Environment Today

One hundred and four environmental change pair studies, largely drawn from the 36-year legacy of Landsat satellite data, for publication in a 400-page hardcover book: Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment (June 2008 release). This publication presents a survey of environmental change in all 54 African countries focusing on the past several decades.

For each country, a 2-page profile presents relevant issues and statistics. This is followed by change pair studies showing specific instances of environmental change for that country. The majority of change pairs are Landsat imagery. Declassified Corona and Argon images, Aerial photography and high-resolution commercial satellite images are used as well. Each change pair is accompanied by a brief narrative based on literature review, data from the respective countries, UN data, and correspondence with local experts. Six of the 104 sites are shown below.

Agriculture in the Yamba Berté Forest Reserve: Chad:

The Yamba Berté Forest Reserve in southwestern Chad is made up of critical gallery forests, pristine woodlands, and a network of small lakes and swamps. The dense forest includes trees that can grow as tall as 35 m. The reserve is an important habitat for gazelles, monkeys, warthogs, giraffes, elephants, and the rare giant eland. Yamba Berté is located in a zone of savannah woodland that stretches across southern Chad and supports a dense human population and most of the country’s agriculture. The introduction of cotton in the 1930s and draft animals in the 1950s supported a large increase in agriculture. During the drought years (1968, 1972–1973, 1983–1984), large numbers of people migrated to the area because of its higher rainfall and the economic opportunity of its larger cities. In addition to subsistence crops such as maize, millet, and sorghum, the area is ideal for growing cotton and groundnuts, which are the two primary cash crops.

The 1986 image shows agriculture around Yamba Berté, including some encroachment on the reserve area. The second image, captured 15 years later, shows dramatically increased agriculture around the reserve and several areas where the reserve boundary has been breeched. The high-resolution image (inset) shows the detail in one areaof encroachment.







One Example showing Desertification can be seen here:

Important Notes for more Information:

Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment contains 316 satellite images taken in 104 locations in every country in Africa, along with 151 maps and 319 ground photographs and a series of graphs illustrating the environmental challenges faced by the continent.

All the materials in the Atlas are non-copyrighted and available for free use.

Individual satellite images, maps, graphs and photographs, can be downloaded from http://na.unep.net/AfricaAtlas

The Atlas can also be purchased at www.earthprint.com

The digital version of the Atlas will also be released on Google Earth and other websites.

The book is the fruit of collaborative work between UNEP and partners including the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), the US Geological Survey, Global Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat, United States Agency for the International Development (USAID), the World Resources Institute (WRI), Belgian Development Cooperation, the University of Maryland, South Dakota State University, the Southern African Development Community, the African Association for Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE), Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), EIS-AFRICA, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), DigitalGlobe and GeoEye.

For more information on the 12th session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment, visit http://www.unep.org/roa/Amcen/Amcen_Events/12th_Session_AMCEN/

Sources:

• Africa : Atlas of Our Changing Environment : Home
  
• PDF chapters for Downlaod.
• High and low Quality Images.
• Press Release.
  

Glacial Retreat to Rapid Urbanization Chronicled in Landmark Satellite Report to Africa's Environment Ministers.
Urbanisation of Cap Vert Peninsula

Africa's rapidly changing environmental landscape, from the disappearance of glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains to the loss of Cape Town's unique "fynbos" vegetation, is presented today to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment(AMCEN).

The Atlas, compiled on behalf of the ministers by the UN Environment Programme(UNEP), underlines how development choices, population growth, climate change and, in some cases, conflicts are shaping and impacting the natural and nature-based assets of the region.

The nearly 400-page long publication was launched today by President Thabo Mbeki of the Republic of South Africa who is hosting the AMCEN meeting in Johannesburg.

Africa: Atlas of Our Changing Environment features over 300 satellite images taken in every country in Africa in over 100 locations. The 'before' and 'after' photographs, some of which span a 35-year period, offer striking snapshots of local environmental transformation across the continent.

In addition to well-publicized changes, such as Mount Kilimanjaro's shrinking glaciers, the drying up of Lake Chad and falling water levels in Lake Victoria, the Atlas presents, for the first time, satellite images of new or lesser known environmental changes and challenges including:

-Disappearing glaciers in Uganda's Rwenzori Mountains, which decreased by 50 per cent between 1987 and 2003.

-The widening corridors of deforestation that have accompanied expanding roads in the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 1975. New roads threaten to bring even greater traffic to this biologically rich rainforest and further fuel the bushmeat trade.

-The disappearance of a large portion of Madagascar's South Malagasy spiny forest between 1973 and 2003 as a result of farming and fuelwood gathering.

-The northern edge of Cape Town, which has seen much of its native 'fynbos' vegetation replaced with farms and suburban development since 1978. 'Fynbos' make up 80 per cent of the plant varieties in the Cape Floristic Region, an area with over 6,000 plant species which are found nowhere else in the world and are an economic asset for tourism.

