Photo resources and stock photos

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How EU agricultural subsidies are damaging livelihoods in 3rd world

The project

We have come up with our story ideas on how gobal imbalnces can be reduced. What is left now is to polish the ideas and see how best they can be presented.

World failing Darfur, says Rice

World failing Darfur, says Rice

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the world has failed over Darfur, ahead of a Paris conference.

Biofuel to address global warming

I would like to cover a story on how biofuel can be used instead of petrol that many countries worldwide already use, which is one way to address global warming.

I need to know:

1. What is the biofuel?
2. How far the technology on biofuel is?
3. What are the positives and negative aspects of using biofuel?
4. Do we need to adjust car mechanism before using biofuel?
5. How many countries have already used biofuel?
6. What are the materials to produce biofuel?
7. Global statistic of biofuel used over the past year?

Features:

1. Pictures
2. Related stories

Deforestation in Mauritania

I have to write a feature story on deforestation in Mauritania and efforts done and those to be done to face this problem. I must talk of desertification due to the permanent advance of sand dunes and disappearance of vegetable covert due to the rarity of rains. So I need for my feature:
– Some complements of information on actual situation of desertification in Mauritania,
– What are the policies followed par Mauritanian government to treat these issues?
– What is the role of civil society, particularly environmental ONGs?
– Interview with Mauritanian responsible or members of civil society organizations,
– Photos showing some aspects of deforestation in Mauritania or some projects leaded to thwart the desertification,
– Videos in the same field.

Communities tackle climate change in Malawi

 This is yet another story I am doing on how some members of communities in Malawi are involved in a tree planting campaign and also use fuel efficient stoves to deal with climate change. The idea is based on carbon offsetting, a practical method to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Ripple Africa is a charitable organisation behind the two initiatives. In 2006, the organisation opened 75 community tree nurseries in Nkhata Bay District, an area of 4,000 sq.km. It provided the equipment, seeds and tubes, and the communities supplied the labour. The organisation first started with an awareness programme and chiefs and communites applied to it to be part of the tree planting project. This is in a way helping the people to appreciate the value of trees as a resource for firewood but at the same time protect their environment.
This year, the organisation planned to continue with 75 nurseries and open an additional 100 nurseries with a target of producing 1.75 million trees.

Ripple Africa’s facts

• An average person in the West creates 10 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
• An average person in Malawi, Africa, creates 0.1 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
• Typically, up to 10 trees are needed to absorb 1 tonne of carbon for one year.
• An average person in the West needs 100 trees to offset their annual carbon footprint.

WHAT I NEED

On Fuel efficient stoves

More information on fuel efficient stoves, what are they? What do the use? How do they work? And their efficiency in dealing with climate change?
Who is the target for such stoves and who is using them?
How have communities embraced the concept and which communities?
Are they affordable?
What are the plans to introduce the concept to other parts of the country?

On tree planting (More info)

How many trees have been planted so far in 2007? Was the 2007 plan implemented?
What has been the impact so far?
What about the sustainability of the projects?
Challenges of the projects  and how are the challenges being addressed?
Who bankrolls the projects?
What is the expected and anticipated result of the projects?
Any future plans?
Why were these two projects selected?
And why Malawi, is it the most affected?

FEATURES

Interview with Ripple Africa
To talk to at least some of the community leaders involved.
Pictures on tree planting and fuel efficient stoves
Podcast

Links
http://www.rippleafrica.com

IMPORTANT: I would like to hear from you for your comments on the story

Demonstrations in the G8 Summit

WHILE some people in Africa believe that G8 Summit could help solving their economic crises and other problems that was not the case to many people from rich countries.

Demonstrations were held in Italy and Germany and Europe as a whole, hundreds of people demonstrating against various key issues that were discussed during the summit in Germany.

The organizers of demonstrations have different feeling about the Summit and key issues like Climate Change, Debt Cancellation and so on.

Some of the demonstrators believe that problems of poor countries are not really presented in the summit. Their feeling is that leaders from poor countries should be given chances to present their views on key issues that affect the livelihood of their people.

Conflict in Africa

Recent years have seen many regions of Africa involved in war and internal or external conflict, from the seven or so countries directly involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the Sierra Leone crisis and the war in Ethiopia/Eritrea and the various other civil wars. There have been over 9.5 million refugees and hundreds and thousands of people have been slaughtered.I want to write a story about how conflict affect Africa and how to solve this problem.

What I have

• Statistic: many Conflicts Throughout Africa
• Root Causes of Problems
• Africa Maps Showing Modern and Pre-Colonial Areas

Neglect for the causes of health problems in Africa

HEILIGENDAMM (Germany) – The deterioration of health system in Africa is due to neglect of health expenditure, Charles Abani, Oxfam’s regional director in South Africa, has said during the group of eight summit held in Heiligendamm, Germany between 2007-06-08.
The G8 are not taking promises seriously, according to Abani. Up to now, they have not delivered on the pledges made in 2005, at the G8 summit in Gleneagles, UK. Abani says that is the reason why Oxfam has to continue lobbying. The charity hopes that the media will have an impact on leaders’ decisions. At Heiligendamm, at least, the G8 re-affirmed the old promises.
Leaders of the G8 nations meeting in Germany have pledged to spend $60bn (£30bn) fighting Aids, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa.
On the final day of their summit, G8 leaders also committed themselves to honour aid vows made at a previous meeting in 2005
The Oxfam Regional director said that the main focus of aid in Africa is on infrastructures, but infrastructures are worthless without people who know how to use them.  He urges that there should be a huge investment in the health sectors, including funding for health personnel.
Moreover, he says: “There is lack of co-ordination with the aid donors. Whenever money is available, it does not come in a coordinated way, and does not fit the plans laid down by the ministries of health in many African countries.”
He also blamed the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which imposes a cap on wages, not allowing them to rise by more than nine percent for the sake of fighting inflation.
According to Abani, advice given to health planers in Africa is not enough, as the International Monetary Fund controls the money. Although African leaders draft their own policies, they have to adhere to IMF rules, and the IMF is not an African institution.
“Donor institutions should be flexible in their conditionality,” was his appeal.
The most vulnerable countries that face serious health problems are Sudan, Congo, Somalia and other countries in conflict or emerging from conflict. Abani reiterated that Africa today pays $ 100 m a day to service debts created by corrupt leaders in the past 20 years, for instance, in the DRC. He called on the G8 to cancel such debts, because some African countries are not able to pay. Instead of spending huge amounts of money on debt, African countries should be allowed to invest in health infrastructures and staff.