by Rachel Brooks Humans have been farming for more than 12,000 years, yet no period of history has seen agricultural practice evolve more quickly than that since the First World War. Work by German chemist Fritz Haber at the turn of the twentieth century on fixing that most elusive component of the air around us… Read the full article >
How Green is Your Christmas Tree?
This Christmas, should you get a real or artificial Christmas tree? We look at the environmental impacts of both to answer this age old, ultimate eco conundrum! If, like nearly 80% of Brits, you’ll be putting up a Christmas tree this year, you might find yourself stumped at all the options. How big? Tall or… Read the full article >
Economic Development and Opportunities for Entrepreneurialism Through Safe Water: The Story of Jaspher and Susan in Lango sub region, Uganda
Jaspher Opio is a proud beneficiary of the CO2balance Safe Water project in Lango sub region, Northern Uganda. Jaspher lives in a village called Agengi in Dokolo District. He and his wife Susan have two children and 5 dependents. Susan and the family collect water from Aminalucu Borehole which is 250 meters away from their… Read the full article >
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Training in Kaliro, Uganda
In May, CO2balance in-country partner WAACHA conducted WASH training in Kaliro District, Uganda. The purpose of the annual training is to sensitise the communities on important issues such as keeping the area around the borehole clean and storing water correctly. The training takes place every year to reinforce these values. These important visits ensure that… Read the full article >
Eritreans have a new name for Cookstoves: the ‘Saviour Stove’
Desey is a 47-year-old grandmother who lives out in the Eritrean desert, south of the capital city Asmara. It is a forbidding landscape of rock and mountain, which has been almost completely deforested. Desey and her family were forced to buy firewood everyday, simply to cook and feed herself and her family, spending a lot… Read the full article >
The Wide-Ranging Impacts of Clean Water: The Story of Gloria
The CO2balance team in Uganda conduct monthly visits to the boreholes to visit the communities, listen to feedback and carry out repairs. In February they met Gloria, who is the caretaker of Aminalucu borehole in Dokolo District, Northern Uganda. Gloria is 39 and married with 5 children. She lives in Dokolo District – Lango, Northern… Read the full article >
A Visit with Clients to the Pearl of Africa – Lango sub-region, Uganda
In October I travelled to Uganda to meet with the CO2balance Uganda team, partner NGOs and local officials. The trip included visiting our borehole projects in Kaliro and Lango. It was great to meet our committed and knowledgeable team and partners, who do a wonderful job in implementing the projects. Each borehole is managed by… Read the full article >
Sawadee Krap to the UNFCCC in Bangkok
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is currently meeting in Bangkok to draft a rulebook for implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement, which will form the basis of the COP24 Summit in Katowice, Poland in December. The objective of the rulebook is to provide a streamlined draft which will assist discussions at the Katowice… Read the full article >
Where are you going on your summer holidays?
The world-wide tourism industry is booming and worth over $7 trillion. It employs 10% of workers and brings in massive revenue for areas which may have little else. The industry is growing by 4% each year, driven by new wealth in emerging economies such as China, Brazil and Mexico. A study in Nature Climate Change found… Read the full article >
Full-steam ahead towards 1.5C! – Greenhouse Gas Emissions of the Shipping Industry
The shipping industry contributes 2-3% of global GHG emissions, roughly the same as Germany. However, much like the aviation industry, it was not included in the Paris Agreement 2015 which requires nations to set out mitigation and adaptation GHG targets. The UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is meeting in London this week (9th… Read the full article >
Giving Power to Rural Women
With the support of Australian High Commission in Kenya in the 2015 Carbon Zero Kenya partnered with a women group (Umeme women group) in Western Kenya in Kisumu West to produce 900 cook stoves and sell them within the community. The women were empowered with skills in stove production and marketing. The aim of the… Read the full article >
Counting the Cost
Human life requires cooking, which means having access to fuel. Most families across the globe especially in developing nations depend on traditional stoves for cooking. These stoves emit a huge amount of smoke that affects the families. For anyone who relies on an open fire to cook daily meals, the need for fuel rivals that for… Read the full article >
People Power will ‘Trump’ the President
It is now official: Donald Trump will withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. As the reactions flood in from across the globe, ranging from disappointment to outrage, it is important to recognise some of the positives: America will most likely still reduce its emissions no matter what Trump does… Read the full article >
Costly Smoke
According to WHO indoor smoke from coal, wood or dung – used as cooking fuel by more than 3 billion people worldwide – ranks ahead of unsafe water as a cause of death in low- and middle-income countries. Almost 2 million deaths a year are caused by cooking smoke, which is linked to pneumonia in… Read the full article >
Not Just About Cooking!!!!
Cooking on a three stone stove is the cheapest way to prepare food in many parts of the world. This is because to assemble a three stone stove you only require three suitable stones of the same height on which a cooking pot is balanced over a fire. That’s how cheap the stove is. This… Read the full article >