Authors: Princess Ewa, Adedoyin Adeleke, PhD and Juwonlo Michael
Background
In the recent years, there has been an increasing interest and commitment to sustainable development. With increasing complex challenges within the nexus of social, economic and environmental dimensions of development, economies of the world are seeking sustainable ways to meet social and economic needs ensuring environmental sustainability. Among the several issues, this publication is aimed at educating and empowering secondary (high) school students, age bracket between 10 -18 years on sustainable energy, sustainable aviation, and climate change which are major global challenges that #GreenGrowthAfrica’s EcoHeroes Initiative (2022/2023 cohort) seeks to address.
Sustainable Development
According to a 1987 Brundtland Report, Sustainable Development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that sustainable development does not only seek to achieve economic development, rather, it also focuses on environmental and social dimensions.
Sustainability is more of a ‘long term’ concept and deals with how societies can exist, carry out all human activities, whilst at the same time, preserving the environment, efficiently utilising natural resources, and also ensuring social and economic equity.
Thematic pillars for EcoHeroes Initiative (2022/2023)
Sustainable Energy
Energy is a crucial driver of social and economic development. However, the over reliance on polluting fossil fuels has increased the interest of the world on the just and sustainable energy transition. Stakeholders around the world are seeking new ways to generation energy from renewable and clean energy sources and reduce energy consumption required for meeting human needs (energy efficiency. The exploitation of renewable energy is particularly crucial to the providing energy access to more than 1 billion people around the world without energy access particularly in Africa which account for about 50% of the global population without energy access. Over the years, specifically in less developing countries, wood has been the major source of energy supply. This overdependence on wood for fuel and energy has resulted to the indiscriminate felling of trees, deforestation, climate change, among other adverse and undesirable impact. Therefore, stakeholders in African energy sector seek innovation and new approaches to provide sustainable energy solutions from wind power, wave, tidal, hydro power, solar power, biomass and geothermal heat power. In addition to renewable energy generation, energy efficiency also holds a huge potential towards addressing the global energy challenge, hence, the call for improvement in energy efficiency globally including new innovations and methodologies that improves the efficiency energy use.
Please see case study projects conceived and implemented by students in secondary schools to inspire your project ideas:
- #GreenGrowthAfrica’s EEP (now EcoHeroes Initiative) student team at Christ Apostolic Church Secondary School, Makurdi, Nigeria developed the Bionet Flexi-Digester; a cost-effective equipment for converting biodegradable waste(animal dung) to cooking gas and lighting(sustainable energy for cooking) through fermentation using a decomposer gel(based on secondary school chemistry – STEM). The project was implemented to reduce the high rate of deforestation which reduces adaptive capacity to combat climate change and the indoor carbon emissions that results from using fuelwood for cooking. Video: https://youtu.be/ku2qJEsfTnI | Blog: https://isnad-africa.org/2022/03/04/eep-2021-2022-team-bionet-flexi-digester-progress-report/
- With the aim of reducing the use of firewood in their school kitchen and the associated health and environmental education, the Nakuru Day team in Kenya built a biogas plant from cow dung generated by 13 cow on the school possessed by the school. The plant produces sustainable energy for cooking (biogas), reduces fuelwood use and carbon emission by 20% hence saving forest population for adaptive capacity to combat climate change. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94at57n0NWk
- Student team in Business Senior High school, Tamale in Ghana 108,000kg recycled agricultural waste (mainly rice and groundnut husk) through destructive distillation and carbonation [– two chemical concept in Chemistry (STEM)] to produce 36,000kg of Smokeless Charcoal (Briquettes). The project conceptualised based on the students’ identification of the over reliance on fuelwood for cooking in the northern region of Ghana. The resulting decline in forest population reduce the capacity to capture carbon emissions as an adaptation mechanism against climate change. Similarly, the increased use of fuelwood for cooking results in further carbon emissions which exacerbates climate change. Video: (https://youtu.be/YxCSYW7xVUY). Also see a newspaper report of the award received by the school from the government of Ghana based on the project: https://thecustodianghonline.com/business-shs-wins-energy-commissions-high-school-challenge/
