First of “good” news:
- Africa is NOT (yet) the dry and barren land that many in “the West” envision, when thinking about Africa
- global population growth rate is on decline
- according to UN the 10 billion inhabitants mark could be passed 2057
Good news is also, that there are very intelligent farmers in Africa, that try to stop the desert by Zai technique (holes + cattle dung, first plant bushes, than trees, crops can grow in the shade)
Also Africa’s population growth rate is slowing down, but it is still the highest in the world.
Non-sustainable life-styles also in Africa? Yes!
Eucalyptus forests are only natural in Australia, not in Brazil and not in Africa, they are planted by humans, because they grow fast and burn well.
Non-sustainable modes (means: it is going to end) of survival sounds like a problem of “fast-food-obese” developed western post-industrial nations and yes – there is a massive problem there.
But in this case – Africa has the same problem as USA or Europe or (increasingly) China: non sustainable ways of survival that over use of finite resources in an non-recycling non-reuse non-sustainable way.
Dr. Christof Schenck, Frankfurt is fighting an uphill, almost impossible to win, battle.
He says, that the gov of Ethiopia needs to tell the police to take this matter serious and keep illegal settlers and cattle out of the environmental protection zones.
Will they listen? Surely not. “Because they have a tough time survive the next days” says Dr Schenck, “but if they continue like this, they will destroy the basis of their own survival”
“there is no conflict man vs environment-protection, man will surely lose if we can not rescue the forests of the Bale national park” (Wiki)
“currently we lose 10% of the forests per year”
“we (the West) did not realize the dimensions of this crisis yet”
“40.000 people live illegal in the national park”
“12 million people are dependent downstream from the water of the park”
“we (the West) need to help stabilize Ethiopia”
In the worst case, it would mean: mankind is stupid and a slow learner leading to the Lorax” Problem:
That the majority only starts to realize the problems caused, when the last tree has fallen.
The destruction by exploitation of environment (+China and Russia and USA and EU induced climate change) will lead to droughts and famine, causing millions Africans to flee their home country (nobody likes to flee one’s home country) and knock knock on the barb wire fences of Europe.
What will Europe do?
- refugees: “Hurray finally cheap labor” (aka slaves)
- “What? Slavery is illegal? GO BACK TO AFRICA!”
- (or stay and work for the Italian Tomato-Mafia with sometimes pay and sometimes no pay)
- the West needs to lead by example by living more sustainable lifestyle and less like grasshoppers, eat, eat, move on
- Ethiopia exports a lot of coffee (in contrast to South America, people there drink it) so it is important to pay them a fair price (ask for fair trade coffee and where it is from)
To live sustainability with nature – is possible.
Just as the West needs to transit from fossil fuel addiction to CO2-neutrality
Africa needs to change to sustainable renewable lifestyles (do not cut more trees than grow)
Africa still #1 in Population Growth rate (+2.49% per year)
| # | Region | Population (2020) |
Yearly Change |
Net Change |
Density (P/Km²) |
Land Area (Km²) |
Migrants (net) |
Fert. Rate |
Med. Age |
Urban Pop % |
World Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asia | 4,641,054,775 | 0.86 % | 39,683,577 | 150 | 31,033,131 | -1,729,112 | 2.2 | 32 | 0 % | 59.5 % |
| 2 | Africa | 1,340,598,147 | 2.49 % | 32,533,952 | 45 | 29,648,481 | -463,024 | 4.4 | 20 | 0 % | 17.2 % |
| 3 | Europe | 747,636,026 | 0.06 % | 453,275 | 34 | 22,134,900 | 1,361,011 | 1.6 | 43 | 0 % | 9.6 % |
| 4 | Latin America and the Caribbean | 653,962,331 | 0.9 % | 5,841,374 | 32 | 20,139,378 | -521,499 | 2 | 31 | 0 % | 8.4 % |
| 5 | Northern America | 368,869,647 | 0.62 % | 2,268,683 | 20 | 18,651,660 | 1,196,400 | 1.8 | 39 | 0 % | 4.7 % |
| 6 | Oceania | 42,677,813 | 1.31 % | 549,778 | 5 | 8,486,460 | 156,226 | 2.4 | 33 | 0 % | 0.5 % |
source: https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/#growthrate
