Free Public Transport - Africa

People of Egypt have to overcome their own army which is funded by the U.S.

2012-01-26T00:47:00.002Z

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Egypt

To keep access to oil regions, the U.S. backs corrupt governments. The people of Egypt are fighting back. As long as oil continues to be wasted with the auto-and-sprawl system, the oil companies will have tremendous power. As the oil runs out, they will switch to gas. We have to stop the waste, or the wars, dictators, and corrupt regimes will have an endless supply of money.

Nigeria reduces petrol subsidy, but does not provide free public transport

2012-01-05T17:08:00.000Z

Egyptian people react furiously to brutality and degradation

2011-12-21T14:32:00.000Z

Egyptian women protest in Cairo against brutal treatment | World news | The Guardian: "Hundreds of women have taken to the streets of Cairo to protest against military rule and the brutal treatment of female protesters by Egypt's security services." (video)

U.S. backed rulers brutalize people to protect access to Saudi oil

2011-12-20T13:35:00.000Z

People of Egypt show incredible courage

2011-12-17T10:22:00.000Z

Eight killed in unrelenting Cairo clashes | Reuters: "(Reuters) - Eight people have been killed as clashes between troops and protesters in central Cairo spilled over into a second day, Egyptian state television said on Saturday."

'via Blog this'

Lagos buses make a dent in traffic

2011-11-28T00:58:00.001Z

Attention dictators and thugs of the 1%. Here is your fate.

2011-11-19T16:24:00.001Z

Oil thug has lost his swagger.

Photo Reuters

Climate change could push staple food prices up 130% – study | Environment | The Guardian

2011-11-12T07:33:00.000Z

Zambian farmer Amelia Nyundo in a field of maize which failed to grow due to drought: Maize shortages in sub-Saharan Africa could push prices up. Photograph: Martin Godwin

Climate change could push staple food prices up 130% – study | Environment | The Guardian: "Climate change could lead to shortages and punishing 130% price rises in staple foods within our lifetime, raising the spectre of riots and civil unrest, a new study warned today."

'via Blog this'

The Endless Oil Spill | EcoGyrl

2011-11-09T09:40:00.000Z

The Endless Oil Spill | EcoGyrl: "The full Gulf incident lasted about 1 and 1/2 years, whereas, in the Niger Delta there has been an oil spill for 50 years! To them, the constant spills has morphed into one big one, that has already cost the Nigerian government 10 MILLION dollars a DAY.
The delicate balance that supports the ecosystem around the Niger Delta has been attacked, year after year, day after day. Primates, birds, and mangroves have been killed off, and violence and conflict has been growing. Shell, the company causing the spill, has been told to “clear out” by inhabitants, and people have died while others try to get there point across. Welcome to living life with the endless spill.
"

'via Blog this'

Enfin - Algiers' New Metro

2011-11-09T01:30:00.000Z

PRI

Auto traffic choking South Africa

2011-10-08T07:10:00.000Z

Lift club portal opens | News Update: "CONGESTION on Joburg’s roads is a daily frustration for many residents, but commuters should bear in mind that transport should not only be restricted to cars. This is according to the member of the mayoral committee for transport, Rehana Moosajee, who also encourages the use of public transport, cycling and lift clubs."

'via Blog this'

Public transport drivers threaten to operate buses for free | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt

2011-10-04T23:40:00.000Z

Photographed by Fouad Elgarnousy

Public transport drivers threaten to operate buses for free | Al-Masry Al-Youm: Today's News from Egypt: "Striking public bus drivers have threatened to transport the public for free and deprive the Public Transport Authority of income."

'via Blog this'

At Least 75 Kenyans Dead After Pipeline Explosion | TheLedger.com

2011-09-13T05:50:00.000Z

Joseph Mwangi, 34, sits in a state of shock after discovering the charred remains of two of his children, one aged 6 the other of unknown age, at the scene of a fuel explosion in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Sept. 12, 2011. A leaking gasoline pipeline in Kenya's capital exploded on Monday, turning part of a slum into an inferno in which scores of people were killed and more than 100 hurt. (AP Photo | Ben Curtis)

At Least 75 Kenyans Dead After Pipeline Explosion | TheLedger.com: "Mwangi had been feeding his cow when the call went out around 9 a.m. — a section of pipe had burst near the river that cuts through the slum and gasoline was pouring out. Men, women and children grabbed pails, jerry cans, anything they could find to collect the flowing fuel.

