Ethiopian Environmental and Energy Concern: Akababi

Latest Akababi Blog Entry: Updated every two weeks

የነዳጅ አረቄ(ethanol) ድብልቅ

በቅርቡ ለወራት ሳይከለስ የቆየው የተለያዩ የነዳጅ ዘይት ውጤቶች የችርቻሮ ዋጋ ተከልሷል። የቤንዚንና የነዳጅ አረቄ (ethanol) ድብልቅ በሊትር 16 ብር ከ55 ሳንቲም ወደ 18 ከ33 ሳንቲም ከፍ እንዲል ከተደረገ በኋላ ትንሽ ቆይቶ ደግሞ ወደ 17.88 ዝቅ እንዲል ተደርጓል። በመቀነስ የሂሳብ ስሌት ሲታይ— የ1ብር ከ33 ሳንቲም ጭማሪ አሳይቷል ማለት ነው። ምክንያት— የዓለም የድፍድፍ ነዳጅ ዘይት ዋጋ መጨመር። የዓለም የድፍድፍ ነዳጅ ዘይት ዋጋ መጨመሩ ምክንያት ደግሞ— የሰሜን አፍሪካና የመካከለኛው ምሥራቅ አገሮች ውስጥ ላለፉት ሁለት ወራት የታየው አለመረጋጋት። More

አዲስ አበባንና ባህር ዛፍን ያስገኘልን መዘዝና አንድምታው

(ጌታቸው አሰፋ) ጊዜው 1981 ዓ।ም। ነበር ። እኔም 11ኛ ክፍል ነበርኩ። መኝታ ቤታችን ውስጥ ከነበረው ቁም ሳጥን ላይ የእጅ መዳፍ የምታህል ላስቲካማ ወረቀት ተለጥፋለች። ውሃ ሰማያዊ መደብ፤ ቀይ ጠርዝ መሐል ላይ ቢጫ አበባ። ቁም ሳጥኑ ላይ ከተለጠፈች ሁለት ዓመት ሆኗታል። የአዲስ አበባን መቶኛ ዓመት ምክንያት በማድረግ የተዘጋጀች ነበረች። በ1979 ዓ।ም। መሆኑ ነው። ዛሬ አዲስ አበባ የ124 ዓመት “ጎልማሳ” ነች። የአክሱም፤የጎንደር፤የላሊበላ፤የአንኮበር፤ የእድሜ የታናሽ ታናሽ - አዲስ አበባ። ከአዲስ አበባ መቆርቆር ጀርባ የነበረው መነሻ በጎ የሚባል አይነት አልነበረም። የማገዶ እና የቤት መሥርያ እንጨት እጥረት ጋር የተያያዘ መዘዝ ነው አዲስ አበባን ያስገኘልን። ለብዙ የጥንት ስልጣኔዎች መንገራገጭ ምክንያት የሆነ መዘዝ። ለአንዳንድ ከተሞች መቆርቆዝ ለሌሎች ደግሞ መቆርቆር ምክንያት ሆኗል። በመቶዎች ከሚቆጠሩ ዓመታት በፊት በቻይና በጃፓን የደን መጨፍጨፍና መመናመን ሰዎች የሚኖሩባቸውን ቦታዎች ከጊዜ ወደ ጊዜ እንዲቀያይሩ አድርጓል። More

