Africa
DR Congo plans to lift logging moratorium amid forest protection talks
The government is ending a decade-old ban on new forestry concessions, to the horror of campaigners who say the move is incompatible with climate targets
China’s biggest bank is ditching Zimbabwe coal plant, campaigners say
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China told environmentalists in a meeting last month they would not go ahead with the 2.8GW Sengwa coal plant
Flooding and drought fuels mental health crisis in Kenya
Many Kenyans are suffering post-traumatic stress, depression and anxiety after being hit by extreme weather, but lack access to mental health services
Lost to sea: The Ivory Coast villagers saving their ancestors from rising waves
As rising sea levels slowly engulf the ancestral graves of a fishing community in Ivory Coast, residents are moving their relatives before their bodies are lost forever
Women and youth are leading Kenya’s coral reef revival
A programme to restore Kenya’s damaged coral reefs is creating jobs and boosting the fish catch in economically vulnerable communities
Southern Madagascar at risk of famine amid worst drought in 40 years
UN agencies are urgently calling for international support as a million Madagascans go hungry, with some surviving on insects and wild roots
UK faces legal action over public finance for Mozambique gas project
Friends of the Earth is launching a judicial review over the UK government’s decision to back the multi-billion development, arguing it is inconsistent with the Paris Agreement
Total signs deal to build East African oil pipeline, despite lack of finance
Uganda and Tanzania have given political backing to the 1,445km East African Crude Oil Pipeline, but climate campaigners are deterring investment
South Africa sets out to tighten 2030 emissions target
South Africa’s economy is shifting from heavy industry to service sectors, allowing for deeper carbon cuts, but coal lingers in the energy mix
UK rules out public subsidy for East African oil pipeline
UK Export Finance will no longer back oil and gas projects overseas, shutting off a potential source of support for a major pipeline across Uganda and Tanzania
Total’s play for Ugandan oil tests the climate commitment of international banks
A final investment decision on the East African Crude Oil Pipeline is expected at the end of March, as campaigners urge financial institutions to avoid fossil fuels
Joe Biden’s climate ambitions must include land rights for Congo forest communities
Development aid from rich countries has done more harm than good to central African forests and their inhabitants. This can change with a community-led approach
South Sudan plans to raise climate ambition amid ‘dire’ humanitarian crisis
The world’s newest country is seeking to expand renewable energy, tree planting and climate smart agriculture, but UK aid cuts threaten progress
DR Congo campaigners take minister to court over illegal logging rights claims
Environment minister Claude Nyamugabo is accused of violating a moratorium on logging in the Congo rainforest, by awarding concessions the size of Wales
Angola’s oil dependency thwarts its exit from the group of poorest nations
Graduation from the UN group of least developed countries is usually seen as a win, but Angola deferred the move after oil exports plummeted during the pandemic
Egypt expresses an interest in hosting Cop27 climate talks in 2022
The Egyptian government could discuss its interest in presiding over the 2022 UN climate summit with Cop26 president Alok Sharma, who is visiting the country
Cyclone Eloise shatters Mozambique’s progress to recover from 2019 storms
Eloise hit poor communities in central Mozambique that had barely recovered from cyclone Idai in 2019, which killed more than 1,000 people
South African campaigners push for faster coal exit in presidential commission
As president Cyril Ramaphosa launches an initiative to deliver net zero emissions, campaigners prepare to confront trade unions over coal
In Kenya’s changing climate, women are claiming land rights to feed their families
Owning their own land allows Kenyan women to build resilience to drought and flooding, but many are unaware of laws intended to empower them
Mangrove revival: How tree-planting is financing women’s businesses in Kenya
Kenyan women are planting mangroves in Lamu County and using the revenue from selling “blue carbon” credits for microloans to start small businesses