Migration and Environmental Crises in Africa

2018 ◽  
pp. 314-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale ◽  
Olayinka Akanle ◽  
Olugbenga Samuel Falase ◽  
Mofeyisara Oluwatoyin Omobowale
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Child Care ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Advantage ◽  
Economic Crises ◽  
The West ◽  
Medical Migration ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Chain Migration

This chapter discusses the contributions of economic crises, disasters, medical migration—especially for maternal and child care, in particular among the privileged— and climate change to migration in Africa, within the context of embedded values of immigration for economic advantage for self, family, and friends. Embedded local constructions of the West as the land of incredible opportunities and limitless wealth propel migration and frame local economic and environmental challenges as insurmountable requiring a determined or ‘lucky’ escape to developed countries to be achieved. Hence, local environmental crises solidify the resolve to migrate to improve socioeconomics for present and future populations through chain migration and remittances, among other culturally defined and expected support from successful migrants.

Repenser sur l'environnement: Une étude écocritique dans Gouverneurs de la rosée de Jacques Roumain, Moi, Tituba sorcière… noire de Salem de Maryse Condé et L'Exil selon Julia de Gisèle Pineau

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-310
Author(s):  
Evaristus Nkemdilim Ugwu ◽  
Vincent Nnaemeka Obidiegwu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
West Indian ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The West ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Gisele Pineau ◽  
The Future ◽  
Jacques Roumain ◽  
Stockholm Conference ◽  
Full Swing

Abstract From the Stockholm conference in Sweden in 1972 to the Chile conference that will take place from 2 to 14 December 2019, the environmental debate provoked by environmental challenges such as climate change continues to be in full swing in all these international meetings. It is obvious that it is an attempt to meet the millennial demands represented by the consequences of climate change such as drought, flood and hurricane among others that ravage not just the West Indian world but humanity in general. It is also true that for some time now, environmental affairs are no longer those of just environmentalists or geographers, writers and literary critics have also stepped up to the scene in protection of the environment. Therefore, this article aims to analyse through ecocritical theory the place of the environment in Jacques Roumain's Gouverneurs de la rosée, Maryse Condé's Moi, Tituba sorciere... noire de Salem and Gisèle Pineau's L'Exil selon Julia. To what extent these writers care for the well-being of the environment? In what way? What are the perspectives of the future advocated by these writers?

Global E-Waste Management and Second-Hand Consumption in the Third World: Substandard Context and Tokunbo Phenomenon in Nigeria

2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayokunle Olumuyiwa Omobowale
Keyword(s):  
Third World ◽  
New Products ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Environmental Standards ◽  
The West ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
The Public ◽  
Standards And Regulations ◽  
The Third World ◽  
National Environmental

The world is technologically advancing, but the management of resultant waste, commonly known as e-waste, is also becoming very challenging. Of major concern is the incessant flow of this waste into the developing world where they assume secondhand value in spite of the associated environmental threats. This study adopts the qualitative approach to examine this phenomenon in Nigeria. The study reveals that aside from being cheaper than the new products, second-hand goods are usually preferred to the new products due to the substandard nature of most new electronics largely imported from Asia (especially China). The tag of Tokunbo or ‘imported from the West’ associated with second-hand goods imported from developed countries makes them more preferable to the public relative to new electronics imported from China, disparagingly termed Chinco. Yet both the second-hand electronics that are socially appreciated as Tokunbo and the substandard new electronics imported into Nigeria together render the country a huge recipient of goods that soon collapse and swell the e-waste heap in the country. This situation may be mitigated through strengthening the Standards Organisation of Nigeria and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, and also by sensitizing Nigerians on the dangers inherent in e-wastes.

Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities: Did This Principle Ever Exist?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Armin Rosencranz ◽  
Kanika Jamwal
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Clean Development Mechanism ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Significant Shift ◽  
Historical Responsibility ◽  
Common But Differentiated Responsibilities ◽  
Self Differentiation

This article argues that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)’s conception of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDRRC) was never effectively implemented through the Kyoto Protocol. The investments under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism suggest that CBDRRC has been used by developed countries to buy a “right to pollute”, i.e., maintaining or even increasing their greenhouse gas emissions, while investing in clean energy in developing nations, thus defeating the essence of CBDRRC as intended under the UNFCCC. Second, it points out that the Paris Agreement reflects a significant shift in the CBDRRC, both in terms of its textual understanding as well as its implementation. A qualifier, “in the light of national circumstances”, was added to the principle of CBDRRC in the Paris Agreement, allowing a form of voluntary self-differentiation. This qualifier diluted a top-down, objective analysis of States’ commitments. For several scholars, this shift has meant a softening of the principle, making the “differentiation” more dynamic and flexible. In the authors’ opinion, the qualifier is a fundamental modification of the principle to make it politically more palatable. It completely disregards the notion of historical responsibility for climate change, which was the cornerstone of CBDRRC as conceived under the UNFCCC. Therefore, rather than presenting a more flexible understanding of UNFCCC’s conception of CBDRRC, the Paris Agreement marks a total departure from it. Lacking an explicit redefinition of the principle of CBDRRC, it is misleading to contend that the Paris Agreement is still anchored in it.