Mwangi had planned to get a bucket and join them — he'd done so before with earlier diesel leaks without any problem, he said, and a bucket of fuel could pay a month's rent. "Everybody knows that fuel is gold," the 34-year-old said."

'via Blog this'

We have 1 billion cars - but can't feed ourselves

2011-08-25T04:51:00.000Z

Video: Climate change is cause of Ethiopian drought - Telegraph: "During a tour of the Somali Regional State, Valerie Amos said: “Everything I've heard has said that we used to have drought every ten years, then it became every five years and now it's every two years. And it you don't have the rains at the beginning of the year or towards the end of one year then you are going to have a problem into the next year.""

'via Blog this'

Freeways are not free: Ndebele - Times LIVE

2011-08-19T01:18:00.000Z

Freeways are not free: Ndebele - Times LIVE: Ndebele said that after years of underspending, the government was making "steady progress" towards ensuring that rail was the backbone of South Africa's public transport system.

"As of 1 April 2011, government is spending R30.2bn over the next three years for rail upgrades across the country, with R19.5bn earmarked for capital spending to upgrade existing infrastructure, signalling systems and rolling stock," Ndebele said.

The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) was embarking on "a bold programme" to invest in new rail rolling stock worth an estimated R100bn over 18 years.

This would significantly improve the country's commuter rail transport, Ndebele said.

Niger delta oil spills clean-up will take 30 years, says UN | Environment | The Guardian

2011-08-05T08:44:00.000Z

An oil spill near Oloibiri Town, Bayelsa, Nigeria. Photograph: Ed Kashi/Corbis

Niger delta oil spills clean-up will take 30 years, says UN | Environment | The Guardian: "Devastating oil spills in the Niger delta over the past five decades will cost $1bn to rectify and take up to 30 years to clean up, according to a UN report."

New sleek, fast, train in USA

2011-08-02T22:15:00.000Z

BusinessDay - Gautrain’s glitch-free opening: "This morning saw the opening of the much-anticipated Gautrain route linking the capital city of Pretoria with the economic hub of Johannesburg.

Dr Barbara Jensen, Gautrain’s head of communication, said by midday the company had transported more than 11 000 people across the newly-linked stations. The average journey time on the new route between Hatfield and Rosebank stations is just under forty minutes.

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele who boarded the Gautrain at Hatfield station this morning, said the opening marked a new era for South African public transport.

'The train travels at 160km per hour, and I didn't even have my seat belt on,' he said from the platform at Sandton station."

Drought and flood, flood and drought

2011-07-10T23:19:00.000Z

Nigeria News ->Articles, Commentary, Personalities: "Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has declared Monday, July 11, as a public holiday after heavy rains on Sunday caused massive flooding of homes and roads across the state. Movement and commercial activities were paralysed, and some vehicles broke down in the heavy rains and passengers were stranded at bus stops."

Millions hit by East Africa drought - The Irish Times - Thu, Jul 07, 2011

2011-07-07T11:21:00.000Z

Millions hit by East Africa drought - The Irish Times - Thu, Jul 07, 2011: "Some 10 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance as East Africa struggles with the worst drought in decades.

Large areas of Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia are affected by the drought conditions."

Une journée sans fumée le 8 juin (Antsirabe) - actualités Madagascar avec l'Express de Madagascar

2011-06-11T11:28:00.000Z

Une journée sans fumée le 8 juin (Antsirabe) - actualités Madagascar avec l'Express de Madagascar: "La ville d’Antsirabe célébrera la Journée mondiale de l’environnement d'une nouvelle façon, cette année. Prévue pour le mercredi 8 juin, la commune urbaine l'a choisi comme « Journée municipale de l’air pur ». Sa célébration sera ouverte par une grande marche autour de la ville."

Ugandans walk to work to protest high fuel prices

2011-04-21T16:19:00.001Z

Ugandan police have again arrested three opposition leaders as they tried to continue the Walk to Work protest campaign. The campaign was started by a group called Activists for Change protesting the high fuel prices. They called for protests every Monday and Thursday for a month, in which Ugandans would peacefully protest while walking to work.
Keep Reading at CSM

Libyan people are fighting a ruthless dictator

2011-03-26T13:12:00.000Z

Friday prayers in Benghazi - 2100-Mar-11

2011-03-12T23:43:00.000Z

Photograph: Suhaib Salem/Reuters

True Friend of Gadaffi - Berlusconi

2011-02-26T12:36:00.000Z

Colonel Gaddafi, with his ever-present female guards, meets Silvio Berlusconi. Photo: REUTERS

