Aid & Ecology in Africa

Africa is a diverse continent in climate, vegetation and also people. It used to be a land of potential but was ruined by man’s influence. It was said that the settlers who descended upon Africa some 200 years ago caused radical change there. The natural balance of the environment was spoilt, and today the economies in Africa are the weakest in the world and the effects of the population because of this poverty has adverse effects on the environment.

Today, only 1% of Africa’s wildlife remains, which testifies of Africa’s former glory and greatness. The greatest disturbance to the natural environment is desertification. It is when savannah grassland is transformed into arid desert-like land. Although many factors causing desertification are natural, like drought and soil erosion, man’s impact on the environment can sometimes be harmful.

In this entry, I would like to examine how foreign aid is not always helpful and how this can be improved.

Although aid is poured into Africa frequently, the evidence that aid can transform the environmental situation and lift people out of poverty is sometimes unconvincing, because it can only speed up a process that is already happening. Usually, we assume that money can change things. But if aid could make Africa prosperous, it would have done so by now.

Despite nearly a trillion dollars of aid since the 1960s when Africa gained independence, much of Africa is worse off now than it was then. That is because much of the aid given was spent by outsiders without any direct consultation with Africans and a little understanding of Africa’s needs.

Africa has rich resources but is a victim of bad politics, and some African nation states do not have effective governments. As such, it is difficult to deliver education about the environment to Africans without working through those governments.

Some of the African nations like Tanzania and Uganda receive about 50% of their budgets from aid, which makes them even more dependent on Western aid donors than they were in colonial times. And in times of economic crisis, some countries may cut back on their aid for Africa, and in turn, the environment and people suffer even more. Because of this aid, Western aid donors are able to control the agenda, for instance, taking ownership of the programme.

Much of the aid is spent in the form of consultancies and goods, for example genetically modified food to solve the problems caused by famine. For Africa, this breeds dependence and undermines self reliance. Eventually, this may breed resentment.

Ultimately, there is no short cut to development, and problems can only be genuinely solved when Africans themselves bring change to their country. I believe a way to start is through the development of a state where taxes are raised and where they are spent productively for the countries to develop. Today, a lack of capacity by the government and corruption prevent basic services from being delivered to citizens.

Giving aid feels good but there are actually other ways to help Africa. Policies that promote a fairer system of trade should be pursued. Agricultural subsidies that distort prices, therefore allowing cheap food to be dumped in Africa should be ended as it is ruining farmers there.

Gender Perspective in Energy Sector

The use of renewable energy has an important role in both developing and developed countries. There are different implications of the wider use of renewable energy resources for women and men. It has been shown, however, that women have an important role to play in sustainable energy development.

In this entry, I would like to examine why women need renewable energy and why a gender perspective is relevant in the energy sector.

Renewable energy addresses women’s needs in cooking energy that is less labour intensive, convenient and safer. For this to take place, a broad view of the entire household’s fuel cycle needs to be taken into consideration. A large portion of women’s economic contribution goes unpaid and is often unrecognised and unpaid, therefore resulting in less attention in the development of technology in improving the work of women. Renewable energy addresses their labour saving needs such as water pumping, grain grinding and transport.

Renewable energy development can also address women’s needs in their livelihoods and income. This improves the safety in working in energy intensive industries. Lighting is also important in allowing women to work more productively in the evening in home industries.

As modern lifestyles become more rushed, renewable energy programmes need to involve women because they influence the direct and indirect energy consumption of the home, and in turn play a part in the education of the children in energy conservation and consumption habits.

There is a stereotype that women are not capable of building and operating sophisticated technologies. The woman’s role in technology has often been overlooked, and their ability to innovate may be a rich source in improving renewable energy technologies, and can increase the confidence of women.

Women are increasingly adopting non-traditional work roles in the energy sector, due to the increasing education levels and the number of female headed households. Hence, non-traditional roles for women can also be considered in renewable energy projects. Documentation on women in renewable energy activities have been limited and more information is needed.

