Sustainable+Development

I n Need of Basics
Clean water and a clean place to go to the bathroom are needed to improve health over the long term so people are strong enough to support themselves. (Laura)

Skills
Without a basic education, kids don’t learn the skills they need to be empowered. Part of sustainable development is training in skills that help people get ahead. (Blair)

Debt
Developing countries spend too much money paying back loans. Most developing countries have loans, but in Africa especially, these loans are very large. Some African countries are paying so much money toward their loans that they can’t pay for needs like health care or education. Developed countries can forgive these loans so developing countries can spend more on things like clean water, housing, health care, jobs and education. (Louise)

Environment
Environmental problems like climate change are examples of how the way we live is hurting our earth. Sustainable development supports people in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment. (Julia) These are a few of the main reasons why sustainable development is needed, but there are many more. Oka, I think that these are good goals- one for each of us- and they are very similar to the topics we discussed working on when in class and they are very nicely spelled out

Weekly work goal (for May 14): organize information into causes, consequences, and solutions



Sustainable Development falls under MDG goals #7 and #8... [|http://www.mdgmonitor.org/goal7.cfm [|http://www.mdgmonitor.org/goal8.cfm

To learn more about these goals and to see what the UN is doing in Africa, check out the link below: [|http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/afrsteeringdecl.html]

okay, here's another website that has information on all of our topics, and is the UN Division for Sustainable Development's official website [|http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/  (VISIT THIS SITE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!!)

here's another site we can all use. It explains the goals of NEPAD (new Partnership for Africa's Development) which i think are similar to our own http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/inbrief.php Below are its examples of what is needed to establish Sustainable Development. Btw, NEPAD is a "programme" of the African Union, so it's Legit. a. Establishing the Conditions for Sustainable Development by ensuring b. Policy reforms and increased investment in the following priority sectors- c. Mobilising Resources by - > This ERP Tool kit provides education and training materials for rural teachers, technicians, instructors, trainers, parents, researchers, extensionists and others involved in formal and non formal education for rural people. It could also provide tools for self studies. > The Tool Kit draws on the experience, knowledge and skills of a wide range of experts involved in fields relevant to Education for Rural People and these technical inputs have been acknowledged. > //The ERP Toolkit supports the South - South Cooperation by sharing training material prepared within FAO.// > We have classified all items into macro-categories with the intention of facilitating the use of the materials. For each item we also provided a short abstract that explains what the item is about and refers to related articles and information. We have organized the first list of items by level and type of education. The secondary list is focused on subjects. Most of the items are in English but some of them are also available in other languages, including local languages. Members and users contributions to enrich the Tool Kit will be appreciated. > [|http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/ERptktoolkit_en.htm > = In Need of Basics = West Africa is known to be the worst region when it comes to clean water and sanitation. But many are setting out to fix that problem...
 * Peace and security;
 * Democracy and good, political, economic and corporate governance;
 * Regional co-operation and integration;
 * Capacity building.
 * Agriculture;
 * Human development with a focus on health, education, science and technology and skills development;
 * Building and improving infrastructure, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Energy, Transport, Water and Sanitation;
 * Promoting diversification of production and exports, particularly with respect to agro-industries, manufacturing, mining, mineral beneficiation and tourism;
 * Accelerating intra-African trade and improving access to markets of developed countries;
 * The environment.
 * Increasing domestic savings and investments;
 * Improving management of public revenue and expenditure;
 * Improving Africa’s share in global trade;
 * Attracting foreign direct investment; and
 * Increasing capital flows through further debt reduction and increase ODA flows.
 * __Water__

Causes: Most of West Africa just hasn't become as civilized as quickly as the rest of the world. These countries don't know how to handle themselves financially or environmentally, which leads to the problems. People are desperate for water, so they travel long distances for even dirty drinking water. Internationally, many countries aren't taking steps to conserve water, even if it's abundant in their homeland.

Problems: Without money to establish water projects, nothing gets done. The people continue walking for miles to get dirty water for drinking, so they continue to get sick. Many children, especially girls, don't go to school because they won't have access to a clean bathroom.

Solutions: - Expanding on World Water Day to include more action as opposed to observance of water scarcity. - Keep founding projects like WAWI. - Peace Corps volunteers in the area can focus on establishing sanitation services, for water purification and things like bathrooms. - Countries that do have enough water can do the usual: Shorter showers, shut off the faucet when not using it, etc. - Write to your senators/reps how water conservation/establishment should be of utmost importance - Would donating water be completely out of the question?

http://www.wsp.org/regions/region.asp?id=11 - 62% of Africans have access to safe water, 60% to decent sanitation - WSP (water and sanitation program) works with partners to develop financial plans, policies, and solutions to answer the water crisis in Africa. They work with clients country-by-country to find solutions and These are their 3 main strategy points:**