-The loss of trees and shrubs in the fragile environment of the Jebel Marra foothills in western Sudan as a result of population growth due in part to an influx of refugees fleeing drought and conflict in neighbouring Northern Darfur.

-The dramatic expansion of Senegalese capital Dakar over the past half century from a small urban centre at the tip of the Cap Vert Peninsula to a metropolitan area with 2.5 million people spread over the entire peninsula.

The Atlas, compiled in cooperation with researchers and organizations in Africa and elsewhere, offers a sobering assessment of thirty-six years of environmental change, including:"The swell of grey-coloured cities over a once-green countryside; protected areas shrinking as farms encroach upon their boundaries; the tracks of road networks through forests; pollutants that drift over borders of neighboring countries; the erosion of deltas; refugee settlements scattered across the continent causing further pressure on the environment; and shrinking mountain glaciers".

The satellite images also highlight positive signs of management that is protecting against and even reversing environmental degradation, say the authors.

-Action on overgrazing in the Sidi Toui National Park, southeastern Tunisia has produced a dramatic rebound in the natural ecosystem. The park has seen the reintroduction of the Scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah) which is currently on the verge of extinction.

-A new management plan for the Itezhi-tezhi dam in Zambia has helped to restore the natural seasonal flooding of the Kafue flats, as shown in the 2007 satellite image.

-The expansion of wetlands resulting from a restoration project in and around Diawling National Park is helping to control flooding and improve livelihoods in Mauritania.

-New policies and improved enforcement have significantly reduced unsustainable exploitation of the forests of Mount Kenya, which is a crucial area for water catchment and hydro-power generation.

-Farmer initiatives focusing on the planting and protection of trees have led to significant land revitalization in Tahoua Province, Niger. A recent study revealed that there are now 10 to 20 times more trees across three of Niger's southern provinces than there were in the 1970s.

-A review of forest concessions in Liberia has helped protect the forest in Sapo National Park from logging as well as illegal mining and poaching.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "As shown throughout the Atlas, there are many places across Africa where people have taken action- where there are more trees than thirty years ago, where wetlands have sprung back, and where land degradation has been countered. These are the beacons we need to follow to ensure the survival of Africa's people and their economically important nature-based assets."

"The Atlas also however clearly demonstrates the vulnerability of people in the region to forces often outside their control, including the shrinking of glaciers in Uganda and Tanzania and impacts on water supplies linked with climate change. These underline the urgent need for the international community to deliver a new climate agreement by the climate change convention meeting in Copenhagen in 2009?one that not only delivers deep emission reductions but also accelerates the flow of funds for adaptation and the climate proofing of economies," he added.

Main Findings and Key Concerns

Between 1990 and 2004, many African countries achieved some small but promising environmental improvements, mainly in the field of water and sanitation, according to the Atlas. A few countries have expanded protected areas?currently numbering over 3,000 across the continent.

However, loss of forest is a major concern in 35 countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Nigeria and Rwanda, among others. This is closely followed by biodiversity loss?which is occurring in 34 countries such as Angola, Ethiopia, Gabon and Mali.

Land degradation, similarly, is a major worry for 32 countries in Africa including Cameroon, Eritrea and Ghana. Other problems include desertification?in Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya and Niger among others?as well as water stress, rising pollution and coping with rapid urbanization.

Africa is losing more than four million hectares of forest every year?twice the world's average deforestation rate, says the Atlas. Meanwhile, some areas across the continent are said to be losing over 50 metric tonnes of soil per hectare per year.

The Atlas also shows that erosion and chemical and physical damage have degraded about 65 per cent of the continent's farmlands. In addition, slash and burn agriculture, coupled with the high occurrence of lightning across Africa, is thought to be responsible for wild fires.

Over 300 million people on the continent already face water scarcity, and areas experiencing water shortages in Sub-Saharan Africa are expected to increase by almost a third by 2050.

Climate change is emerging as a driving force behind many of these problems and is likely to intensify the already dramatic transformations taking place across the continent.

Although Africa produces only four per cent of the world's total carbon dioxide emissions, its inhabitants are poised to suffer disproportionately from the consequences of global climate change.

Africa's capacity to adapt to climate change is relatively low, with projected costs estimated to reach at least 5-10 per cent of GDP.

Finally, transboundary issues are a key feature of Africa's environment, from international river basins to cross-border air pollution.

Refugee migrations are also causing further pressure on the environment, with major population movements due to conflict but also increasingly as a result of food and water shortages. Cooperative approaches involving several bordering countries are becoming essential for the conserving and enhancing of shared ecosystems if they are to remain productive into the 21st century.

Taking advantage of the latest space technology and Earth observation science, including the 36-year legacy of the US Landsat satellite programme, the Atlas serves to demonstrate the potential of satellite imagery data in monitoring ecosystems and natural resources dynamics. This in turn can provide the kind of hard, evidence-based data to support political decisions aimed at improving management of Africa's natural resources.

