Kierstin Lilly

11/11/10

3:35 PM

In Zimbabwe, Africa the failure of the government to develop a stable electricity structure has continued to affect the landscape, causing massive environmental destruction. Daily power cuts that are negatively affecting businesses and home are the result of years of corruption and mismanagement at the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA). With no electricity many people have no choice but to cut down trees and make that their new business. Between 1990 and 2005 the country lost 21% of its forests and has no primary forests remaining and between 2000 and 2006 Zimbabwe was one of the top ten countries in the world for deforestation. Deforestation is a national problem that has significant consequences including vast amounts of land without any vegetation all over the country. “The situation is extremely bad. Imagine from 2000 when the farm invasions began. These people could not farm so the only economic form of survival became the cutting down and selling of trees to sell to the town locals and others.”

This problem has international consequences because Zimbabwe is signatory to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which require member nations to uphold specific standards of environmental preservation. This situation is not the peoples fault but rather the governments doing. The power cuts have left the people with no means of electricity, leading them further into poverty. Survival instincts come out in any type of threatening situation and for the people of Zimbabwe, cutting down trees to sell is a means of survival. The residents have begged the government to rethink its energy policies to find a long term, environmentally friendly source of energy for the benefit of the country.

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news101110/powercuts101110.html