Message-ID: <9510312253.AA00952@lan.vita.org> Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 17:53:53 EST From: DevelopNet News <mailto:dnn@VITA.ORG> Subject: Your DevelopNet News for November To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
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November 1995 Volume 5, No. 11
IN THIS ISSUE
ECONOMICS & ENVIRONMENT
Green Technologies II
LITERATURE REVIEWS
Can a Piece of Paper Stop Desertification?
Profiles From the South
Ecotourism Pays in Belize
ORGANIZATIONS
UN Development Fund for Women
VITA PROJECTS
Technical Inquiry Service
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Environmental Enhancement Through Agriculture
Information for Sustainable Development
* * *
DevelopNet News is published monthly by Volunteers in Technical
Assistance (VITA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA. For additional
information, please see the end of this newsletter.
* * *
E c o n o m i c s & E n v i r o n m e n t
GREEN TECHNOLOGIES II
The second part of our focus on green technologies examines some of the
technology options available for sustainable development. The examples
are selected from the vehicle transportation sector. This includes cars,
buses, and trucks. Germany, Japan, and the United States, which have
8.5% of the world's people, have 280 million vehicles; China and India
(45% of the world's population) have 10 million vehicles. In all coun-
tries there are pressures to get more vehicles on the road. Throughout
this series the term "technology" includes hardware, software, systems,
and services.
Vehicles and the Environment
One of the areas in which green technologies can have the greatest
impact is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The technologies
range from the development of low-cost, environmentally benign fuel
cells to renewable energy sources. Energy-efficient transportation and
manufacturing can help reduce air and water pollution, climate change,
resource depletion, and hazardous waste.
Cars, trucks, and buses consume a significant portion of global energy
resources, contribute a major share of the greenhouse gases linked to
global warming, and are a major source of air pollution. In 1986 there
were about 500 million vehicles on the road throughout the world. A 1991
study by the World Resources Institute predicted that if historic trends
of vehicle use are maintained, by the year 2000 the global vehicle popu-
lation will approximate 650 million and by 2030 it will have grown to
1,000 million. As the number of vehicles continues to grow, it can only
be expected that their effects on the environment will worsen. This will
be particularly true in the developing countries which according to
estimates by the U.S Department of Energy are now responsible for more
than 40% of the world's transportation-related energy demand and
consumption.
For a number of years Green political parties and other active groups
around the world have urged that the transportation sector shift its
demand patterns and usage to reduce environmental impact. They say that
vehicles must be developed that emit smaller amounts of volatile organic
compounds, nitrogen oxide, and other toxic air pollutants. Once such
technology is the "zero emissions" automobile which is scheduled to be
on the market in the United States in 1998. Green parties have also
suggested that major emission reductions of greenhouse gases, particu-
larly carbon dioxide, can be accomplished through greatly changed fuel
or engine technologies. Alternative fuels under consideration include
compressed natural gas (CNG), fatty acid esters, and alcohols. Other
recommendations have centered on the development of:
-- gas turbines and low heat-rejection diesel engines for use in heavy
duty trucks;
-- high temperature structural materials (such as advanced ceramics and
metals) for use in high-efficiency engines and economical lightweight
materials to reduce vehicle weight; and
-- intelligent vehicle highway systems that reduce congestion, improve
traffic flow, and reduce idling at traffic lights.
Technological options, especially in the near term, will vary substan-
tially from region to region and, most often, among individual countries
as well. Nonetheless, there are a number of technologies available now
that are more environmentally friendly.
"Cleaner" Fuels
Burning a single tank of gasoline (petrol) produces 130 to 180 kg of
carbon dioxide -- the most important greenhouse gas. In 1991 motor
vehicles (excluding farm equipment) accounted for almost 15% of the
world's carbon dioxide output, predominantly from the industrialized
countries. Vehicles also emit substantial amounts of carbon monoxide.
These emissions, through chemical reactions in the atmosphere, are
suspected of contributing 20% to 40% to the global-warming phenomenon.
At least in industrial countries, the automobile will likely continue to
be a primary means of transportation. A critical step in reducing the
adverse effects of the expanding vehicle population is the use of
cleaner alternative fuels that emit less or no carbon dioxide.
A few industrialized countries, for example, Canada, New Zealand, and
the United States, are already pushing ahead with major alternative
fuels programs. CNG leads the list of these fuels. As a transport fuel
its combustion emits less carbon dioxide per unit of energy released
than any other fossil fuel and emits less nitrogen oxide and other gases
that affect air quality. M-85 is another acceptable alternative to gaso-
line and is a combination of 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol derived from
maize, or methanol obtained from natural gas or coal. Finally, in the
long run, zero-emission battery-powered electric vehicles may be consid-
ered an option, but they pose special challenges.
