Learning what fresh air is worth

African nations should value the environment as they move to industrialize

The first time I read about selling fresh air in a bottle from a UK tabloid, I dismissed the idea as foolish. How wrong I was! It has now occurred to me that many countries are actually minting what might be called "fresh-air dollars".

One way this is done is that well-to-do people living in areas where the air has been heavily polluted by industrialization visit or move to less polluted areas to enjoy fresh, safer air, earning host cities and countries fresh-air dollars.

In the case of China, cost of pollution has become clear. For decades, China has been the factory of the world. It is difficult to find a home in Africa or elsewhere in the world that doesn't have a single "Made in China" product. The resulting economic growth has made China the world's second-biggest economy, albeit at a cost. High pollution levels in many areas have hurt residents' quality of life.

Often you scarcely have to look much farther than the windows of your home or office to realize that all is not well. Persistent smog is a reminder that nature's capacity to absorb pollutants has been exceeded.

Some areas in South China have seen acid rain. Old people will tell you that the xigua (watermelon) no longer tastes the same.

China has woken up to the threat to the health of its people and economy with the realization that the current development model is not sustainable despite gains in technology. The logical move has been economic restructuring and setting new standards for air quality that it hopes to achieve in the long run.

China has been working to reduce its heavy dependence on coal by using more natural gas and investing in renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Use of low-quality coal is being limited and the worst polluting industries have been closed or moved away from the largest cities.

China is having to go back and clean up after pollution has reached critical levels. But should Africa follow the same pattern while many of its countries move to industrialize? African countries will have to be wiser.

Africa can continue the path of industrialization and urbanization but do so in a more sustainable manner.

Two important related events have happened in recent weeks. At the UN climate change summit in late September in New York, Rwandan President Paul Kagame signed a major deal with the European Union.

The deal will see Rwanda and five other African countries benefit from 3.3 billion euros ($4.2 billion) invested in the development of sustainable sources of energy.

And on Oct 2, Rwanda's leading daily, The New Times, reported on $9.5 million in World Bank financing for the conservation of Gishwati and Mukura forests in northwestern Rwanda.

These two landmark deals are a big boost to Rwanda's promotion of green growth, sustainable development and environmental conservation as envisioned in the country's second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy.

The country also will need to mobilize more investment in cleaner, more sustainable energy sources like solar, natural gas and hydropower. The focus should fall not only on generation of clean energy but also on how to use the available energy more efficiently.

As Rwanda continues to urbanize like many African countries, new high-rise buildings are being proposed and built. This is taken as a sign of progress, but a note of caution should be introduced.

Wang Fan and Lui Dongping, in their book Tales of Danish Zero Carbon, note that "buildings are the world's largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions at 41 percent, far more than transportation at 33 percent and manufacturing at 26 percent".

Buildings need to be energy efficient, with proper waste treatment systems. So the next time people celebrate the inauguration of another high-rise building, it should be not because of how it glitters but because of its environmental friendliness.

There also is a need for more environmentally friendly transport like reliable and convenient public transit systems and use of more bicycle and pedestrian lanes in future road designs in African cities.

And with fresh air and proper tourism packaging, there is no reason why Africa cannot attract a bigger share of Chinese tourists, who are expanding their reach across the globe. Africa can ensure a better environment for its citizens and also earn "fresh-air dollars" through the clean industry of tourism. It no longer sounds like such a crazy idea.

The writer is a Rwandan journalist in Beijing, China.

(China Daily Africa Weekly 10/24/2014 page26)