እስካሁን ከመሬት በታች ያላገኘነውን ከመሬት በላይ ለማግኘት - በእንተ ባዮ ዲዝል

ባዮ ዲዝል እንደ መደበኛው ዲዝል ከድፍድፍ ነዳጅ ዘይት የሚገኝ ሳይሆን ከእጽዋትና ከእንስሳት ተዋጽኦ (ዘይትና ሞራ) የሚመረት የዲዝል አይነት ነው። ለባለ ዲዝል ሞተር መኪኖችና ለዲዝል ጀነሬተሮች እንዲሁም ለመሳሰሉት የመገልገያ እቃዎች ይውላል። አገራችን በ2003 ዓ.ም. የበጀት ዓመት በአጠቃላይ የነዳጅ ዘይት ውጤቶችን ከውጪ ወደ አገር ቤት ለማስገባት 23.60 ቢልዮን ብር ያስፈልጋታል። ይህም ዲዝልን ጨምሮ ከ2.2 ሚልዮን ቶን በላይ ነዳጅን ለማስገባት የሚውል ነው።ይህም ወጪ ከአጠቃላይ የአገሪቱ የዘንድሮ 72.2 ቢልዮን በጀት ወደ 32 ፐርሰንት የሚሆነውን ይሸፍናል። More

Lake Koka and its surrounding population - the victim of upstream activities

Ethiopia: Environmental Journalists Form Association

Akababi Note: Two Trees for 2000 - what is next?

Ethiopian Green Award

Forum for Environment's Annual Green Award given to individuals and organizations.
in Amharic

[Ethiopian]Environmental Issues: Problems and Solutions
Gedion Getahun, Ph.D.
In Ethiopia, there is a loss of a large amount of biomass cover, land degradation, soil erosion, and desertification. These have been observed since four decades. Drought and famine that had occurred in Ethiopia have their grass root in the political, economical, ecological mismanagements.

Ethiopia's New Energy Strategy Opens Way for Bio-Fuel

With an aim to shift from high-cost fossil oil to cost-effective bio-fuel, the Council of Ministers a month ago approved the utilization of bio-fuel development strategy in Ethiopia. The 16-page strategic document, approved in September, was prepared by the Ministry of Mines and Energy (MoME) in collaboration with experts at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD).

Global Energy to produce 40,000 tons of bio-fuel annually in Ethiopia

Global Energy Pacific, a Nevada, United States based international company run by Israeli experts, has launched a bio-diesel factory in southern Ethiopia on Friday, November 2, 2007. When the companyďż˝s project that has four components begins production, it will have the capacity of producing 250 tons of fuel each day from caster beans and jantropha, which easily grow in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoplesďż˝ Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.

Forum Honors 15 'Environmental Heroes'

This is to invite you to the fifth public meeting which is prepared by Forum for Environment in collaboration with Water Aid, Global Water Partnership and Ethio Wetlands and Natural Resources Association.
The theme for the fifth public meeting is Water and Industry: Use, Management and Industrial Pollution in Ethiopia. The public meeting will take place at Semien Hotel in Addis Ababa, Friday June 8, 2007 from 2.00-5.00p.m.

Forum for Environment

ďż˝Unleaded Gas in Sub-Saharan Africa: The good newsďż˝
By Ambassador Yamamoto, US Ambassador to Ethiopia
ďż˝ Since 2004 when the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other donors to remove lead from gasoline in sub Saharan Africa, all of the gasoline imported into Ethiopia has been unleaded. This is expected to have significant health benefits for the people of Ethiopia, particularly children. It also has the potential to save millions in health care costs as peopleďż˝s health improves.

Personal responsibility fo each tree planted

Anything that you plant, you have to look after it

Botanical and Natural Park under construction

"Two Trees for 2000" project launched

Ambassadors join in "Two Trees for 2000" project

Tree seedlings transplanted on 4,000 ha

A call for active participation of all in ďż˝Two Trees for 2000ďż˝ project

Ethiopia to observe World Environment Day

strategy for use of renewable energy sources

Editor of Akababi discusses issues related to sustainable consumption on Think Globally Radio in Stockholm Feb 21, 2007 Think Gloablly Radio

Editor of Akababi discusses the latest IPCC report on Climate Change problem on VOA Feb 6, 2007 Read more about IPCC

Ethiopia Loses 200,000 Hectares Forest Annually The Ethiopian Herald (Addis Ababa) February 8, 2007
The Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute says Ethiopia loses up to 200,000 hectares of forest every year, and warned that if the trend continues the country would lose all of its forest resources by the year 2020.
Akababi's Editorial Talking to Ethiopian trees!