- #GreenGrowthAfrica’s Student team at Nova Pioneer Tatu Girls school in Tatu, Kenya applied Gay-Lussac’s law of ideal gases and the greenhouse effect – two theoretical concepts learned in chemistry to home-made and affordable water filtration system that is affordable for low-income rural dwellers. The project was conceptualised and implemented to address drinking of increasing unclean and untreated water for drinking among rural dwellers due to water scarcity because of drought occasioned by climate change. Video: https://youtu.be/maf_a0vqgfU
- #GreenGrowthAfrica’s student team at African Child College in Abuja, Nigeria manufactured 40 solar-powered reading lamps using locally-sourced materials by applying optics (study of light) and electricity from Introductory Technology and Physics, two science and technology secondary school subjects (STEM). The project was conceptualised and implemented to address the lack of access to sustainable energy (electricity) in the local community around the school, leading to a large share of the students resort to the use of small-unit generators and unsafe kerosene lamps which emit that contribute to climate change. Video: https://youtu.be/u93UPdoqZUo | Blog: https://isnad-africa.org/2022/03/03/eep-2021-2022-producing-solar-reading-lamps-with-locally-sourced-materials-progress-report/
Click here for more sustainable energy projects.
Climate Change
Climate change is steadily imposing risks on human lives and health in a number of ways. It threatens the basis of livelihood such as clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food supply and safe shelter – and has the capacity to impede decades of progress in global health.
According to the United Nations, Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, however, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.
Research shows that people living in less developed countries are on the front line of climate change impacts. These countries face a range of acute to long-term risks, including extreme weather events such as floods, and droughts, increased average temperatures and rising sea levels.
Many of these countries already have a high burden of climate-sensitive diseases that are then exacerbated by climate change.
Ways to combat climate change:
We must drastically cut emissions and remove some carbon from the atmosphere. Fortunately, Plants and trees can by nature, absorb and store carbon that are held up in the sky. By conservation of natural habitats, building trees, including regenerative practices to agriculture, and encouraging afforestation, we are on the right track to storing tons of this carbon dioxide whilst at the same time, mitigating the impacts of climate change on the environment.
Policies and practices that encourages clean energy are also a very good well to manage the challenges of climate change.
Please see case study projects conceived and implemented by students in secondary schools to inspire your project ideas:
- All projects presented above under the sustainable energy theme also contributes to climate action, hence fall under the climate change theme.
- The team at Nova Pioneer Tatu Girls developed three (3) units of chemical-free water filtration system in response to the scarcity of clean water and plastic pollution challenges in their community. Shrinking water supply is one of the impact of climate change, hence, many especially in rural communities source water from unclean sources and often consume them without treatment or boiling, partly due to the expensive cost of buying clean water or acquiring existing high-cost purification systems. The project adopts a cost effective and natural means of water purification, while also incorporating recycling of plastics for nature conservation. The students adapted the idea through the application of Gay-Lussac’s law of ideal gases and the greenhouse effect – two theoretical concepts learned in chemistry, a secondary school physical science course. The OASIS is a simple home-made water purifier made of plastic bottles collected from recycle bins and waste charcoal pieces.
See a video presentation of their project: https://youtu.be/maf_a0vqgfU
- The student team at GBHS Belabo in Cameroon established a scheme and sustainable strategy for empowering their local community with requisite knowledge and skill to combat the decline of natural resources in Belabo, Cameroon. The decline and extinction of species have been partly attributed to climate change. The project covers activities of logging companies, sport hunting outfits and commercial bush meat hunters in the exploitation of natural resources across Cameroon forests. These problems are also associated to the fact that the local and indigenous communities are not aware of the long-term impact of these activities on their health, wellbeing, livelihood and environment.
