting is the best tool to protect the environment and human from flooding and air pollution.

According to him, residents in rural areas are quick to fell trees for economic purposes without making efforts to replace them.

“We must cultivate the habit of planting trees, especially in areas where flooding is severe, not just for the environment but for our health too. Environmental health aids human health.

“The flood, air pollution and other environmental hazards are issues that tree planting can be used to address. Planting tree is the cheapest way of protecting our environment.

“If the over 200 truckloads of firewood that are transported from our forests down to the city everyday have become a culture, why should people refuse to cultivate the habit of planting back those trees.

“We must begin to take the responsibility of protecting the environment for the good of humanity.

“When we refuse to plant trees, we make ourselves more vulnerable to the effect of our actions,’’ he said.

He decried the constant felling of trees for wood, saying that the practice must not be allowed to continue because of its devastating consequences on the environment.

He lauded the state government for being environment friendly.

By Uwumarogie Peter

Climate change: $2.4tr fashion industry shifts to low carbon

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Climate change: $2.4tr fashion industry shifts to low carbon

With the help of the United Nations, the world’s $2.5 trillion fashion industry is shifting to more sustainable business models which can help fight climate change and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fashion industry
The fashion industry contributes to around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions

The fashion industry, including the production of all clothes which people wear, contributes to around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions due to its long supply chains and energy intensive production.  The industry consumes more energy than the aviation and shipping industry combined.

Shifting practices in the fashion industry to reduce carbon emissions is key to limiting warming to as close to 1.5°C above pre-Industrial Revolution levels, in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

In addition to its carbon intensive supply chain and production processes, the fashion industry consumes a great deal of other precious resources.

To make just one pair of denim jeans, 10,000 liters of water is required to just grow the one kilo of cotton needed for the pair of jeans. In comparison, one person would take 10 years to drink 10,000 liters of water.

Cumulatively, the fashion industry produces about 20% of global waste water. Furthermore, 85% of textiles end up in landfills or are incinerated when most of these materials could be reused.

One good example of how ambition to tackle climate change is growing in the fashion industry is collaborative initiative called the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, co-sponsored by 10 UN organisations including UN Climate Change.

To help build awareness around fashion’s impact on the environment, UN Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador Michelle Yeoh explains the use of forest-based materials for sustainable fashion in this video “Made in Forests”.

UN Climate Change encourages sustainable fashion through its Climate Neutral Now (CNN) campaign which connects organisations that want to offset carbon emission with investments in carbon emissions reductions across the developing world.

Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu, who works for Climate Neutral Now, described CNN’s involvement with sustainable fashion as “kick-starting a multi-stakeholder initiative to mobilise fashion around climate action through three work streams: enabling “within sector” collaboration; facilitating engagement with policymakers; and catalysing action and providing recognition.”

At last year’s (2017) major UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, the fashion industry outlined which steps it is taking to support the goals of the Paris Climate Change agreement.

For example, the fast fashion retailer H&M shared their strategy to be 100% run on renewable energy by 2040 with a fully circular production model, where the by-product of one industry serves the objective of another.

 

Other Inspiring Examples of Climate Action in the Fashion Industry

The 2018 Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report also contains positive news. There was a 6% increase in general sustainability efforts across the entire garment industry since last year’s report. The weakest points in the industry are small and medium sized enterprises in the entry- to mid-price segments which comprise just over 50% of the entire industry, pointing to issues of scale in implementing general sustainability measures.

However, new data presented in the 2017 report shows that a failure to implement sustainability measures into garment production will cause companies to lose out on a 2% increase in earnings by 2030.

Additionally, the famous blue jean manufacturer Levi, Strauss & Co has announced a new climate change action plan. Using Science Based Targets, the company plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% across its global supply chain by 2025. The plan also includes a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in all owned-and-operated facilities, which will be achieved by investing in onsite renewable energy and energy efficiency upgrades.

Moldova ratifies biosafety protocol

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Moldova ratifies biosafety protocol

The Republic of Moldova has ratified the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, making it the 42nd nation to do so.

Igor-Dodon
Igor Dodon, President of Moldova

The eastern European country and former Soviet republic deposited its instruments of ratification on Monday, July 30, 2018. It will enter into force on Oct 28, 2018.

The Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was adopted by the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety on October 15, 2010.

In accordance with its Article 17, the Supplementary Protocol was opened for signature on March 7, 2011 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York by Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. It remained open for signature until March 6, 2012.

The Supplementary Protocol entered into force on March 5, 2018, the 90th day after the date of deposit of the 40th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims to ensure the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms (LMOs) resulting from modern biotechnology that may have adverse effects on biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health. It was adopted on January 29, 2000 and entered into force on September 11, 2003. Some 171 countries have so far ratified it.