E-NewsLetter from FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT(FFE)
November, 2006 Quote of the month from FFE's E-NewsLetter:
ďż˝The sky is held up by the trees.
If the forest disappears, the sky-roof of the world collapses.
Nature and man then perish together.ďż˝
An old North American Indian saying

Workshop on promoting non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Ethiopia
Workshop Programme. Updated Dec 28, 2006
Forum for Environment

The impact of flooding
PDF in Amharic
Source:Ethiopian Reporter

1st Horn of Africa Regional Environment Meet Opens Tomorrow
Dec 3, 2006
Ethiopian Herald
The 1st Horn of Africa Regional Environment Meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow is set to officially announce a plan to establish the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Network and Centre, the Addis Ababa University (AAU) announced.

Ethiopian Millenium and Environment

Source:EthiopiaFirst

Plastic bag use and disposal
PDF in Amharic
Source:Ethiopian Reporter

Plastic bag reuse
PDF in Amharic
Source:Ethiopian Reporter

Problems faced by zoo animals
PDF in Amharic
Source:Ethiopian Reporter
Trees and the Ethiopian Millenium
PDF in Amharic
Source:Ethiopian Reporter

The Toxic Truths of the Flower Business in Ethiopia
Posted on Akababi on Nov 7, 2006
Wudineh Zenebe, Addis Fortune
As the flower industry grows, it has become a concern for environmentalists and trade unions that the flower industry is chemically intensive and will ultimately have an effect on the environment and on the workers who are exposed to it in their day-to-day working life. As pleased as the government is of the rapid development of the floriculture industry, environmentalists are equally worried.

UN meet debates global warming strategies amid gloomy warnings
Nov 7, 2006
Karen Calabria, AFP
Rising sea levels and ocean temperatures along with other calamities that some associate with global warming, such as floods and hurricanes, have already caused massive damage in the developed world. But they also threaten some of the world's most vulnerable people, the poorest of the poor in Africa, the continent most at-risk, along with hundreds of historic and cultural sites, according to studies issued on Tuesday. Among Africans, residents of Burundi, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Niger and Chad are most threatened by climate change.

"Green" Chemicals Could Be Boon For Africa
Stephanie Kung
The new commercialization deal, which took place under the auspices of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity's Access and Benefit Sharing Agreement, gives the British company Vernique Biotech access to the plant for the next 10 years. In exchange, the Ethiopian government will receive royalty payments and profit shares, while hundreds of local farmers will have an opportunity to boost their earnings by growing the oilseed on land too poor for food crops.

Thanksgiving Coffee's Use of Biodiesel
http://www.thanksgivingcoffee.com
Thanksgiving Coffee Company strives to mitigate the environmental impacts their business has on the planet, and this is not the first time they have taken measures to offset greenhouse gases. In 2001, they financed an assessment by the non-profit Trees for the Future to determine carbon emissions produced in the processing, delivery, and consumption of Thanksgiving Coffee, and is planting about 75,000 trees in Ethiopia-the birthplace of coffee-to alleviate those effects.

Coalition for environment in Ethiopian Millennium
Mesfin Abebe Oct 30, 2006
There has to be intensification in the fight against environmental deterioration. Therefore, the opportune moment at the onset of the Ethiopian Millennium can best be exploited to this end. For example, kaleidoscope institutions can act in concert with the people to help break the poverty-environment merry-go-round..

Addis hosts a two-part event on cut-flowers in Ethiopia on May 18 and May 19, 2006

Part I. International Multi-stakeholder Forum
Date: 18 May 2006
Venue: Hilton Hotel
Topic: Lessons and experiences from other countries for the cut-flower industry in Ethiopia

Part II. Panel Discussion
Date: 19 May 2006
Venue: Goethe Institute (Gebrekristos Desta Center)
Topic: Towards corporate social and environmental responsibility of the cut-flower industry in Ethiopia: Deliberations with international experts and national stakeholders
Moderator: Ms. Sue Edwards, Director, Institute for Sustainable Development (Ethiopia)
Full program

Green Award Program to Be Launched
Daily Monitor via Allafrica.com May 9, 2006
At a press conference FfE organized at the Global Hotel, Coordinator of FfE, Ato Nigusu Aklilu, told reporters that the main objective of the green award program was to initiate an annual award program to individuals and institutions involved in environmental protection and management in order to recognize, acknowledge, celebrate and disseminate good initiatives.

