Cleaning Up

Thank you for your Green Issue of ChinAfrica. Looking after our planet is very important and as a young person studying in the high school I want to help. Our teachers always tell us to do some projects that can help to save the environment. Our class has been cleaning the river near our hometown and then trying to find ways to use the rubbish we collect. So far we have made some craft items and tried to sell them in the city. We will continue until we succeed. Our river is now looking much more clean and we always try to tell people here not to throw things into the river. We believe the river can feel pain just like people can.

My father showed me a copy of ChinAfrica, which he had got from a friend in Nairobi and I took it to school to show my teacher and classmates. Apart from learning from the green stories we also tried to practice some Chinese from your cartoon lessons. I hope my letter can be put in your magazine so I can show my classmates.

Tippi Mono

 Kenya

Save Our Planet

Your Green Issue was most welcome. Thank you for covering this topic in some depth. Many Africans are still ignorant of the importance of protecting our environment. It often pains me to watch the environment around us being destroyed for short-term gains. It is fine to say that poverty makes people desperate and makes them only live for today without thinking of consequences, but this is the time for all people who can, to teach others about the importance of protecting our Earth. Even poor people can understand that without a planet to live on we all perish. Knowledge can help the poor. Knowledge is a form of aid; only it can be free and lasts longer than a handout. I appeal to all Africans to take ownership of the earth around them and protect it like they would protect their own family. Our Earth is our family member and just as we protect and care for our children, spouse and parents, so too we should do the same to our planet.

Blessing Ncube

Zimbabwe

Planting Trees

We applaud you for taking up the green issues of the day. Here in Uganda we are also trying our best by planting a million trees in the eastern part of the country around Mt. Elgon. Because the area is very comfortable to live many people have flocked there and consequently cut down most of the trees. This has broken down the eco-system. Also where there was snow before on top of Mt. Elgon, much of it is now melting. We are very worried about the environment on the mountain and in Uganda in general. I read that Oxfam said we lose almost 1 million hectares of crops in Uganda because of natural disasters. Bad news indeed. It is therefore so important that we help to heal Uganda soon. Planting the trees on Mt. Elgon can make it more shady for the crops and also the trees there can produce more oxygen to suck up the carbon. This will help with climate change and global warming.

Please continue to write stories on the environment to keep us informed.

Macy Ulita

Uganda

Action Needed

It is high time we have more commentary on green issues. Earlier this year when Meles Zenawi, Ethiopia's PM and Coordinator of the Committee of 10 African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change, said the upcoming international climate talks would be a total flop. He was adamant that neither the Cancun talks, nor the climate change talks in South Africa next year will amount to anything.

Needless to say he lit the fires of much anger and debate especially as he speaks for the African Union. It has to be asked: why an African so against the talks is our continents' representative. Also it adds ammunition to people outside of Africa who are against addressing climate changes issues and who refuse to accept that human beings are the cause of global warming.

But it must be said that we don't seem to have sufficient data and statistics of our own in Africa when we are looking at these issues and how they affect Africans. We too often rely on data supplied by people outside of Africa who then tell us how that data affects/is caused by us. Let's conduct a thorough examination of our own situation in regards to climate change issues and ensure we then have the means to address our own problems. If our top climate spokesman feels global talks on climate change are a waste of time, then can he please develop the means for us to collect accurate data about Africa's climate change situation and the problems that go along with it and begin a process to fix it? We all like a straight talker but it is now time for action.

Amare Sitota

Ethiopia