Environmental Week highlights
Congratulations should be showered upon the organisers of the Environmental Week at Rhodes over the last week or so – including Jai Clifford-Jones, who has been instrumental in the Galela Amanzi organisation and many related activities, members of SEACC SF, and others.
Environmental Week highlights
Congratulations should be showered upon the organisers of the Environmental Week at Rhodes over the last week or so – including Jai Clifford-Jones, who has been instrumental in the Galela Amanzi organisation and many related activities, members of SEACC SF, and others.
Three events in particular came to our attention.
Upper Kowie wetland for clean water
Galela Amanzi hosted a seminar presented by two postgraduate students from the Geography Department, outlining the possibilities for establishing a small but potentially very useful wetland in the upper catchment of the Kowie system, literally in town, between the township and the formerly ‘white’ suburbs.
Drawing on some 270 hectares of catchment, even a small wetland would have tremendous benefits in terms of water purification, as wetlands, if properly stocked with the right reed beds and vegetation, are capable of leaching out almost all impurities.
As the slope of the area is just right, the construction of the half-hectare wetland itself is a relatively simple matter. There would be many other obstacles to overcome: crucial would be municipal support and buy-in from residents surrounding the area, to ensure that rubbish is kept out, cattle do not trample new reed beds, and access to the cleansed water is not abused.
Given our looming water problems, however, this is a terrific idea.
Climate and the uptake of carbon by plants
This event was related but was much broader in scope. Dr Burt Drake, a botanist and climatologist from the prestigious Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre in Washington DC, presented a lecture entitled “Can we control rising atmospheric greenhouse gases and climate change?” The short answer to that question is a rather pessimistic- unlikely. Even if we cut our emissions of carbon dioxide completely now, the effects of past emissions will be felt decades into the future.
What we can do, said Dr Drake, is find ways of adapting to the inevitable changes we will face. Drake has been associated with the world’s longest-running climate data collection programme, run at Mauna Loa in Hawaii. This data shows beyond any reasonable doubt that CO2 levels are higher now than they have been for thousands of years, and that the surge is largely human-induced. As a botanist, Dr Drake is particularly interested in the role of plants in the process.
Deforestation is a huge factor in the release of CO2, but he feels that even if Amazonian and Central African deforestation were to cease, the capacity of plant life to re-absorb all our emissions is likely to be overwhelmed. No reason to stop planting trees, though! One last intriguing fact: although China is now the world’s top CO2 emitter, it is also reforesting faster than almost anyone else in the world!
Climate, energy and population debate
A well-attended debate was staged over climate change, chaired by Prof Denis Hughes from the Institute of Water Research and featuring Melita Steele from the South African branch of Greenpeace, and well-known environmental journalist and writer Leonie Joubert. Steele pointed out that the image of Greenpeace was dominated by dramatic images of intrepid campaigners interfering with whalers, but that the organisation’s commitment is non-violent and educational means of promoting environmental stability.
She outlined the energy, water and social crises that South Africa faces – most of which Leonie Joubert could not find much to disagree with! Debate then focussed on the merits or otherwise of wind-generated power vs solar or nuclear: Greenpeace is fundamentally anti-nuclear, but participants also pointed out the hidden costs of wind power.
Prominent notes for debate were also questions of public perception, ground-level participation in energy-saving activities, and political will. Just as the debate was closing, an assertion from the floor that the fundamental problem was human over-population sparked an explosion of contrary voices – but there was no time to continue this important debate. Perhaps another time – after a few more hundred thousand babies have been born?
Green Fund Run Highlights
The RU Environmental Week kicked off with a Green Fund Run/walk on Sunday 10/10/10. Some were keen to win a place, and others walked it at a gentle pace. The first team to cross the finish line was Formula 21, followed by the Upstart Team and Team Crazy not far behind. The colourful baton carried by the Jameson House team – symbolising Gaia, with earthlings, fauna and flora – was adjudged the best of the bunch.
The Margaret Smith team – in eye-catching outfits – was declared to have the best costume. Honourable mention was also made of a number of other innovative batons (the plant known as Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, Galela Amanzi’s tap, George Euvrard’s pole, and a wheelbarrow) and outfits (the Law Dept t-shirt with the SA Constitution environmental clause, and all those dressed in green) – symbolising in various ways the action needed to promote environmental sustainability.
The Green Fund Run had a serious aim: to raise funds for Rhodes University's Green Fund – to support initiatives that reduce the university's carbon footprint. The Vice Chancellor raised the stakes by sponsoring all faculties and institutes that participated in the event. He is also seeking donors to in order to raise the value of the Green Fund – which will be launched in 2011.
More info about the RU Green Fund at http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/committee/greenfund PHOTO
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News: Nikki Köhly: n.kohly@ru.ac.za, 046 603 7205 / Lawrence Sisitka: heilaw@imaginet.co.za, 046 622 8595 / Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 / Dan Wylie d.wylie@ru.ac.za, 046 603 8409 / Nick James: nickjames@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5757 / Strato Copteros strato@iafrica.com, 082 785 6403