E-NewsLetter from FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT
April , 2006

Bio-Dieselďż˝s $100m Project Waiting in Queue
Addis Fortune April 12, 2006
Hovev Agriculture Ltd, an Israeli company, has shown interest in investing 100 million dollars to produce diesel from plants. The company is awaiting green signal from Ethiopian Investment Commission for a 40,000hct plot required for implementation.

Green Award Programme - Ethiopia launched
April 4, 2006
Forum for Environment Association officially launched a Green Award Programme-Ethiopia to serve as a tool for environmental advocacy by encouraging environmental awareness and practical actions to combat environmental degradation.

Akababi appreciates the intiative and effort of Forum for Environment.
See alsoForum For Environment

Ethiopian EPA Chief wins Champions of the Earth Award from UNEP UNEP March 31, 2006
Akababi would like to congratulate Dr. Tewolde for the award and his tireless effort for the betterment of the environment and local communities.
Forum to Rescue Akaki from Industrial Pollute
Addis at Risk of Water and Vegi Provision from the Area, Experts Warn Addis Fortune July 23, 2005
According to a study by the Addis Abeba Environmental Protection Authority, 35 factories release untreated waste into the river, which starts in northern Addis Abeba and crosses 13 woredas to join the Aba Samuel Lake, approximately 30Km south of Addis. The study reveals that this has led to the destruction of aquatic life in the river. It has already been contaminated by domestic, hospital, and industrial wastes, according to the study.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi awarded the first African Green Revolution Yara Prize The Yara Price committee Online July 19, 2005
The Board of the Yara Foundation has chosen to award the first African Green Revolution Yara Prize, to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, for his contribution to improved food security and human nutrition in ways that also protect the environment. The Yara Prize will be presented by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the United Nations Millennium Project at an award ceremony in Oslo, Norway on September 3.

What is your opinion regarding the environmental implication of this prize? Click here!

Canada Denies Visa for Africaďż˝s Chief Biosafety and Biodiversity Negotiator ďż˝ Ethiopian Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher

Canada must give visa to Africa's biosafety representative Akababi E-mail Inbox Online May 21, 2005
Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher from Ethiopia ďż˝ Tewolde to his friends - African Unionďż˝s chief spokesperson and negotiator for the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety was denied a visa to enter Canada for a crucial conference of the parties and preceding working group meeting, which will take place in Montreal between 25 May and 3 June. Canada is not a Party to the Biosafety Protocol. The meetings are expected to shape the controversial issues of identification (labelling) of genetically modified products, and liability and redress in case of damages caused.
These issues were left outstanding at the final show-down in the 3-way negotiations on the Cartagena Protocol in Montreal in 2000: the Canadian delegate, negotiating on behalf of the Miami Group (Canada, USA, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile); Tewolde, negotiating on behalf of the developing countries including China, (with the exception of Argentina, Uruguay and Chile); and the European Commission delegate negotiating on behalf of the European Union. An impassioned, historic speech by Tewolde broke the deadlock; and the European Commission delegate came down on the side of the Africans and developing countries. Agreement was reached, leaving identification, and liabilities and redress to be negotiated and settled soon after the Protocol comes into force. Five years later, however, these issues remain unresolved.
See also "This is an emergency, and we have no time to lose.. "

See also "In barring Dr. Tewolde from participating in the Montreal meetings, Canada is jeopardizing Montreal's future as a United Nations city."