Such developing countries as Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines are
also trying to reduce fossil-fuel use in the transportation sector. In
Mexico this effort was largely a result of the realization that such
areas as Mexico City that have the largest concentration of the popula-
tion have air quality levels below international health standards 150
days a year. Because gasoline prices are much higher in the developing
world, technologies that improve fuel efficiency and alternative fuels
may be economically viable and important options there sooner than in
industrialized countries. Most Asian countries and many Latin American
countries that have domestic gas resources are already conducting feasi-
bility studies of CNG use and some have pilot programs in place.
Although such alternative fuels as CNG would be cleaner and better for
the environment, they also have some drawbacks. For one thing, most of
the alternative fuels being developed take up a lot more volume than the
equivalent of gasoline and would limit the range of passenger cars to a
maximum of approximately 320 km and the range of light or medium-duty
trucks to 480 km.
Increasing Fuel Efficiency
A second critical role in mitigating the adverse effects of the expand-
ing vehicle population can be played by improved fuel efficiency tech-
nologies. The average fuel efficiency for new cars in the industrialized
countries is estimated between 11 and 14 kilometers per liter (25 and 33
miles per U.S. gallon), and there are already cars commercially avail-
able that are roughly twice as efficient. There are also prototype
vehicles currently being tested that are substantially more efficient,
but so far these are designed to demonstrate the potential of certain
technologies without regard to mass-production cost and feasibility.
Technologies that are currently being used to increase automotive fuel
efficiency include the use of high-strength aluminum, steel, plastic,
and ceramic to reduce automobile weight; aerodynamic and drag improve-
ment technologies that reduce tire drag and rolling resistance; and
engine and drive train improvements that eliminate energy losses during
shifting and allow the engine to operate closer to full load at varying
speeds. It is estimated that a single factor such as reducing vehicle
weight by 10% could increase fuel economy by 6%, thereby lowering
harmful emissions.
Fuel efficiency technologies also have drawbacks. Evidence suggests, for
example, that shifting to smaller versions of currently available
vehicles may increase injuries and fatalities.
Better Practices and Policies
Given some of the drawbacks associated with new transportation technolo-
gies, in the near term the maximum impact on the reduction of greenhouse
gas emissions from vehicles may best be achieved from improvements in
existing transportation practices and policies. These measures may focus
on such areas as emissions monitoring and control, road improvements,
reduced traffic congestion, and improved car maintenance.
Canada, Japan, and the United States have been adopting policies that
encourage vehicle efficiency since the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Mexico
and other developing countries are also beginning to adopt such policies
as their air quality worsens and threatens the health of their popula-
tions. In the near term, this course of action may be more cost effec-
tive and have far wider implications than alternative fuel technologies.
In short, in developing countries where aging vehicles are kept in ser-
vice much longer than in the developed world, car maintenance and vehi-
cle efficiency programs are likely to yield the best results until
technologies to reduce vehicle emissions are perfected.
Source: Vicki Tsiliopoulos <mailto:vickit@vita.org>.
L i t e r a t u r e R e v i e w s
CAN A PIECE OF PAPER STOP DESERTIFICATION?
William C. Burns, 1995. "The International Convention to Combat Deserti-
fication: Drawing a Line in the Sand," Michigan Journal of International
Law, vol. 16, no. 3, pages 831-882.
Desertification is the degradation of land, resulting partly from human
activities and leading to decreased productivity. It is not a new prob-
lem, but has increased dramatically in dry regions of the Earth during
the last two decades. People who live in developing countries are par-
ticularly affected. About a quarter of the global land mass is affected
to some degree. The UN Environment Programme estimates that by the year
2000 the livelihoods of 1,200 million of the world's 5,500 million
people will be threatened.
Human activities: overpopulation, overcultivation, overgrazing, defor-
estation, and poor irrigation practices, play a role. So does variation
in rainfall. The result: an annual decrease of Earth's arable land by
58,000 square kilometers, about the area of the U.S. state of West
Virginia.
In 1992 the UN General Assembly drafted a Convention to Combat Deserti-
fication. William C. Burns (Pacific Center for International Studies,
Madison, Wisconsin), in this thorough and very readable paper, presents
the background of desertification and tries to predict whether the Con-
vention will "make a meaningful difference in the struggle to save the
world's land." The Convention was put out for ratification by the coun-
tries in 1993. It will go into force when the 50th nation ratifies it.