Telegraph - UK

We will not surrender

2011-02-18T01:05:00.001Z

Libya 17th February 2011

If, one day, a people desires to live, then fate must answer their call » Blog Archive » Enough!Khalas

2011-02-14T06:57:00.000Z

If, one day, a people desires to live, then fate must answer their call » Blog Archive » Enough!Khalas: "Rulers can only govern with the consent of the ruled—whether tacit or explicit—and this they often achieve through coercion and violence, through the instillation of fear and apathy, and through the creation of illusions: illusions of strength, illusions of indestructibility, and above all, illusions of futility and hopelessness. The latter is the deadliest weapon at a tyrant’s disposal, and represents the most effective way of consolidating and maintaining power over the longterm."

5 Year Old Child Heads Million Strong Demo in Alexandria Egypt

2011-02-06T23:13:00.002Z

Egyptian Solidarity Demonstration, Pretoria, 4 Feb 2011

2011-02-06T15:51:00.000Z

An Under-Reported War Over Water

2011-01-29T00:31:00.000Z

A young man from the Nyangtatom tribe patrols a water access point on the border between Ethiopia and Kenya.

An Under-Reported War Over Water: "Almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, the political consequences of global climate change are now playing out in East Africa. Tribes that have co-existed peacefully for centuries along the border between Kenya and Ethiopia are going to war over diminishing water resources as their livestock dies, their crops fail, and they starve."

South Africa floods kill more than 100 - AlertNet

2011-01-24T13:54:00.000Z

South Africa floods kill more than 100 - AlertNet
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Flooding in South Africa has killed more than 100 people, saturated farms in the major food producer for the continent and led the government to declare 33 municipalities disaster areas.

Ninety-five percent of Lake Chad gone in 50 years

2011-01-24T04:49:00.000Z

Nigeria | Flickr - Photo Sharing!: "Once serving as part of the floor for a much larger Lake Chad, the area now known as the Bodele Depression, located at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert in north central Africa, is slowly being transformed into a desert landscape. In the mid-1960s, Lake Chad was about the size of Lake Erie. But persistent drought conditions coupled with increased demand for freshwater for irrigation have reduced Lake Chad to about 5 percent of its former size. As the waters receded, the silts and sediments resting on the lakebed were left to dry in the scorching African sun. The small grains of the silty sand are easily swept up by the strong wind gusts that occasionally blow over the region. Once heaved aloft, the Bodele dust can be carried for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers." Photo - NASA

Flood here, drought there. Climate change everywhere.

2011-01-15T21:25:00.000Z

An emaciated cow forages for pasture in Daaba in Isiolo on January 12, 2011. Herders are losing their cattle as drought continues to bite in most parts of the country. The government has now moved to tackle the famine crisis in the country. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI

By GATONYE GATHURA gathura@kenationmedia.comPosted Thursday, January 13 2011 at 22:00

Daily Nation: - News |Sh236bn needed to tackle Kenya drought crisis: "The first comprehensive Action Plan ever prepared by the government on climate change says the evidence of a warming Kenya is unmistakable and will have serious effects on all sectors of the economy."

Burning up biodiversity: forest fires increase in Madagascar

2011-01-11T07:13:00.000Z

Burning up biodiversity: forest fires increase in Madagascar: "The number of fires burning in and around forests in the northeastern part of Madagascar increased during the 2010 burning season relative the the year before, according to analysis of NASA data by WildMadagascar.org / Mongabay.com. The rise in burning corresponds to an especially dry year and continued illegal logging of the region's biologically-rich rainforests."

Tunisia - Government shoots people for being unemployed

2011-01-10T14:59:00.000Z

Developed world, after stealing for years, now wants all forgiven.

2010-12-28T14:14:00.000Z

Imagine that you live in a small town on a river downstream from an affluent, yet polluting, city. For decades, the city grows richer and richer while it continues to spew out pollutants into your drinking water.

You're not happy about this and demand the city stop polluting and pay you compensation. After years of dragging their feet, city officials finally acknowledge a problem but say everyone along the river should be responsible for cleaning it up, whether they contributed to the pollution or not.

Not very fair, is it?