Countries ranked by Wellbeing Index
Ethiopia ranks 115th out of 180 countries Akababi Compiler Online April 26, 2005
The Wellbeing Index (WI) is the point on a Barometer of Sustainability where the Human Wellbeing Index (HWI) and Ecosystem Wellbeing Index (EWI) intersect. It is expressed here as the average of the HWI and the EWI. Sustainability would be an average of 81.0 or higher.
See also Wellbeing of Nations Methodology

Proceedings of Political Parties' Debate on Ethiopian Environment
Organized by Forum for Environment Online April 26, 2005
In his concluding remarks of the debate, Professor Shibru Tedla said: Although the government is usually held accountable in such fora, every one has his/her share of the blame. As the representative of the government said, the responsibility of the government in the main is formulating polices and laws, and to see to their implementation. The opposition parties on their parts, should look for gaps in policies and laws, inform on these gaps and work for these gaps to be filled. There are also many things that can be done at the individual level. We, individuals and organizations, have a big role in disseminating the awareness about the environment. How can programs to disseminate the awareness at a national level be integrated to the day-to-day activities of the people? How can we bring them on board? This Questions should be given due attention.

Akababi appreciates the intiative and effort of Forum for Environment in Addis specifically its hardworking coordinator Ato Negusu Aklilu.
See alsoForum For Environment

Five factories got certified according to ISO 14001 (pdf file in Amharic)
ENA April 25, 2005
ISO 14001 is the standard set by the International Standards Organisation, which specifies the requirements of an environmental management system, which can be integrated, with other management requirements, to assist organisations to achieve environmental and economic goals. The overall aim of ISO 14001 is to support environmental protection and prevention of pollution in balance with socio-economic needs. In the general , the ISO 14000 environmental management standards exist to ensure products and services have the lowest possible environmental impact.

Akababi would like to congratulate the five factories for their achievement.

See alsoISO 14000 website

Addis hosting major international meeting on climate
ENA April 6, 2005
The 23rd session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) kicked off here on Tuesday to finalize a Special Report on safeguarding the ozone layer and the global climate systems.
Delegates from over 100 countries taking part in the three-day meeting are expected to adopt the report, who will also approve a Summary for Policymakers. The report was requested by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
See alsoIPCC's Calendar
Visit relevant links

Ethiopia aggressively working to implement UNCCD
Experience-sharing workshop underway WIC Feb. 22, 2005
Ethiopia has been aggressively working towards implementing the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which it ratified in June 1997, Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority said.
Further info about Ethiopian EPA

Conservation International shows concern on significant problems of Ethiopian highlands Reporter Feb. 19, 2005
The organization said that although a system of conservation areas were proposed to form the basis of wildlife conservation in the country, only two of the planned 14 national parks and sanctuaries have been legally constituted. These are the Awash National Park and Semien Mountains National Park. Even these two parks are not adequately secured, staffed or equipped. These difficulties have been exacerbated by famines, refugee problems, civil unrest, armed rebellions, and war which threaten the livelihood of people.

Community management of Afroalpine highlands in Ethiopia Zelealem Tefera (PhD) Feb. 22, 2005 published in LEISA MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2004
The long association with their environment and commitment to remaining there in the future equips indigenous communities for prudent management of natural resources ďż˝ even by present day standards. Indigenous communities have held resource management systems under complex, often overlapping tenure rights, which share benefits across their community and exclude non community members.

Director of Forum for Environment speaks..... Reporter (Amharic) Feb. 6, 2005
This interview in Amharic includes different issues such as the ethiopian environmental policy, environmental impacts of investments, international agreements, the role of the international community etc.
Further info about Forum for Environment