The gender perspective recognises that some issues are gender specific. Men and women play different roles and face different constraints. A gender perspective ensures that women receive benefits from the development of renewable technology, and that they are able to contribute to the development of it.

In the conventional energy industry, it is not true that women have been excluded intentionally or that their energy related activities are overlooked. The fact is that they have been defined out of the energy sector, and only recently, energy has been defined as large scale, capital intensive technology that is run by experts for economic growth. It is not viewed as small scale or management intensive activities done by women using their own natural resources and strength for small scale income activities. Women have been largely ignored in energy planning, but I believe that this is slowly changing.

Today, although current gender perspectives mark a shift away from viewing women as passive recipients of science and technology, women are merely getting into the mainstream. They are seen, but are not active participants in the innovation process. With women getting into the innovation process, needs of the poor and women can be easily met.

Currently, it is a fact that more women are employed in energy professions, because of the increased access to science education, and changes to policies have ensured equal opportunities among men and women. However, in most energy institutions, the participation of women is still small, and women may still face obstacles in the male dominated energy sector.

Therefore, I believe it is important to consider gender in the developing of renewable energy. Without their involvement, renewable energy projects can become inappropriate. Women are generally the main users of household energy in developing countries, and they influence the family’s use of energy.

China’s One Child Policy

China’s one-child policy is one of the most controversial social policies of all time, because of the issues and the way the policy has been implemented. Some negative social consequences have also arisen from this policy. However, there is general public acceptance despite the many critiques about it. In 2008, a survey undertaken by the Pew Research Centre showed that 75% of the Chinese population support the one child policy.

One of the questions many ask is whether the policy has been fair to Chinese citizens. But it is true that China faces a population crisis, and I feel the government cannot be blamed for taking such extreme measures. Drastic times call for drastic measures. But I feel that there are ways to achieve a sustainable population size without implementing such a drastic measure, for example, India. India has achieved population sustainability without state coercion.

One issue of the one child policy is the violation of basic human rights. There have been forced sterilizations, abortions and even infanticides. There have been many horror stories of how people were forced to abort their babies, although the use of physical force on women is outlawed in China.

However, China’s economic might could be developed as a result of the family planning programme, since investors recognise that children can be costly. When their numbers are reduced, it frees capital into the Chinese economy. The economic success of China was so successful and powerful that in 1998 and 1999, financial restrictions were imposed to moderate an overheating economy.

Some studies have shown that in the last two decades, more males were born as a result, and the sex ratio in China became imbalanced. As a result of the imbalanced sex ratio, there were fewer married men and marriage was also seen as a socialising force. I feel that this policy does not improve gender equality, but worsens it.

Also, the crime rates increased as a result of the policy. The Chinese government has also recognised this problem of a higher crime rate as a result of the one child policy and has been trying to undo the damage. A softer tone in its propaganda was adopted. In the past, abortion was encouraged, but today, posters encourage family planning and that both boys and girls are treasures.

I believe it is time for the one-child policy to be phased out. It is successful to a certain extent as China’s birth rate has been lowered dramatically and annual population growth is less than 1%. Economic growth has also multiplied and more women are brought into the workforce. But the downside is the demographic nightmare and the severe labour shortage that China will experience due to the ageing population and the lack of children to provide for millions of elderly people.

It has also been said that the Chinese society is increasingly influenced by consumerism, from the various articles done about the “little emperors”, the only child in the family where parents shower lavish care on them. All the generations of ambitions are focused on this one child. Most of them will grow up not knowing how to care for other people or siblings, and this might create a self centred society.

In light of the recent Sichuan quake, many families have lost their only child, and this could encourage the government to phase out the one-child policy. To outlive your offspring is a terrible prospect, and for many families in China, there will be no more children for those families who have lost their only child.

This phasing out could be done slowly, as time is needed to develop China’s social and medical infrastructure to cope with the rising birth rate, should this policy be eliminated. Issues like the rising ageing population have to be dealt with too, for example, the provision of elderly care and social infrastructure. Removing these laws immediately would only undo all the good that was done by the policy. In about nine months, there would be a flood of babies born in China.