The Convention aims "to combat desertification and mitigate the effects
of drought . . . particularly in Africa" through dryland management and
programs of management of land and water resources. Scientific and tech-
nical cooperation among countries is featured. The commitment of "sub-
stantial financial resources" and their efficient use are mentioned.
Regional annexes to the Convention cover major world areas. Burns
believes that it will succeed only "if both developing and developed
nations dedicate themselves to the kinds of dramatic reforms that they
have eschewed in the past."
PROFILES FROM THE SOUTH
Eileen Conway (ed.), 1995. "Faces of Southern Knowledge; Researcher Pro-
files." IDRC Reports, volume 22, No. 4 (January).
This special issue of IDRC Reports is dedicated to "the thousands of
researchers with whom IDRC [Canada's International Development Research
Centre, Ottawa] has been associated over the past 25 years." Fourteen
two-page "profiles" are presented, each with a photographic portrait.
Aside from country of origin and technical topic, the profiles show
little variety: nearly all research workers came from middle-class fam-
ilies, showed early aptitude for science, completed higher education
abroad, returned to home country, applied new insights to old problems,
solved them through applied research. Some profiles are not clear on
what the problems were and what was done to solve them. These presenta-
tions suggest that in spite of IDRC's excellent work through the years
in sponsoring projects, it may be more difficult to pinpoint the pro-
gram's scientific achievements, for better understanding by possible
donors.
ECOTOURISM PAYS IN BELIZE
Patrick Kangas, Mary Shave, and Paul Shave, 1995. "Economics of an Eco-
tourism Operation in Belize." Environmental Management, volume 19, no. 5
(September - October), pages 669-673.
Tourism is second in importance only to sugar production in Belize's
foreign-exchange earnings. The Possum Point Biological Station attracts
groups of students from schools and colleges, and members of naturalist
societies. The visitors bring in money and obtain tours and services.
Since the Station's program begin in 1990, the cash input from tourists
was disbursed as outlays to the Belize Tourist Board, capital improve-
ments, supplies and services, labor, fuels, and upkeep of a historic
sugar mill. Voluntary donations from tourists were used to set up a fund
to help pay expenses of local students for post-secondary education.
Most of the cash outlays went to the local economy to provide income for
people in the community. The program operated at a loss for the first
year, but is now making a small profit. The Station has studied its
flows of energy, materials, and money, in addition to environmental
impact. The program provides an ecotourism model that merits
consideration for application elsewhere.
O r g a n i z a t i o n s
UN DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR WOMEN
UNIFEM provides direct support for women's projects and promotes the
inclusion of women in the decision-making process of mainstream devel-
opment programs. The Fund was created (1985) in response to the call of
thousands of women for a fund within the UN system to help improve the
living standards of women in developing countries and to address their
concerns.
UNIFEM's policies are based on the belief that the best way to help
women in developing countries is to strengthen the organizations they
create and control, while fostering links and partnerships at every
level. It recognizes that women are critical actors in families, commu-
nities and economic systems, and that they need access to resources as
well as to social services. To help address women's needs, the Fund
works primarily in these areas: agriculture and food security; trade and
industry; and macro policy-making and national planning. It works to
promote women's access to training, science and technology, credit, and
information. It also helps to link women to national, and international
policy-making bodies and global debates on such issues as poverty
alleviation, the environment, and human rights.
UNIFEM has 11 regional offices in Asia and the Pacific, Western Asia,
Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It funds projects ranging in
size from less than $1,000 up to $1,000,000.
Information: Melanie Roth, UNIFEM, UN Secretariat, New York, New York
10017; tel. +1 (212) 906-6897 or +1 (212) 906-6400;
<http://www.ingenia.com/unifem>.
V I T A P r o j e c t s
TECHNICAL INQUIRY SERVICE
Ever since VITA was established 36 years ago, its heart has been the
Technical Inquiry Service. The first request for information was
answered by VITA in 1959 -- approximately a year before the organization
was formally incorporated; requests are now pouring in at more than
2,000 a month.
The first request came from a soil chemist in Nigeria who needed a
protective coating to shield typewriters from rust. Petroleum jelly had
not worked. A General Electric Research Laboratories employee volun-
teered his time to look into the request, and after repeated experiment-
ation, concluded that the answer lay in using vapor phase inhibitor
crystals. The response was on its way to Africa several months after the
request had been received.