Authority warns of the gravity of environmental degradation in Ethiopia Reporter December 1, 2004
...the degradation was manifested in the form of losses of vegetation cover, losses of biodiversity, soil fertility depletion in agricultural lands, massive soil erosion, disruption of hydrolic regime which resulted in drying up of rivers, streams and springs during dry season and severe desertification process, and its ecological and socio-economic consequence.
Africa 'makes excuses on climate' BBC November 30, 2004
"The tree is an empowering symbol: when you've planted one, something happens to the environment. It's not the only solution, but it's something most of us can do.
Anyone can dig a hole. And one tree multiplied several million times gives you a forest.
We need to explain it to them[Africans] in simple terms and to give them simple solutions,When a baby is born, or when someone dies, plant a tree." Wangari Maathai, who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize as "a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace".
Afforestation on Hakim Gara mountain said encouraging WIC September 7, 2004
Inhabitants around Hakim Gara Mountain in Harrari State said that the forest on the mountain, which was depleted, is now revived following the afforestation drive carried out by the public.
New Documentary Film Inaugurated Addis Tribune September 3, 2004
The film depicts the ever-increasing degradation of natural resources in the country, particularly in rural areas caused by man-made and natural factors and its negative impact upon the livelihood of the people living in the area. The film is intended to motivate the public in rehabilitating the environment.

The Devil Tree - the tree that's eating Ethiopia The Independent August 27, 2004
In Ethiopia they call it the Devil Tree. It is both an addiction and an affliction. In this largely pastoral country there are many people who can't do without it: it provides shelter, building materials, fencing for livestock, firewood, charcoal and shade from the fierce African sun. ....In the 30-odd years since it was introduced from Mexico, it has started to take over the rural landscape. Now it has eaten up as much as a quarter of all arable grazing land in some areas, leaching the earth of the nutrients that once nurtured the grass that pastoralists rely on to graze their cattle, their livelihood.
Conservation award for Ethiopian student August 24, 2004
"Conservation is my lifestyle. It is my inherent belief that the only and highest service I can ever render to my country is to be involved in activities related to the conservation of biodiversity and the environment."
A Perspective On "Ending Famine in Ethiopia And the Horn of Africa: " By the G-8 Addis Tribune August 13, 2004
One of the great challenges of development policy for the 21st century is the combating of rising poverty, recurring famines, and environmental degradation in Africa. We should also be aware that at the close of the last century, poverty among developing countries declined, famines were mostly defeated in most parts of the developing world, and per capita income and per capital food production increased, in spite of a modest population growth.

President calls for active public involvement in forest conservation, development WIC August 9, 2004
ďż˝We have a collective and individual responsibility to create conducive environment to rehabilitate the dwindling natural resources employing our local experiences with those from external sources.ďż˝

Prosopis juliflora: THE PARADOX OF THE DRYLAND ECOSYSTEMS, AFAR REGION, ETHIOPIA Hailu Shiferaw July 23, 2004
....this species is ďż˝YeAlah Kuta Newďż˝ (meaning the punishment of Alah/God). However, even pastoralists need the presence of matured tree/shrub because it is very important to tolerate sunrays, soil erosion, windstorm, salt reclamation, etc, and some people say that this species is the "paradise of the desert". Thus, it is controversial.

A WONDERFUL BUT NEGLECTED TREE SPECIES IN ETHIOPIA called SHIFERAW
Simon Shibru July 23, 2004
M. stenopetala or SHIFERAW's leaves, pods, and roots are edible; bees love the flowers; and seeds are powdered and used to purify water from muddy rivers. Its parts are actually and potentially useful to extract ingredients of medicinal value. It is truly the mother's best friend in rural parts of southern Ethiopia particularly for mothers of poor family.

ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHIDO CHURCH FORESTS:
The Blue Prints of the lost forest resources in the Northern Highlands of Ethiopia
Alemayehu Wassie (M.Sc.) May 6, 2004
Deforestation in the northern highlands of Ethiopia is becoming an unstoppable process dating back many hundreds of years. In much of the landscape of northern Ethiopia, the lush vegetation on the hillsides surrounding a church or a monastery presents a sharp contrast to the surrounding bare ridges and mountain slopes.

Kidist, Cairo April 15, 2004

It was & still is heartbreaking. I asked God, " why you gave us all this & took it from us? Who is going to be blamed for this? " Perhaps.........