WikiLeaks reveals how Shell infiltrated Nigeria

2010-12-15T08:33:00.000Z

WikiLeaks reveals how Shell infiltrated Nigeria: "The petrol giant Shell has thoroughly infiltrated the Nigerian government, newly leaked WikiLeaks documents show. The multinational corporation inserted its employees into every key government ministry to gain unparalleled influence in policy-making in the oil rich Niger Delta. Al Jazeera's Jesse Mesner-Hage reports on how the revelation fits into the decades-long troubled relationship between Royal Dutch Shell and Nigeria."

Railway Gazette: ONCF to buy 14 Duplex high speed trains

2010-12-11T02:00:00.000Z

Railway Gazette: ONCF to buy 14 Duplex high speed trains: "MOROCCO: Alstom Transport is to supply national railway ONCF with 14 Duplex high speed trainsets for Tanger – Casablanca services under a contract worth ‘nearly €400m’.

The contract, signed in Tanger on December 10, foreshadows the opening of Morocco’s first high speed line between Tanger and Kénitra in December 2015. This 200 route-km section is the first phase of the planned Tanger – Casablanca high speed line. From 2015, the double-deck dual-system Duplex trainsets will operate at 25 kV AC on the high speed line at a maximum speed of 320 km/h and between 160 km/h and 220 km/h on ONCF’s existing 3 kV DC main line between Kénitra and Casablanca."

Climate disruption harder on girls

2010-12-09T00:36:00.000Z

Climate change poses the greatest risk to the most vulnerable members of society. For this reason, children pay a high price for climate change, often bearing the brunt of increases in hunger, disease, population displacements and resource conflicts. And recent research by Plan International in Bangladesh and Ethiopia shows that girls are worse affected than boys. Plan-International

Reuters AlertNet - Sea level rise threatens Alexandria, Nile Delta

2010-11-14T15:44:00.000Z

Reuters AlertNet - Sea level rise threatens Alexandria, Nile Delta: "ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Twenty years ago, Taher Ibrahim raced his friends across Alexandria's beaches, now rising seas have swept over his favourite childhood playground.
Alexandria, with 4 million people, is Egypt's second-largest city, an industrial centre and a port that handles four-fifths of national trade. It is also one of the Middle East's cities most at risk from rising sea levels due to global warming.
'There were beaches I used to go to in my lifetime, now those beaches are gone. Is that not proof enough?' asked Ibrahim, a manager at a supermarket chain who is in his 40s."

Free trip on Car Free Day - Times LIVE

2010-10-23T02:23:00.000Z

Free trip on Car Free Day - Times LIVE: "'This [free trips] will give car users an opportunity to learn more about public transport and save on petrol costs, while at the same time contributing to the reduction of emissions,' city spokesman Nthatisi Modingoane said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Rea Vaya C3 Inner City Cycle Route would be offering free services from October 20 to October 23. Gautrain bus trips would also be free on October 20.

'Residents of Johannesburg are urged to take part in the celebration by using public transport such as buses, trains, taxis or joining lift clubs.'

Doing so would ease traffic congestion on the roads."

Private auto will destroy Africa

2010-09-24T12:39:00.000Z

There’s an environmental disaster in the making that has scientists issuing warnings about the collapse of an entire ecosystem.

If you’ve already leapt to the conclusion that I’m talking about the Gulf of Mexico and the fate of its fish, shrimp and birds, you’d be forgiven. We certainly have plenty to worry about here at home.

But the story I’m referencing — a proposed highway through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, the last great wildlife sanctuary on our planet, home to wildebeests, zebras, lions, cheetahs, and too many more species to name — is no less urgent and every bit as heartbreaking. The difference here is that this is a disaster of choice. It can still be stopped.

change.org

Bicycle Portraits - everyday South Africans and their bicycles. A photographic book. by Stan Engelbrecht / Nic Grobler — Kickstarter

2010-09-09T00:36:00.000Z

Bicycle Portraits - everyday South Africans and their bicycles. A photographic book. by Stan Engelbrecht / Nic Grobler — Kickstarter: "We've noticed that as our major centers develop there still seems to be a trend to make cities more friendly for cars, not people. While this might be happening in many places around the world the effect on individuals seems to be very dramatic in a country like South Africa, where there is a growing divide between those who can afford motorised transport and those who struggle to. Owning a bicycle in this social climate can be very empowering, if the correct infrastructure exists."

free public transport | Africa Streets

2010-09-06T21:39:00.000Z

free public transport | Africa Streets: "World Streets is pleased to announce publication in the weeks ahead of� a series of articles and other media to investigate this idea in-depth in these pages.� We would ask our readers to bear in mind that there is a … Continue reading →"

Flood and drought cost of cars and sprawl

2010-08-26T00:54:00.003Z

Floods Heighten Food Crisis in Niger | Africa | English: "Floods in Niger are compounding an already urgent food crisis in the region, as the Niger River reaches its highest level in more than 80 years.