Nigeria signed the Supplementary Protocol on February 1, 2012 but is yet to ratify it.

AfDB to increase fish production, others by 5m tonnes in Africa

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AfDB to increase fish production, others by 5m tonnes in Africa

The African Development Bank (AfDB) through its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme is targeting to increase aquaculture production in Africa by five million tonnes by 2025.

Akinwumi Adesina
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB)

Dr Chrysantus Akem, the TAAT Programme Coordinator, said this at a workshop organised for focal countries under the TAAT programme in Abuja on Monday, August 6, 2018.

Akem said that TAAT programme, an initiative of the AfDB under the “Feed Africa”, was targeting to increase inland water fish to enable Africa to become self-sufficient in fish production.

He noted that the priority of the programme was also to enlarge the production of cassava, rice, wheat, orange fleshed potatoes, maize, beans, sorghum and millet, livestock and small ruminants.

According to him, AfDB initiated the programme with $120 million hoping to use it as start up money to tap into $700 million that the World Bank has made available in its African Agricultural Transformation Programme.

“TAAT was conceived to make sure that the Feed Africa is carried forward, to bring together a number of value chains to see how to transform agriculture across Africa.

“AfDB realised that there are a lot of technologies, but they are either in shelves or in publications and Africa continues to import, spending more than $35 billion just on food crops, most of which it can produce.

“AfDB took the lead in reviewing all available technologies to see how to transform agriculture in Africa.

“Bill and Melinda Gates have made available more than $230 million through AGRA to also support the programme.

“This is a 10-year-programme which started in 2015 and will end in 2025,’’ he said.

Alhaji Muazu Mohammed, the Director of Fisheries, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the country’s annual national demand for fish stood at 3.5 million tonnes.

Mohammed, represented by Mr Pwaspo Istifanus, the Deputy Director, Aquaculture in the ministry, said the country’s total production was 1.1 million tonnes with a deficit of 2.4 million tonnes.

He said that fisheries contributed about 4.5 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product and employed an estimated 10 million citizens in both primary and secondary operations.

The director listed some challenges affecting aquaculture development in the country to include high cost of good quality fish feed and inadequate genetic improvement and diversification of over 200 indigenous culturable fish species.

Dr James Apochi, the National Project Coordinator, West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), said the programme had developed no fewer than 11 technologies that had increased fish production in the country.

“We want to upscale our technologies, introduce regional markets that will go beyond Nigeria,’’ he said.

Prof. Bernadette Fregene, the Compact Leader of the programme, listed the implementers of TAAT to include WorldFish, IITA, universities, seed companies and fish feed millers.

Some participants and fish stakeholders who came from Ghana, Cameroon and Benin Republic, appealed to the programme to find lasting solution to the high cost of fish feeds.

By Ginika Okoye

Wildfire burns in Portugal for 4th day

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Wildfire burns in Portugal for 4th day

Over 1,150 firefighters struggled to put out a fire in Portugal’s southern Algarve tourist region on Monday, August 6, 2018 which injured 25 people overnight and led to the evacuation of homes and hotels.

Portugal wildfire
Portugal wildfire

The fire, which started on Friday, grew over the weekend during a heat wave sweeping large parts of Europe.

Temperatures have started to fall from the peak of nearly 47 degrees Celsius, but it remains very hot in most parts of the country.

Emergency services added a further 350 firefighters to combat the flames overnight.

Twenty-four people were treated for light burns and smoke inhalation while one person suffered more serious burns.

People were evacuated from the area but Joao Furtado, 60, was forced to hide in a water tank to escape the flames as his house burned down, according to his sister-in-law.

“He was panicking because he was trapped in the house.

“There was fire everywhere and he couldn’t get out,’’ said Maria Helena Furtado.

Civil protection authorities said smoke was making it difficult for firefighting planes to access the area, but nine helicopters were flying.

There were 350 fire engines involved in the effort.

The fire is burning in the hills above the Algarve coast, an area popular with tourists for its hot springs, while the smoke could be seen from the coast.

Antonio Monteiro, Head of the Caldas de Monchique Spa Resort, one of the region’s best-known hotels, said: “We had to evacuate all hotel guests and we don’t have any information about when we will reopen.’’

Another hotel in the region, the Macdonald, was also shut.

Portugal’s biggest wildfire killed 114 people last year and it has since reinforced emergency services in the centre of the country where the worst fires usually break out.

Until last week Portugal’s summer had been unusually cold and wet.

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