Indigenous Natural Management Initiative of Menz -
a finalist for Equator Initiative Award 2004
Zelealem Tefera (PhD) , April 8, 2004
The Guassa area Indigenous Natural Management Initiative of Menz in north Showa, Ethiopia has been recently selected as a finalist for a very prestigious Equator Initiative Award 2004. The Equator Initiative selects the best community-based practises, those contribute significantly to biodiversity conservation and poverty reduction at a community level all around the Equator (tropics), and takes place once in two years.

Fire damages one of Ethiopia's indigenous forests.
AFP, March 5, 2004
Six People Sentenced for Setting Wildfire
WIC, March 13, 2004

Fire damages one of Ethiopia's indigenous forests.
AFP, March 5, 2004
The 100,000-hectare (247,000-acre) Wondo-Genet forest, 280 kilomtres (170 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa, caught fire on Wednesday, according to the radio, which said that many indigenous trees, some estimated to be more than 300 years old, have been destroyed. .

Wondo forest ablaze- Indigenous trees more than a century old under attack
WIC, March 4, 2004
Police Commissioner of the Southern State, Admassu Ango told WIC that the fire [in Wondo]that erupted from two directions yesterday (March 3) at 4 p.m is now widespread and causing huge damage.

Four years ago Fire Legacy

ďż˝I have learnt not to undermine the power of one personďż˝s willďż˝ďż˝
Aster Asgedom, January 2004
The last time I was in Ethiopia I wanted to take my share of responsibility and planted 34 trees during my six weeks vacation. Today about half of them are alive while an ignorant and unconscious people destroyed the rest. Any way the big change came one year ago, I inspired the townďż˝s commissioner (kentiba) he started a campaign to plant trees across the whole town. I burst into tears of happiness when I heard that. More

Rabies in endangered Ethiopian wolves
Zelealem Tefera (PhD), Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, Dec. 4, 2003
In the last few weeks there has been an outbreak of disease, confirmed as being rabies, among the Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains. The Bale Mountains is home to the most important population of this endangered species that is endemic to Ethiopia. The current Ethiopian wolf population in Bale was estimated at 300 (of the global total estimate of 500) wolves. Since September 2003, 20 wolves have died in the Web valley within the Bale area. The Web valley is a critical core area that harboured an estimated 80 wolves prior to this crisis.
More
How can You help? Websites on Ethiopian wolves

Balancing Trade Rules, the Environment and Sustainable Development
INTERVIEW with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher
Question: People in the civil society groups in Johannesburg expressed great disappointment about the lack of forward movement at the WSSD meeting, but they spoke very warmly of Ethiopia's role in the negotiations. Why is that?
Dr. Tewolde : We were not involved early on in the negotiations. That was our own problem - it is expensive, we are a poor country, and I wasn't enjoying full health; but we came in later, in relative force. There were five of us in the negotiations, and we were following all that was happening.

Pollution Concern in Wonji, Wonji/Shoa, and Metehara since the 1950's
Almaz Mequanint
I am one of the victims who is suffering from asthma because of the air pollution at that time. I am also suffering from teeth decay, knee and other joint problem because of the excess fluoride in the water. My parents had knee joint problems but they passed away recently. My kids are suffering from teeth decay, cavities and staining.
Recently I visited Ethiopia and I found out that many people whom I know were sick from various disease caused from the air and water pollution. Some of my father's friends are sick and bed bounded because of the skeletal fluorosis. Many young beautiful girls of these communities hide their mouth with their hand when they smile to hide their heavily stained teeth, and those who have money replace their front teeth with artificial teeth. The sad thing is nobody knows whom to blame, or where to seek help.

Sustainable Development in Ethiopia
Report of Assessment of Activities and Issues in Ethiopia relevant to the review process of the Earth Summit 2002. by Medhin Zewdu (Ph.D.) for Heinrich Boell Foundation
The current capacity for sustainable development in terms of skills, knowledge and expertise is very low in the country in many ways.

Take care of the Earth, The Earth will take care of you
by FORUM FOR ENVIRONMENT
"To be poor in Ethiopia is not only the inability to feed oneself or ones family. It is also lack of power, lack of access to resources, lack of freedom of choice, loss of your sovereignty, loss of environmental and cultural heritage, etc. Poverty is as much mental as it is physical.