This project empowered the students with an in-depth understanding of the negative role of poor waste disposal and management, and to develop skills on waste management. The project also helped to build the sense of responsibility and advocacy in the participants to better engage in environmentally friendly practices.
See a detailed report of the project has been published in a blog authored by the students’ team.
- The student team at Ngora Girls Secondary School in Uganda identified the effects of deforestation to the pollution and evapouration of water wells in Ngora. The team set out to increase suitable vegetation cover around the water Wells in their community. The student team planted 55 Paspalum (a type of grass known for erosion control) around the water wells in their community. This was achieved in addition to educating 483 students, 50 adult community members and 24 teachers on environmental protection, as well as mobilising them to clean up the wells within the Ngora community by removing silts and other non-biodegradable materials therein. The overarching goal of the project is the protection of biodiversity leading to the conservation of aquatic organisms such as frogs, snakes, earthworms, amoeba, and other animals that contributes to the water ecosystem.
Kindly see representative pictures of the projects below while detailed report of the project has been published in a blog authored by the students’ team.
Click here for more projects related to climate change
Sustainable Aviation
Over the last years, many projects and initiatives have been executed and are still been executed to make aviation greener as well as achieve lower overall emissions. These has led to extensive researches and ways in which aviation can be made sustainable.
Sustainable aviation, therefore, as a multi-disciplinary field, aims at finding solutions to improve the environmental and societal impacts of air transportation. Its overall objective is to implement new, advanced policies and practices that can reduce the adverse contributions of aviation to climate change.
Sustainable Aviation covers highly efficient aircraft designs, green aircraft technologies, and energy-optimized flight operations to reduce aircraft energy consumption, noise, and emissions, appropriate fidelity and system-level analysis of advanced concept aircraft, electrified and hydrogen-powered aircraft, sustainable aviation fuels, renewable and alternative energy sources, as well as improved air traffic management.
Project relating to sustainable Aviation
Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) are an alternative to the regular aviation fuel, which is a high-density kerosene-based fuel. Originally, regular aviation fuel was developed to offer the high power needed for aircraft engines. Its downside is that it is heavier than standard automotive gasoline, with longer strings of hydrocarbon atoms, and offers a higher flash point and lower freezing point. As it is fossil fuel-based, it has high carbon emissions.
SAF, on the other hand are based on renewable hydrocarbon sources that are not fossil fuel-based. This includes sources such as used cooking oil, municipal waste and forestry biomass.
Ways of producing SAF:
To produce SAF, the feedstock is first collected from one or multiple sources. Feedstock could be but are not limited to biomass and municipal solid waste (MSW), waste products, such as oils or household waste, or specifically grown plant material. Currently, fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) are a leading source of feedstock.
Once the feedstock is collected and separated, they can then be refined to produce fuel. There are various technologies used for this conversion. For FOGs, the most widespread is the Hydrotreated Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA). In this process, purified liquids are exposed to a chemical reaction with hydrogen and catalysts and then distilled.
For solid biomass, Fischer–Tropsch Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene (FT-SPK) is a leading process for feedstock conversion. This process involves the gasification of solid biomass at a high temperature, producing a synthesis gas that is further converted into hydrocarbon chains.
It is important to note that SAF is not used directly as a fuel. But it can be used in existing jet engines after mixing with traditional jet fuel. This ensures similar performance and handling characteristics. The resulting fuel is re-certified as Jet A or Jet A-1 fuel and can then be handled, transported and used in the same way as traditional fuel. However, combined fuel must meet strict requirements to ensure its usability.
Click here for more sustainable aviation projects.
Are you applying for Green Growth Africa’s EcoHeroes Initiative 2022/2023? Please, note that the projects exemplified in the web links are not to be duplicated in your submission, they are only to inspire your thoughts. Projects selected for the programme would be innovative projects that address a challenge in your chosen context.
We look forward to receiving your applications and ultimately working with you to conserving nature across Africa.