Floods in Niger are worsening the West African country's food crisis, says the communications director for the Red Cross Society of Niger, Amadou Tidjani Adamou.

Adamou says that homes, latrines and rice fields have been destroyed in the recent flooding.

He added that the people living the area rely heavily on the rice fields that have been destroyed, and there will be consequences for the surrounding populations."

World Environment News - Rising Temperatures Threaten Rice Yield Growth: Study - Planet Ark

2010-08-24T01:00:00.000Z

World Environment News - Rising Temperatures Threaten Rice Yield Growth: Study - Planet Ark: "Rising temperatures could slow the growth of rice production unless farmers adapt by changing management practices and switch to more heat-tolerant varieties, scientists say.

Rice is among the world's most important crops and a staple for people in Asia and Africa, with Asia producing and consuming more than 90 percent of the world's output.

A drop in production could lead to higher prices, fears over food security and more hunger in a world with a rising human population."

No socially redeeming qualities -- the private auto

2010-08-18T12:54:00.000Z

The automobile is very likely the most influential and most harmful invention in the history of the world. If guns had never been invented, the world’s worst genocides could still have taken place under cudgels and swords. It is true that the atomic bomb has made possible the earth’s complete annihilation, but for the most part this remains only an unrealised possibility. The automobile, on the other hand, has already left hecatombs beneath its wheels and has helped unleash an ecological holocaust that is slower but not necessarily less destructive than any nuclear cataclysm. Nonetheless, the greatest danger of the automobile goes far beyond its tendency to crash and to pollute. Progressive movements for safety regulations and clean fuel, while admirable, do not address the most fundamental problem of the automobile: the deeper danger of cars is that even if they are some day made safe and clean, they will still have restructured nearly every aspect of human society according to their antisocial laws of motion. CarbustersMagazine

Climate change could destroy 80 per cent of rainforest by next century - Telegraph

2010-08-07T12:49:00.000Z

Climate change could destroy 80 per cent of rainforest by next century - Telegraph: "Rainforests currently hold more than half of all the plant and animal species on Earth.
However, scientists say the combined effects of climate change and deforestation may force them to adapt, move, or die.
By 2100, this could have altered two-thirds of the rainforests in Central and South America, about 70 per cent in Africa."

Gridlock hurting Mauritius economy

2010-06-07T20:15:00.000Z

Article: Gridlock snags island economy: traffic congestion is costing Mauritius around $100m as workers find themselves trapped for hours at a time in traffic. The problem is so bad that solutions proposed include a free public transport system. Nasseem Ackbarally reports from Port Louis.(MAURITIUS) African Business

Good idea. Why not make the whole island a car-free paradise?

Where does the oil money go?

2010-02-21T11:40:00.000Z

Zéro franc, zéro fraude

2010-02-19T20:56:00.000Z

A quoi servent les achats des tickets ?
A la RATP, la billetterie ne représente que 28 % des recettes, ce qui rembourse à peine la fabrication des billets, l’entretien des machines à composter, les contrôles... En somme, on paie un ticket pour que quelqu’un vérifie qu’on en a bien un ?

Qui paye les transports aujourd’hui ?

Ce sont les personnes les plus précaires économiquement qui payent le plus le droit à se déplacer : tandis que les patrons ont des voitures de fonction, les salariés ont leur carte orange remboursée pour moitié par leur employeur. Qui plus est, l’usager-contribuable paye deux fois sa place : une fois au travers de son titre de transport, et une autre par le biais de l’impôt (le ministère des transports et les collectivités locales financent la RATP à hauteur de 25%).

A quoi servent les transports en commun aujourd’hui ?

D’abord à aller travailler et à faire des achats. Ce sont donc encore une fois les employeurs, les grandes surfaces qui profitent le plus des transports. Il serait donc plus logique que ça soit eux qui payent.

Qu’apportent les contrôles ?

60 % des conflits entre agents de la RATP et usagers : en effet, la majorité des agressions a lieu lors de la perception du titre de transport. Ainsi, plus il y a de contrôles, plus il faut d’agents de sécurité, de caméras de vidéosurveillance... Faire payer les transports, c’est ouvrir la voie au tout-répressif.

