Dear Patriotic Global Citizens and friends of Africa/Ethiopia:
It is becoming clear that Africa is going to bail out the globe once again with its Green Energy reserves.
The current G20 meeting in London, in April 2, 2009 and more importantly President Obama's 787 Billion Dollar Stimulus Package is moving towards Green Economy and Green Energy as a viable alternative to the current fossil fuel based energy that is expensive and polluting the global ecology.
The series of Global Alternative Energy Sources are Solar, Wind, Water/River and the rechargeable batteries that are made of Cobalt, Nickel and Lithium. Almost all these sources are in abundant in Africa than any other continent in the world, as Africa is located at the tropics where natural energy sources are plenty.
However, some African countries are facing challenges from some environmentalist groups who seem to challenge these futuristic Green Energy alternatives.
One such group is the International Rivers group who have a very interesting perspective about utilizing the Green Alternative Energy sources by Africans themselves.
The International Rivers is an interesting group and we need to make friends with them.
They have interesting perspective and seem to offer alternative Green Energy source besides rivers or hydro-electricity.
It is critical that there should be an aggressive intelligent dialogue based on facts and not emotions as some of the articles suggest.
Here is an interesting article to consider.
Dr B
Published on International Rivers (http://www.internationalrivers.org)
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia is a land of hydrological contrasts. Its uneven, often unpredictable distribution of water greatly impacts its efforts to address poverty.
With its huge hydropower potential, Ethiopia has become a poster child for the dam industry, which contends that big dams are critical for ending its poverty.
International donors are supporting the Ethiopian government's plans to build some of Africa’s largest dams to promote the export of agricultural commodities and hydropower. But most development analysts believe the rural poor need smaller-scale water projects more suited to meeting their immediate needs.
Ethiopia's 12 major watersheds support a booming population, most of whom are small-scale farmers and pastoralists. These watersheds face ongoing degradation and erosion, making the livelihoods of rural communities who depend on them more vulnerable. Large dams are a poor match for local people's problems.
Water for irrigation from large reservoirs is mostly earmarked for large-scale agricultural producers; meanwhile, Ethiopia’s small farmers cannot store seasonal rainfall needed for raising food [1].
Hydropower dams lack the extensive distribution lines needed to reach the country’s rural population, where only 2% have access to electricity.
Dam development in Ethiopia is a heavily politicized issue and there is little space for civil society to criticize the government’s fast-track dam plans.
Virtually all of Ethiopia’s existing large dams have overlooked the displacement and other effects on local communities. Communities who were resettled in 1999 and 2000 for Gilgel Gibe Dam say they are worse off today and that their problems are not being addressed by the government.
Project planning and development are not transparent and exclude the affected communities from meaningful participation.
Ethiopia’s economy is increasingly at risk of disruption from drought and climate change. In 2003, Ethiopia suffered a severe drought that affected both sectors.
Agricultural exports dropped and nearly a fifth of the population required food aid. The electricity sector faced six months of power rationing and a loss of $200 million in annual productivity.
Alternatives do exist that could better meet the needs of Ethiopians, who would benefit from decentralized, renewable energy options built near village centers. The nation is well-endowed with geothermal, solar and wind power potential.
Afforestation efforts and investments in alternatives to wood-fuel could greatly reduce watershed erosion. Helping rural farmers store seasonal rainfall would also decrease their vulnerability to drought.
International Rivers is monitoring dam planning in Ethiopia, working to keep international donors from investing in the worst projects on the drawing boards, and sharing knowledge about better alternatives and the legacy of Ethiopia's past dams with local and international civil society.
Gibe 3 Dam, Ethiopia
© 2009 International Rivers. Content may be reproduced with credit to International Rivers.
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Source URL: http://www.internationalrivers.org/en/africa/ethiopia
Links:
[1] http://www.internationalrivers.org/node
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