Category: Environment
Why African Energy Exporters Should Be Concerned About CNOOC’s Interest in a Massive Qatari Gas Deal
One of China's three major oil and gas companies, CNOOC, is reportedly interested in joining the world's largest natural gas project in Qatar. The company's CFO Xie Weizhi said CNOOC is exploring the option to invest in the $29 ...
Growing Civil Society Anger in Ghana About the Government’s Perceived Double Standard in How It Treats Chinese “Galamsey”
There's growing frustration in Ghana over the government's apparent refusal to crack down on Chinese participation in illegal gold mining, a practice known locally as galamsey. This is an issue that's been simmering for years, but recently activists and commentators have become much more vocal in denouncing ...
What We’ve Lost in the Fire
This weekend was a rough one for South Africa. On Sunday, the country watched as fires around Table Mountain slowly started creeping downhill, towards the beautiful campus of the University of Cape Town (UCT). Soon it was confirmed that the university’s African Studies library, which housed a ...
Chinese Fishing Vessel Runs Aground in Mauritius, Sparking Fears of Another Environmental Disaster
Coastguard and security forces are racing to offload 130 tons of fuel and lubricants from a Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground off the coast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The incident took place on Sunday when ...
China’s Confusing, Contradictory Environmental Agenda
While scrolling today I came across this great piece by the China expert and former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, laying out the wider implications of China's much-discussed commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060. Rudd points out that ...
Potential China-Africa Collaboration on Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Agri-Food Systems
Agriculture and food systems are a concept that aims at breaking down silos between the agriculture value chain, health, nutrition, and environmental sustainability. Agri-food systems are essential in managing and preserving biodiversity, adapting to and tackling climate change, realizing sustainable food systems, and achieving the Sustainable Development ...
China, Climate Change and COVID-19 Will Force Africa to Re-Think Its Development Strategy
This week, different groups of experts weighed in on how China will handle its many distressed loans to Africa. They seem to agree that the process of renegotiating this debt will be long and messy, and that Chinese actors probably won't seize ...
Zimbabwe Government Responds to Public Outrage Over Chinese Coal Mining in Hwange National Park
In a surprise reversal, the Zimbabwean government announced an immediate ban on all mining activities in the country's five national parks. The move was in response to widespread outrage over the government's decision to allow two Chinese companies to begin coal mining operations in the Hwange National ...
Widespread Outrage Over Chinese Businessman Named as Chief in Ghanaian Village
The appointment of Sun Qiang, a Chinese businessman, to the position of Development Chief (Nkosuohene) in the small southern Ghanaian town of Kwahu-Abetifi has prompted widespread outrage. Sun was awarded the honor after he donated $5,000 to build a new school ...
NGO Takes Zim Government to Court to Stop Chinese Mining Operations in the Hwange National Park
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association announced that it will take legal action to stop Chinese mining operations in the Hwange National Park. Last week, the Zhongxin Mining Group Tongmao Coal Company began mining in two coal concessions that were allocated ...
Forget About Oil, Cobalt is the Resource of the Future
Strong demand for electric vehicles in China and Europe is expected to bolster the output of cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's mining sector. Today, the DRC is the Saudi Arabia or cobalt. 60-70% of the world's cobalt originates there and China is ...
Protestors Rally Against Sinohydro for Polluting Water Supply in Eastern Kenya
Protests turned violent this week in eastern Kenya's Kitui County, where local activists blocked the road to a Sinohydro construction site where they claim the Chinese contractor is polluting the local water supply. Sinohydro is building the new Kibwezi-Kitui–Migwani Road that will ...













