Unit 8 Case Study: Iceland's Energy Mix and Namibia Environmental Degradation Flashcards

Question

Hellisheidi renewable emissions

Answer 1

85% of Iceland's energy comes from renewables. Hellisheidi is one of the largest plants producing 303 MW to contribute to the national grid. Geothermal energy is not affected by weather so is a reliable source of baseload power. Iceland has therefore reduced fossil fuel dependence for electricity and heating reducing carbon emissions significantly. Hellisheidi is an important part for Iceland to be carbon neutral

Answer 2

The plant provides cheap, reliable energy and has attracted energy intensive industries like aluminium smelting and data centres to diversity the economy. It has created jobs and boosted businesses especially in Reykjavik. The distrcit heating head made heating more affordable for locals to reduce energy costs. This is especially important in winter where temperatures drop significantly

Answer 3

Iceland has access to vast renewable energy resources so can avoid environmental problems due to fossil fuel dependence. It produces almost no greenhouse gases so contributes to Iceland's goal of reducing carbon footprint. The closed loop system ensures sustainability. This minimises environmental damage and preserves the ecosystem. Operators continue to work to improve extraction efficiency to reduce costs and environmental impacts. Technology is being developed to catch CO2 emissions and reinject them into the ground, reducing the environmental footprint. Challenges include managing increasing demand, ensuring sustainability and mitigating environmental impacts

Answer 4

Namibia is very sparsely populated with a dry climate 29% of its population live below the poverty line The government is attempting to tackle poverty and environmental degradation at the same time The causes of degradation are mainly uncontrolled exploitation by low income households that have to think short term in order to survive

Answer 5

This programme gives rural communities unprecedented management and use rights over wildlife which have created new incentives for communities to protect his resource and develop economic opportunities in tourism. It began in 1996 and there are now 64 conservancies over 17% of the country embracing 1 in 4 of rural Namibians. Community conservancies are legal common property resource management organisations in communal lands. The use rights given include the rights to hunt, capture, cull and sell huntable game. The government determines the overall culling rate and establishes quotes for protecting game for trophy hunting. Elephant numbers have more than doubled between 1982 and 2000 as well as rises in the populations of oryx, springbok and mountain zebra. This results from a decline in illegal hunting and poaching due to the economic value that conservancy communities put on healthy wildlife populations

Answer 6

Contracts with tourism companies Selling hunting concessions Managing campsites Selling wildlife to game ranchers Selling crafts

Answer 7

The diversification of economic activity made possible by the Conservancy Programme has increased employment opportunities where few were before and raised incomes. Conservancies are built around the willingness of communities to work collectively. They form when neighbouring villages and tribal authorities agree to trade a boundary around their shared borders and manage the wildlife in this area

Answer 8

The Conservancy Programme has resulted in substantial progress with income rising year on year. In 2006, conservancy income reach nearled $1.4 million. Income from small businesses associated with the conservancies but not directly owned by them brought in another $580000. An important aspect of development has been the involvement of women in employment benefits. These jobs have included being game guards, natural resource monitors and serving tourists in campgrounds and lodges. Rising income has made increasing investment in social development projects possible

Answer 9

The Namibian government has extended the conservancy concept to community forests. This is a scaling-up process from one natural resource system to another The project helps local communities establish their own community forests to manage and utilise them sustainably It is important that Namibians have a say in how resources and mangened and share benefits. About 4 million hectares of forest and veld and burnt annually as a result of fires started deliberately to improve grazing and clear hunting grounds. Community forests has led to improved forest resource management and improved the livelihoods of local people based on the empowerment of local communities with forest use rights Villagers derive an income by marketing forestry products

Answer 10

Submit a formal application to the government. Elect a forest management committee from the community. Develop a constitution. Select, map and denmark a community forest area. Submit a forest management plan describing how the community will harvest forest resources sustainable and manage other activities. Specify use rights and bylaws necessary for their management plan. Craft a plan to ensure the equitable distribution of revenue to all community members. Obtain permission from the authority

Answer 11

Land degradation was identified as a serious problem in Namibia Five government department with international agencies established a Country Pilot Partnership for Integrated Sustainable Land Management These were funded through the Global Environmental Facility with the UN Development Programme as well as the EU It began in 2008 and ran until 2011 The objective was to develop and pilot a range of coping mechanisms for reducing the vulnerability of farmers and pastoralists to climate change including variability It took place in and out of communal conservancies It was based on what Namibia has learned from the establishment of communal and forest conservancies