Columbia Earthscape: Previous Updates

May 2007: Focus on Africa

Light Pollution Visible in Europe at Night

This month Earthscape takes a look at some of the current environmental concerns on the African continent. Adaptation to climate change, water scarcity, soil and land management, the HIV-AIDS crisis, food supply and crop prospects, the status of lakes, rivers and coastal areas are included in the additions to the collection.

Webcast

Dr. Lori Hunter

HIV/AIDS, Agriculture, and Conservation: Impacts and Solutions
In this January 2007 event, the panel explores the impact of HIV/AIDS beyond human health—it also has profound effects on households, communities, agriculture, land use, and conservation efforts, to name only a few. In many parts of the developing world, families affected by AIDS are forced to juggle assets to adjust to lost land or labor; while the conservation sector struggles to transfer knowledge as employees die or fall ill. The meeting was co-sponsored by the Environmental Change and Security Program and the Global Health Initiative.

Educational Resources

Vital Climate Graphics Africa
United Nations Environment Programme and its collaborating centre, GRID-Arendal have created "Vital Climate Change Graphics for Africa" to provide easily understandable scientific information to policy makers working in Africa. This set of 25 graphics focuses on the special challenges that Africa faces due to expected long term changes in climate.

Sustainable Africa Internet Channel
The site is a digital-commons project of the AllAfrica Foundation. Take a look at the Environmental channel for abundant news and features from around the continent.

The Environmental History of Africa
This online course authored by James C. McCann, African Studies Center, Boston University seeks to make available resources and experience for the teaching of the environmental history of Africa over the past 200 years. In particular it seeks to provide materials that will allow its adaptation for use in university curricula in African institutions where the next generation of ministry officials, educators, and researchers are being trained. Through this web site, its reading materials, class outlines, discussion documents, and its data base of images the course provides substantive materials to support a new course offering or to serve as a course in and of itself.

AJEAM – RAGEE African Journal of Environmental Assessment and Management
AJEAM/RAGÉE focuses exclusively on environmental issues in Africa, and aims to give Africa the opportunity to report on measures taken so far in caring for its environment as well as in institutionalizing formal environmental assessment and management principles and practices.

AFRICA
The companion website to the “Nature” series; A joint venture between Thirteen/WNET New York's NATURE and National Geographic Television, AFRICA is an eight-part series, shot in widescreen, super 16mm format, that takes viewers on a kaleidoscopic adventure across Africa's major regions and into the homes of the people who live there. The photoscope feature has a sub-section on environmental issues on the continent.

African Environmental Law and Policy
This web site, hosted by the Environmental Law Institute, provides access to research materials produced by ELI and partners on selected topics in African environmental law, and highlights ELI’s past and ongoing activities to promote the development and implementation of sound environmental laws and institutions in Africa. It also is a portal to the diverse Internet sources on environmental law and policy in Africa.

Green Belt Movement
Founded by the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Professor Wangari Maathai, the Green Belt Movement is a grassroots non-governmental organization based in Kenya that takes an holistic approach to development by focusing on environmental conservation, community development and capacity building. They organize poor rural women in Kenya to plant trees, combating deforestation, restoring their main source of fuel for cooking, and stopping soil erosion.

South African Environmental Observation Network
A coordinated and responsive South African Earth observation network that delivers long-term reliable data for scientific research and informs decision-making for improved quality of life.