[|**http://allafrica.com/water/**][|**http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-7C64AF?OpenDocument**] - The 5-year program will give 1.5 million water, sanitation, and education - The money will also fund pumps, wells, and other water systems
 * **Promoting sector reform, improved governance, and the development of country-owned roadmaps**
 * **Assisting countries in developing sustainable financing strategies to implement large-scale programs**
 * **Providing capacity-building support to both regional and national policymakers and service providers.**
 * - The UK created a 32 million pound project to give water to people of Sierra Leone. It is also run by the govt. of Sierra Leone and UNICEF.

http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/May/20060512084548AKllennoCcM0.9622418.html** [|**http://www.waterforthepoor.org/initiatives/wawi/wawi.htm**] http://www.irc.nl/page/17197 - This site gives an outline of the issues water scarcity brings to Africa, including sickness and national conflicts. In essence, the article says that to bring clean water to Africa means a "permanent fight aginst poverty, ignorance, and illness."**
 * **1.2 billion worldwide lack access to clean water, 2.4 lack adequate sanitation**
 * **US Agency for International Development [USAID] joined with the Conrad Hilton Foundation, World Vision, and others to establish the West Africa Water Initiative. [WAWI]**
 * **WAWI is a $41 million program that brings clean water and sanitation to Mali, Ghana, and Niger. There are now 100 alternative water sources, 825 wells, and 9,000 latrines. The program is expected to help about 450,000 this year.**
 * **WAWI also reaches people on a community level by teaching about diseases that come with lack of water/dirty water and how to maintain water management.**
 * A very good website for a thorough description of WAWI.

====** Food Causes: Rising prices, civil unrest, international speculation. Other countries aren't wanting to trade with the West Africa area because of the prices and the civil unrest. It's a circle system. Problems: The poor in West Africa can't afford to pay for the food they need. Even those that can afford it are being dented economically. The hunger leads to the civil unrest, which leads to governments trying to take control with export bans. This also explains the international halt when it comes to trading. Solutions: - The UN is doing some good when sending food by air to these countries. - National/international debt is a big part of this. Paying off these debts would eliminate some civil unrest. (Passing the buck to Louise.) **====

** - **
**An article on the food insecurities in West Africa. It analyzes the insecurity by region. The main causes of food insecurity are rising prices, civil unrest, and international speculation. Ex: The Western zone of West Africa is heavily dependent on the statues of the rest of the world. Food prices are rising in the world, and countries banning exports to certain countries has caused these prices to rise. Now, people can't afford to feed themselves.
 * http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ASIN-7DRLU9?OpenDocument

http://www.fews.net/docs/Publications/West%20Africa%20Regional%20alert_2008_04_16_finalLG.pdf PDF from USAID about food insecurity in WA.

Shelter

=  (Julez, you may want to look at these action plans by NEPAD for Environment   [|http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/actionplans.php     -Blair)   = = Enviromental Causes  = Links: [|http://web.mit.edu/eltahir/www/deforestation.html  (lots of graphs to check out!) [|http://www.ecoworld.com/blog/2007/01/23/biofueled-global-warming/ Enviromental Causes: 1) Desertification being caused by drought and deforestation: -> millions of square miles are being torn down to build biofuel plantations. -> soil erosion because of deforestation -> "deforestation along southern west africa coast may result in total collapse in monsoon system and siginifigant reduction of total rainfall" (quote taken from first website). -> growing population is consuming more firewood, etc. faster than is grows.   2) Lake Chad drainage: [|http://earthshots.usgs.gov/LakeChad/LakeChad  farmers need lake to raise animals -> lake affects irrigation system -> population increases, Lake Chad decreases 3) farmland overwork 4) mining and exporting (timber) -> foreign companies own most of the mining opperations, makeing it hard for national control over minerals = Enviromental Issues = [|http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/teachers/curriculum/m17/activity2.php includes Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and Niger. -> experiencing great famine because of drought and overuse of recources, slowing turning area into a desert. 3) Lake Chad -> once the sixth largest lake in the world, but it has now shrunk to a 1/20 to its former size! -> towns around lake before have now collapsed as shoreline recedes 4) Ghana: http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/41/Ghana.html -> once famous for it forests, minerals, and lakes (Lake Volta) -> suffering rapid deforestation -> mining operations for its gold, diamonds, manganese ore, and bauxite, depleting nations recources. -> removal of forests is causing rivers and streams to dry up, leading to the extinction of river-relying plants and animals. -> removal of recources has caused lack of certain snails, mushrooms, and medicinal plants that some villages rely on. -> communities being relocated because of minning opperations as well as other serious health related diseases, social problems, water polution for local communities, air and noise polution, and depletion of underground water sources. ~*~ =Enviromental Solutions= 1) deforestation - large companies being taxes for forest explotation - rural places given incentive to manage forest areas well - managment of forest by a Board of Trustees - promoting activities that decrease reliance on forest - enviromental and economic regulation of timber trade 2) Lake Chad (water) - funding for the conservation and protection of Lake Chad - indicate priority areas for project development to maintain or restore globally important biodiversity - reinforce the role of wetland ecosystems for sustainable development through the provision of clean water and a variety of wetland products 3) mining - reduce reliance on natural minerals - seek alternitive energy and profit recources - limit foreign control on mining process