Dechassa Lemessa of UN-Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia speaks to Surafiel Fantaye of VOA -Amharic Service on the Assessment Study done from June - September 2001 on forest fires in 2000. The full report of the assessment entitled Forest fires in Ethiopia: Reflections on socio-economic and environmental effects of the fires in 2000 is now available here. In his part one interview aired March 19, 2002 he outlined that:
-Ethiopia loses at least 200,000 hectares of forest per year
-major cause of this much loss is forest fire
-the forest fire in year 2000 was caused totally by human made
-involvement of locality communities in protecting forest areas based on benefit sharing is important.
A Breath of Fresh Air By Sereke Berhan, WIC, March 19, 2002 It is truly a revolution. An environmental revolution, which has captured the hearts of a large segment of the population, with the youth at the forefront. I am so pleased and encouraged by what I have seen. So are many people who deeply care about the welfare of this nation. The hopelessness and despair that I experienced in the past have been lifted from my shoulders. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. New hope is emerging. The wilted desire to make a difference is slowly beginning to blossom. Seleshi has watered the garden of hope. Oh, how glorious it would be if we could use this kind of co-operation and dedication to improve other aspects of our lives. We could easily get rid of corruption. Hunger and malnutrition could be wiped out. Moreover, we could move forward towards sustainable development to ensure a better life for all our people. Expert laments death of Ethiopian wildlife In the opinion of many concerned persons in Wildlife in Ethiopia today, all the major populations of wildlife will have disappeared from Ethiopia within a decade. The only way to divert this trend is for a new system of wildlife management to be introduced in Ethiopia which will enlist the co-operation of the Ethiopians themselves.
Environment related International Agreements signed by EthiopiaNew! Ethiopia was a member of the League of Nations and joined the United Nations on 13 November 1945. Ethiopia is party to twelve international environmental agreemenents. Ten Years after RIO: Share your observations!Akababi, 20 Feb 2002 Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development - will bring together tens of thousands of participants, including heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and other major groups to focus the world's attention and direct action toward meeting difficult challenges, including improving people's lives and conserving our natural resources in a world that is growing in population, with ever-increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic security. The Summit will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August to 4 September 2002. What did you observe when it comes to Ethiopia during the ten years after Rio? Share your observations with akababi. Ethio Enviro Page will update you on Ethiopian Issues in light of to Johannesburg Summit.

Editor and manager of Akababi: Ethio Enviro Page underlined the need to work together for the youth in rehabilitating Ethiopian environment during his interview with VOA(Voice of America)- amharic service - concerning Akababi website. The interview was aired on January 26 and February 2, 2002 on the weekly program Mestawot.

Ethiopia's forests face extinction ADDIS ABABA, 17 Jan 2002 (BBC) The UN warns that frequent fires mean Ethiopia's forests could disappear in 20 years and urgent action is needed to promote conservation.

Deforestation leaves two million hectares of land barren in the country: EPA ADDIS ABABA, 12 Jan 2002 (WIC) The Environmental Protection Authority disclosed that as a result of the extensive deforestation in Ethiopia, some two million hectares of land in the country has now become irreversibly barren.

Report warns of looming environmental disaster ADDIS ABABA, 7 Jan 2002 (IRIN) Almost all the forests in Ethiopia have been destroyed in the last 40 years, according to a study by the United Nations. Less than three percent of the entire country is now covered with trees - prompting fears of an impending environmental disaster - and the problem is only going to get worse. Wild fires, which in 2000 caused more than US $39 million of damage in the southern Bale and Borana regions alone, have destroyed many of the forested areas of the country.

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Online Journal of Ethiopian Environmental and Energy Concern Since Feb 1999 [Editor] [Archive] [Links] [Contact]

Online Journal of Ethiopian Environmental and Energy Concern Since Feb 1999
[Editor] [Archive] [Links] [Contact]