The earth receives energy from the sun, which warms the earth’s surface. As this energy passes through the atmosphere, a certain percentage (about 30) gets scattered. Some part of this energy is reflected back into the atmosphere from the land and ocean surface. The rest (70%) actually remains behind to heat the earth. In order to establish a balance, therefore, the earth must radiate some energy back into the atmosphere. As the earth is much cooler than the sun, it does not emit energy as visible light. It emits through infrared or thermal radiation. However, certain gases in the atmosphere form a sort of blanket around the earth and absorb some of this energy emitted back into the atmosphere. Without this blanket effect, the earth would be around 30 ° C colder than it normally is. These gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, along with water vapour, comprise less than one per cent of the atmosphere. They are called 'greenhouse gases' as the working principle is same as that which occurs in a greenhouse. Just as the glass of the greenhouse prevents the radiation of excess energy, this ‘gas blanket’ absorbs some of the energy emitted by the earth and keeps temperature levels intact. This effect was first recognized by a French scientist, Jean-Baptiste Fourier, who pointed out the similarity in what happens in the atmosphere and in a greenhouse. Hence the term the ‘greenhouse effect’.

This gas blanket has been in place ever since the creation of the earth. Since the industrial revolution human activities have been releasing more and more of these greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This leads to the blanket becoming thicker and upsets the ‘natural greenhouse effect’. Activities that generate greenhouse gases are called ‘sources’ and those that remove them are known as ‘sinks’. A balance between ‘sources’ and ‘sinks’ maintains the levels of these greenhouse gases.

Humankind upsets this balance when new sources that interfere with the natural sinks are introduced. Carbon dioxide is released when we burn such fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas. And, when we destroy forests, the carbon stored in the trees escapes as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Increasing agricultural activities, changes in land-use patterns, and other sources lead to rising levels of methane and nitrous oxide. Industrial processes also release artificial and new greenhouse gases like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), while automobile exhaust fumes lead to ozone generation. The resulting enhanced greenhouse effect is more commonly referred to as global warming or climate change.

Greenhouse gas emission trends

Global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have grown since pre-industrial times, with an increase of 70% between 1970 and 2004.

The concentrations of several greenhouse gases have increased over time. These are:
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbon, perflurocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride Human activity increases the greenhouse effect primarily through release of carbon dioxide, but human influences on other greenhouse gases can also be important.

Of all the GHGs, the concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are at the highest levels. The emissions of these gases have increased at different rates. CO2 emissions have grown between 1970 and 2004 by about 80% (28% between 1990 and 2004) and represented 77% of total anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2004.

The largest growth in global GHG emissions between 1970 and 2004 has come from the energy supply sector.

The emissions of ozone depleting substances (ODS) controlled under the Montreal Protocol, which are also GHGs, have declined significantly since the 1990s.

By 2004 the emissions of these gases were about 20% of their 1990 level.

Examples of greenhouse gases affected by human activities

Source: www.unfcc.int

Introduction
Our World today is caught up in so many problems causing so many hazard that it is difficult to even keep a track of only their names. Here, Environment Today, we try to discuss a few major topics seriously (along with the fun and spirit of blogging). I hope you like this blog and help this world in a way you can.

Contact
You can contact me at workid1@gmail.com

Here is an introduction to a few topics we will discuss and believe me you won’t need to be introduced to them. You must have experienced most of them. Still they are here just for the sake of completion.

Climate change
We can see it when we step out of our house, can’t we? These changes can be caused by dynamic processes on Earth, external forces including variations in sunlight intensity, and more recently by our activities. The field of paleoclimatology has provided information of climate change in the ancient past, supplementing modern observations of climate. Effects due to it are proving to be inevitable.
Pollution
Only two things about it. One that nobody reading this page is unaware of it and needs and introduction to it. Second that almost all posts on this blog will have very close connection to it since it is the cause of all the other topics.
Energy
Or we would better call it Energy CRISIS! Hearing news about rising oil prices everyday on T.V.? Oh Yeah! That’s what we are talking about.
Toxins
Your refrigerator and deodorants may be marked as non CFC substances but did u throw any medicines in the waste? If you didn’t then what about DDT and other chemicals being sprayed in your locality? Okay Okay ! It’s banned in many countries but not mine and many other countries. Still you won’t be able to stop farmers spraying other pesticides and herbicides on crops. Some way or the other you are gonna be caught by it!
Conservation
Yeah the same thing you know protection of wild life and our other partners sharing space on this planet. But this is serious. Presently the Earth is undergoing the Holocene Mass Extinction, an era of unprecedented number of species extinctions. The IUCN has found that 23 percent of vertebrates, 53 percent of invertebrates and 70 percent of plants that have been evaluated are designated as endangered or threatened.