~*~ = Debt = ** Causes: ** --Mismanaged lending by Western countries --Poor money management by West African governments --Inability to pay back loans (never should have taken them out in the first place) //  Spectrum   //  , 2008, “Debt Cancellation in Africa”. “Over forth nations, thirty-two of which are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, are considered Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank with each country owning billions of dollars. The severe debt felt by many developing nations is directly a result of rapid colonization during the 1960’s and 1970’s followed by the 1973 oil crisis in which the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced that the shipment of oil would cease to all countries supporting Israel in the then current Arab-Israeli War...Therefore, nations were forced to borrow billions of dollars from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to cover rising costs, and severe economic problems developed. This debt has accumulated over the past three decades, placing many countries in a state of economic crisis.” // Time  // , May 19th, 2008, “Why the World Can’t Afford Food”. __Poor harvests and restrictive trade policies:__ Worldwide production of cereals has not kept pace with demand as droughts and bad weather have hit key exporting regions. As stocks dwindled, some countries placed export restrictions on food to protect their own supplies. This in turn drove up prices, punishing countries—especially poor ones—that depend on imports for much of their food. __Increasing price of oil:__ Food costs closely track energy costs. As the price of oil spikes, the cost of running a farm jumps too. Petroleum is a key ingredient in the making of some types of fertilizer, which is increasingly essential to agriculture in the developing world. Then there’s the added cost of gas to run equipment and higher transportation expenses to get food to market. __Diversion of crops for biofuels:__ Expensive oil creates more demand for alternatives, like biofuels made from corn or other plants. Driven by government subsidies, US farmers are devoting more land to corn at the expense of other crops and turning more of the corn they grow into ethanol. It’s a double whammy: both corn and grain for food become scarcer, further driving up prices. __Increasing demand, especially in China:__ The fast-growing economies of China and India are enabling more people to buy pricier food like fruit and meat rather than less expensive staples like rice. Chinese meat consumption has more than doubled since 1980, and milk consumption has tripled. With such growing demand, more grain is diverted to feeding livestock rather than people. ** Consequences :** --The country spends all of its money on repaying debts and trying to find “quick fixes” for the problems initially caused by national debt instead of bettering the lives of its people by providing food, shelter, medical care, and clean drinking water among other necessities. --Plummeting economy makes jobs harder to find *Drug trafficking and other criminal professions are on the rise because they’re the only way that people can get money. --People don’t care about being “green” because they want to spend the least amount of money possible; the rest of the money is needed to keep their families alive -->destroys environment. --Food becomes a crisis hanging so precariously that one bad harvest can spike prices up to even more unmanageable levels, bringing famine. (see above map) --Debt keeps countries from developing and becoming self-sufficient because they are entirely dependent on the more powerful nations feeding them money. --The governments can become unstable and lose the peoples’ support. ** Solutions :** // Spectrum  // , 2008, “Debt Cancellation in Africa”. “On February 13, Liberia’s $50 million debt to Nigeria was forgiven, marking one of the largest debt cancellations to date. Debt cancellation, the process in which a nation is relieved of all debt to a fellow nation or organization, has become an increasingly popular option for developing countries, particularly in Africa, to become financially stable and to set the stage for future economic growth... Recent developments have provided some relief for severely indebted nations. Since its creation in 1996, the HIPC Initiative, which is part of the World Bank, has awarded thirty countries over $60 billion in relief funds and has cancelled $50 billion worth of debt in 2006.” http://sociolingo.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/west-africa-rising-food-prices-cause-for-concern/ --Food prices in African continue to rise: --Burkina Faso was badly affected by floods in 2007 and protests are going on currently because of the high food prices --“Recent assessments indicate that that food and nutritional situation could deteriorate due to a continued rise in food product prices,” FEWSNET (Famine Early Warning Systems Network) warned.
 * 25% increase in sorghum, 18.5% increase in millet (a cereal grain or grass), 20% increase in corn
 * Sacks of corn are selling for double the price of last year
 * “The food and nutritional situation could rapidly deteriorate in some areas of the region especially with the possible early arrival of the lean period if this price hike situation continues”

http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/Causes.asp#MismanagedLending -- Further debt resulted from mismanaged spending and lending by the West in the 1960s and 70s. = Skills = =  = =  Agricultural:  = = http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/ERPevents70_en.htm. = "About fifty learning materials of the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) are now available on the Education for Rural People (ERP) Toolkit for extension personnel, farmers, researchers, teachers, learners and the broad public. The FAO led ERP Tool kit is the first interagency portal on agriculture education and training. The Toolkit contributes to strengthening the interaction between research, education and innovation - the “knowledge triangle”- which are key drivers of a knowledge-based society. A better link of these key development pillars is a key to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 and 7, for which FAO is the lead agency." Technological:

Conflict-Free: In Darfur...well, someone is doing something in Darfur, but idr what because all my info got deleted... pooey

[|http://www.nepad.org/2005/files/documents/41.pdf