scholarly journals Continent-wide tree fecundity driven by indirect climate effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Clark ◽  
Robert Andrus ◽  
Melaine Aubry-Kientz ◽  
Yves Bergeron ◽  
Michal Bogdziewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
Climate Condition ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
The West ◽  
Climate Effects ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Demographic Rates ◽  
Species Abundances ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractIndirect climate effects on tree fecundity that come through variation in size and growth (climate-condition interactions) are not currently part of models used to predict future forests. Trends in species abundances predicted from meta-analyses and species distribution models will be misleading if they depend on the conditions of individuals. Here we find from a synthesis of tree species in North America that climate-condition interactions dominate responses through two pathways, i) effects of growth that depend on climate, and ii) effects of climate that depend on tree size. Because tree fecundity first increases and then declines with size, climate change that stimulates growth promotes a shift of small trees to more fecund sizes, but the opposite can be true for large sizes. Change the depresses growth also affects fecundity. We find a biogeographic divide, with these interactions reducing fecundity in the West and increasing it in the East. Continental-scale responses of these forests are thus driven largely by indirect effects, recommending management for climate change that considers multiple demographic rates.

scholarly journals A room with a view: a special issue with a special perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210
Author(s):  
Simone Borghesi
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Climate Policy ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Emerging Economies ◽  
Emissions Trading ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Climate Policies

AbstractThe present article describes the main insights deriving from the papers collected in this special issue which jointly provide a ‘room with a view’ on some of the most relevant issues in climate policy such as: the role of uncertainty, the distributional implications of climate change, the drivers and applications of decarbonizing innovation, the role of emissions trading and its interactions with companion policies. While looking at different issues and from different angles, all papers share a similar attention to policy aspects and implications, especially in developing countries. This is particularly important to evaluate whether and to what extent the climate policies adopted thus far in developed countries can be replicated in emerging economies.

scholarly journals Investigating the effects of environmental patents and climate change mitigation technologies on sustainable economic growth in the Middle East

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadegh Abedi ◽  
Mehrnaz Moeenian
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Middle East Countries ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth ◽  
Change Mitigation

Abstract Sustainable economic growth and identifying factors affecting it are among the important issues which have always received attention from researchers of different countries. Accordingly, one of the factors affecting economic growth, which has received attention from researchers in the developed countries over recent years, is the issue of environmental technologies that enter the economic cycle of other countries after being patented through technology transfer. The current research investigated the role of the environment-related patents and the effects of the patented technological innovations compatible with climate change mitigation on the economic growth and development in the Middle East countries within a specific time period. The required data were gathered from the valid global databases, including Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and World Bank and have been analyzed using multi-linear regression methods and econometric models with Eviews 10 software. The obtained results with 95% confidence level show that the environmental patents (β = 0.02) and environment management (β = 0.04) and technologies related to the climate change mitigation (β = 0.02) have a significant positive impact on the sustainable economic development and growth rate in the studied countries. Such a study helps innovators and policymakers in policy decisions related to sustainable development programs from the perspective of environmentally friendly technologies by demonstrating the role of patents in three important environmental areas, namely environmental management, water-related adaptation and climate change mitigation, as one of the factors influencing sustainable economic growth.

Research work undertaken in the Plant Transgenic Design Initiative in the Gene Research Center within Tsukuba Plant Innovation Research Center

Impact ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (3) ◽  
pp. 6-8
Author(s):  
Kazuo Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Plant Biotechnology ◽  
Research Center ◽  
Plant Genetics ◽  
Environmental Challenges ◽  
Innovation Research ◽  
Biotechnology Research ◽  
Genetically Improved ◽  
The University

The burgeoning area of plant genetics may hold the key to overcoming some of the most pressing environmental challenges. For example, crops can be genetically improved to make them better able to adapt to climate change, while genetic engineering of crops could help to address food security challenges. As such, a comprehensive understanding of plant genetics may enable humankind to make headway in addressing climate change and resulting challenges. Research in this area is therefore paramount. Research work undertaken in the Plant Transgenic Design Initiative (PTraD) in the Gene Research Center (GRC) within Tsukuba Plant Innovation Research Center (T-PIRC), located at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, is focused on plant sciences and biotechnologies. The PTraD is the centre of excellence in plant biotechnology research in Japan, shedding light on plant genetics and how this can be harnessed to solve environmental challenges such as climate change.

International Governance on Carbon Tariff and Its Vacuum in International Regime

2013 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 1350008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mou WANG
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
International Trade ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
International Governance ◽  
International Consensus ◽  
Climate Governance ◽  
Emission Quota ◽  
Carbon Tariff

Drawing on the idea that countries are eligible to implement differentiated emission reduction policies based on their respective capabilities, some parties of UNFCCC attempt to weaken the principle of “Common but differentiated responsibilities(CBDR)” and impose carbon tariff on international trade. This initiative is in fact another camouflage to burden developing countries with emission cut obligation, which has no doubt undermined the development rights of developing countries. This paper defines Carbon Tariff as border measures that target import goods with embodied carbon emission. It can be import tariffs or other domestic tax measures that adjust border tax, which includes plain import tariffs and export rebates, border tax adjustment, emission quota and permit etc. For some developed countries, carbon tariffs mean to sever trade protectionism and to build trade barriers. Its theoretical arguments like “loss of comparative advantage”, “carbon leakage decreases environmental effectiveness” and “theoretical model bases” are pseudo-propositions without international consensus. Carbon tariff has become an intensively debated issue due to its duality of climate change and trade, but neither UNFCCC nor WTO has clarified this issue or has indicated a clear statement in this regard. As a result, it allows some parties to take advantage of this loophole and escape its international climate change obligation. Carbon tariff is an issue arising from global climate governance. To promote the cooperation of global climate governance and safeguard the social and economic development of developing countries, a fair and justified climate change regime and international trade institution should be established, and the settlement of the carbon tariff issue should be addressed within these frameworks. This paper argues that the international governance of carbon tariff should in cooperation with other international agreements; however, principles and guidelines regarding this issue should be developed under the UNFCCC. Based on these principles and guidelines, WTO can develop related technical operation provisions.

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