"A number of things have changed in VITA since that first request," says
VITA's President, Henry Norman, "but the dissemination of technical
information to those that need it continues to be a priority for us. To
meet the dramatic increase in the demand for information, over the years
VITA has computerized the service and streamlined its information opera-
tions. All current requests are now met, and the average turnaround time
is two weeks. There are few organizations in the world that can match
VITA's reputation for providing high quality technical information to
developing countries rapidly and dependably, and facilitating the dia-
logue necessary for its adaptation to field conditions."
Norman says, "It is highly significant that those who use this Service
represent the very groups that most development agencies have targeted
as priorities -- small and micro businesses; private voluntary organiza-
tions, who further disseminate any information sent to them; and schools
and universities."
To date, 250,000 inquiries have been processed. Who pays for this serv-
ice? For the first 32 years of its existence it received financial sup-
port from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Since 1991,
however, VITA has been supporting the service through unrestricted con-
tributions. Norman says "we believe that the Service is so valuable that
we will continue to provide it. Because postal rates have gone up, VITA
will seek to take advantage of electronic means of communication in
answering all incoming requests and sending documentation. In addition,
for the first time, VITA will have to ask by-mail requesters to pay the
costs of shipping the documents back to them."
Information: Henry Norman <mailto:hnorman@vita.org>.
A n n o u n c e m e n t s
ENVIRONMENTAL ENHANCEMENT THROUGH AGRICULTURE
A conference so titled will be held 15 to 17 November 1995 in Boston,
Massachusetts. It will examine how agriculture can contribute positively
to the environment while remaining productive and profitable. The con-
ference's strategic goal is to go beyond merely reducing the damage that
agriculture imposes on the environment; it will show how appropriately
designed farms can do more than that, actually enhancing the environment
in important ways.
Over 60 talks will be presented by speakers from a broad variety of sec-
tors. The conference is organized by Tufts University Center for Agri-
culture, Food and Environment; American Farmland Trust; and Henry A.
Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture.
Information: Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture,
9200 Edminster Road, Suite 117, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770. Tel +1 (301)
441-8777, fax +1 (301) 220-0164, e-mail <mailto:hawiaa@access.digex.net>.
INFORMATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
An international conference on this subject will be held in Dallas,
Texas, from 30 November to 4 December 1995. Its goal is to raise peo-
ple's awareness of the need for equitable access to information so that
sustainable programs and projects can be successful. The immediate
objective is to invite responsible persons who take their role seriously
as stewards of our planet to discuss timely issues of information for
sustainable development. The theme of the conference is "Celebrating the
Right to Know." The conference is also intended to give attendees an
opportunity to network so that there could be a circle of friends around
the world in key positions capable of influencing policy for sustainable
development. Although the conference may not be for everybody, all who
subscribe to the achievement of socioeconomic well being by practicing
informed decision making should attend.
Information: Seyoum S. Zegiorgis, 3617 Yosemite Drive, Plano, Texas
75023; tel. +1 (214) 422-9797 or +1 (214) 613-7591, fax +1 (214) 686-
4175, e-mail <mailto:seyoum_zeg@etsu.edu>.
* * *
HOW TO JOIN VITA'S ELECTRONIC FORUM
VITA's free, public, online discussion forum, DEVEL-L, provides for the
exchange of ideas and information on a wide range of issues and topics
related to technology transfer in international development; for exam-
ple, technologies, communications in development, sustainable agricul-
ture, women in development, the environment, small enterprise develop-
ment, meetings, and book reviews.
Subscribers to DEVEL-L automatically receive this newsletter. To join
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Please do not send these messages to VITA.
* * *
DevelopNet News is an electronic newsletter published monthly by Volun-
teers in Technical Assistance (VITA), a private, nonprofit, interna-
tional development organization located in Arlington, Virginia. The
newsletter needs your stories: you are invited to send them to the edi-
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President: Henry R. Norman <mailto:hnorman@vita.org>
Editor: Vicki Tsiliopoulos <mailto:vickit@vita.org>
Editorial Assistant: Rafe Ronkin, VITA Volunteer <mailto:rronkin@vita.org>
VITA specializes in information dissemination and communications tech-
nology. It offers services related to sustainable agriculture, food
processing, renewable energy applications, water sanitation and supply,
small enterprise development, and information management. It has pro-
jects in 6 African countries.
VITA's publications, on a variety of practical subjects, are designed to
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VITA's on-line information services: 24-hr BBS: +1 (703) 527-1086 [9600,
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