Sun Blogs: For a Few Dollars More
Not-So-Global Warming
October 13, 2009 - 11:00pmIn Malawi, a boy named William Kamkwamba powers his village by hooking a windmill that he built up to a generator. In Ethiopia, a woman named Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu runs a business making “SoleRebel” shoes, an answer to Nike and Adidas that produces zero emissions.
Across the world, there is really no doubt that climate change is happening, and it can be pretty much accepted that activities that don’t further harm the environment are, well, good. But American emissions are skyrocketing, and emerging Asian economies feel entitled to the same levels of pollution that other wealthy nations have utilized during their periods of industrialization. Despite impassioned pleas by people all over the world and a growing pile of supporting scientific evidence, little progress has been made by the wealthy in preventing global warming.
Meanwhile, in some of the world’s poorest countries, people like William and Bethlehem are making real impacts in their communities to help offset our impending climate crisis. These impacts are driven part by necessity – William’s windmill, for example, is the only feasible source of energy in a place where electricity from oil or other traditional sources is far too expensive.
However, the cultural norms in many developing countries also drive a large part of their climate-friendly movement. Nowhere in the world is it more important to conserve resources than in a place where resources are extremely limited. Recycling of materials is the way of life in many developing countries, so a business that works off reusing materials and being climate friendly is nothing new for the poorer residents of our planet.
Bethlehem’s shoe business, for example, does just that. The shoes are made partially out of recycled tires – something that Ethiopians have been doing for years. The rest of the materials are made by local farmers, which not only increases economic activity in low income villages, but reduces environmental transportation costs. The business can’t afford to have high emissions.
Both William and Bethlehem have been greatly rewarded for their eco-friendly innovation. William, who stopped going to school at the age of 14 because he could not afford the $80 annual fee, is now attending the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg on scholarship, and was a speaker at the Technology Entertainment Design conference in Tanzania. Meanwhile, Bethlehem projects half a million dollars of earnings next year, and thinks her business will continue to grow.
Necessity breeds innovation. As such, the great level of need in the developing world has bred some innovation from which the rich world could learn. Much of development aid has focused on the rich telling the poor what to do. Maybe, however, when it comes to issues with the environment, the poor might have a few helpful suggestions of their own.