TIGblogs TIG | TIGblogs GROUP TIGBLOGS LOGIN SIGNUP
Binetou - My Blog
Binetou - My Blog
Africa is approaching its ecological limits
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic



Why does ecological capacity matter to human development in Africa?

As the ongoing world food crises makes clear, human welfare is critically linked to mankind’s use and stewardship of biological resources. Nowhere is this more true than in Africa – a region with tremendous natural wealth, yet which often suffers first and most tragically when humanity’s demand on nature exceeds what nature can provide.

There are many issues facing the African continent that are linked to ecological assets, including population growth, food security, political instability, and inequitable access to resources. Despite these challenges there are many opportunities for nations to improve their quality of life while maintaining their ecological assets. As individuals, organizations, countries and regions work on advancing human development, decision-makers will need solid information and metrics in order to set goals and track progress towards sustainable development. Measures such as the Ecological Footprint are critical to setting targets and managing performance-based development projects.

Global Footprint Network’s Africa Project

To explore how ecological limits apply and relate to human development, Global Footprint Network and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation have joined forces on a multi-phase initiative focused on Africa.

On June 9, 2008 at the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment in Johannesburg, Global Footprint Network in conjunction with SDC and WWF International, released the first-ever detailed look at the Ecological Footprints of African nations and the trends at play over the last few decades.

Africa: Ecological Footprint and Human Well-Being offers an in-depth look at Africa’s ecological resources and the role those resources can play in advancing the region’s human development goals – or, if mismanaged, in thwarting them.

“There is a strong international commitment to improving human wellbeing in Africa and advancing the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty, hunger and disease,” said Global Footprint Network Executive Director, Mathis Wackernagel. “Yet, to advance these critical goals and produce lasting success, we need to work with, rather than against, ecological budget constraints. If development ignores the limits of our natural resources, the gains that are made cannot persist, and the most vulnerable people such as the rural poor will be the first to suffer the horrendous consequences of our resource blunder.”

Africa: Ecological Footprint and Human Well-Being helps chart a course for progress by analyzing the region’s ecological assets and pressures. It does this in part by examining the continent’s as well as individual countries’ Ecological Footprint -- the amount of productive land and sea it takes to produce what a population consumes and absorb its waste. “There are huge opportunities to improve well-being in lasting ways while staying within our ecological constraints,” Wackernagel continued. Among these are giving women access to health choices, education and economic opportunities; designing infrastructure that will make cities more resilient to resource scarcities; and leapfrogging directly to the most resource-efficient technologies.

Download the report

Africa: Ecological Footprint and Human Well-Being (1.73 mb download)

Our Africa report is the result of a multi-year project focused on learning from our partners about the factors at play in human development As a precursor to the report, we published our findings in a fact book, Africa's Ecological Footprint: Human Well-Being and Biological Capital Factbook Additionally, we engaged with our African partners in workshops held in Pretoria, Nairobi, Dakar, and Algiers who have first hand experience with the on-the-ground needs in Africa.


http://www.footprintnetwork.org/

July 12, 2008 | 7:41 PM Comments  0 comments

Tags:
You must be logged in to add tags.


Binetou's Profile

Binetou's Friends


Latest Posts
Take the worldwide...
Participez à la...
Participez à la...
Bringing Poznan to the...
Je suis un jeune...

Monthly Archive
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008

Change Language


Tags Archive
adaptation africa carbon carbone ccnucc changementclimatique changementsclimatiques clean climatechange co2 droitàpolluer emissions fauna gazàeffetdeserre ges globalwarming gmo greenpeace kyoto limat marchéducarbone monsanto ogm poznan semences unfcc youth

Filter By Type
Events
Travel
Topics

Friends
'Gbenga Sesan
Abir Abdullah
Adam Clare
Adam MacIsaac
Adama Diop
Adama Nomokho
Aiden Abram
ajope
Aleksandra Radyuk
Alicia
Amira Sobeih
Anant Dhillon
Andy
Anti-douleur
ARVY NOLEAL OSMA
AZIZ
baimey ange david
BELIEVE AFRICA
BENGA
Bernise Ang
Bhuwan
Bremley
Charles Tsai
Chiara C.
Chloe
Danish Khan (webmaster@mdanishkhan.tk)
Dave Matthews
David Noble
Didier Calvet
Didier Gleyzes
Diomandé Moussa
Dominic Stucker
Dr Abdousalam Mbengue
Dumisani Nyoni
Earth Day Network
edudzie
Elaine Azevedo
Elizabeth Keeler
ELODIE
Emma Sacks
Eric
Esther Agbarakwe
Esther Eshiet
Eszter
Evangelist Peter Chima
Fa Sy
Florent Baarsch
Florent Messomo
Francis
François Godonou
Frederick Bernas
GSimon
Haythem Kamel
Henry Ekwuruke
Hind Ottmani
Hindo
ilyes
J. Marc FEUSSOM
JEON, HyunJin
Jo Anne
Joel Kalpram
Joshua
Joya Banerjee
Juan Ignacio González Mazziotti
Justine Castonguay-Payant
Kelly Blynn
Kenneth Ochoa
Kimia
KOBA Tchegoun Adebo
Koli
Latif M'bengue
Lea Lupkin
Lisa Jokivirta
Liz Cooper
LLOYDLUNA.com
Luckson Katsi
Luis Davila
Luke Chike Igweobi
Malcolm Lawrence
Marc Ludwig
Martin BOURDEL
Matthew Carroll
Melanie LeBlanc
Michael Furdyk
MIdori
mohamed elkashash
Mouiche Moctar
Mr. K
MUKAMA Nicholas
Nick Yeo
Nigel Allan
NIGERIA GRASSROOT YOUTH FORUM(NGRYF)
ola
Olga
Olga Lucía
Omar Diaw
Pap-sy
Pascal Bekono
Peace Child Publications
Peace2Peace
Prince Binam T.
Prof. Alpha Thomas-Bangura
rachid
Rebecca Lohman
saadallaoui bassem
Sabrine Herrira
Sacré
SANDZA MISSIMBALOBA Laurent
Sarah TOUMI
Selene Biffi
sena alouka
Sessi
Shalala Oliver Sepiso
Shiba ANDRE
Solar Generation
sydney hushie
Terri Willard
Tomislav Tomasevic
TOPE AKINTOLA
TT
UNEP DTIE SCP CG
Vicnan Pannirselvam
Vidar Ekehaug
wako-joel
WON, Mi-Kyeong
Yassir EL OUARZADI
YVON BEKALE
দেবশ্রীDebashree


11056 views
Important Disclaimer