Liberté - égalité - gratuité ?

Revendiquer les transports gratuits, c’est refuser que seuls les riches puissent se déplacer selon leurs envies et aussi revendiquer la liberté de circuler pour toutes et tous.

Les transports en commun, source de profits ou service collectif ?

La gratuité est la seule garantie d’égalité sociale. Comme l’éducation, la santé, ou la culture, les transports doivent être gratuits pour assurer leur libre accès à toutes et tous. Exiger la gratuité, c’est lutter contre la marchandisation de nos vies.

Et l’environnement ?

La gratuité des transports collectifs, c’est plus de gens qui les empruntent, donc moins de voitures, moins de pollution, moins de maladies respiratoires...

Comment gérer la gratuité ?

Seule une gestion directe des services collectifs, dégagée de toutes pressions politiciennes et rentabilité financière, permettra de voyager selon nos besoins et nos envies. La gestion de ce service devra s’effectuer au travers de représentants mandatés et révocables par les salariés de la RATP et les usagers.

La gratuité des transports, un rêve ?

Hasselt, en Belgique, 70000 hab., Compiègne, 30000 hab., Issoudun 18000 hab., l’appliquent déjà. D’autres l’ont mis en place pour les chômeurs et précaires : la région Midi- Pyrénées, Caen...

La gratuité aujourd’hui ?

Dès maintenant, il nous faut exiger des transports gratuits pour tou-te-s, demander l’arrêt immédiat des contrôles, des amendes et des poursuites, et de manière plus générale, nous occuper directement de nos affaires pour que personne ne décide plus à notre place.

C’est maintenant qu’on veut vivre, alors prenons nos affaires en main !!!

Réseau pour l’Abolition desTransports Payants
c/o 145 rue Amelot 75011 Paris
email : gratuit@samizdat.net

Car sharing complements public transit

2010-01-21T20:16:00.000Z

Pipeline protection requires the crushing of human rights

2010-01-11T17:32:00.001Z

The oil and gas industry cannot force governments to station a soldier at every 100 metres of pipeline. So they have to terrorize people into submission. As long as the autosprawl system continues, it will drive fossil-fuel demand and empower this industry. There will be no human rights or justice.

An attack on a crude-oil pipeline operated by U.S. oil giant Chevron Corp. is the latest in a series of political and security setbacks for this embattled West African nation.
...The attack could threaten an amnesty deal for militants that bound the government and Nigerian militants in a shaky four-month cease-fire. In October, thousands of suspected militants turned in their weapons to avoid arrest. During that time, Western oil companies, including Chevron, Exxon Mobil Corp. and Royal Dutch Shell PLC, were able to increase Nigeria's oil production to almost two million barrels a day from about 1.6 million barrels. Rigzone

Oil companies have polluted Nigeria

2009-12-05T03:39:00.000Z

...The bigger, more disturbing picture is that oil spills have contaminated the once fertile Delta with approximately 1.5m tonnes of crude oil, equivalent to one Exxon Valdez disaster every year for the last 50 years. As Amnesty International pointed out in a report this July, Shell "has failed to respect the human rights of the people of the Niger Delta … through failure to prevent and mitigate pollution"....CommonDreams

Botswana - Free Public Transport Saves Money

2009-11-26T18:22:00.000Z

...They calculated the cost of the lost productive time, during working hours. They added the cost of hospitalization and death. They calculated the savings due to noise and air pollution. They accurately estimated the maintenance of the road network and the economic cost of accidents. Their report proved that free public transport is not only viable, but it is far better than the current system. It is financially responsible and saves lives and adds to the quality of life. SundayStandard

The automobile is the cause of death in Kenya

2009-11-20T21:02:00.000Z

People in Africa are murdered so cars can have gasoline in China:

In the weeks leading up to the attack, “Government forces brutally shut down” several wildlife conservancies the Samburu pastoralists managed in collaboration with environmental organizations, explains Cultural Survival, who just received “reports of further air and land attacks on the Samburu by hundreds of Kenyan police troops during the week of November 16.”
According to documents released by a Kenyan military officer, the campaign is in large part an attempt to force the Samburu to abandon their way life. The documents explicitly mention an intent to “bring these people into the modern era.” They also showed the attacks, including the one just described, were planned months in advance.
Then, in October, the Kenyan government announced it had awarded a set of 18 oil leases to Chinese companies. The lease areas are located within the Samburu’s territory. Intercontinental Cry