Is there progress toward the millennium development goal of environmental sustainability?
Environmental sustainability is related to problems like lack of clean water, poor sanitation and the destruction of the forests. Zambia is highly urbanized: 45 percent of the population lives in urban areas, and for those in the slum sections of cities, the water and sanitation situation is bad. As to the forests, they are disappearing fast, because one of the major energy sources is charcoal, which is used for cooking and heating. Preparing and selling charcoal is also an income-producing form of employment for poor people. I often see them carrying bags of charcoal, which is relatively inexpensive to buy. But the destruction of the forests is moving so fast that it is estimated that Zambia may be in a state of desertification in another 40 years. The government has a reforestation program, but it is not strong. The need for charcoal shows the connection between poverty and the heavy impact the poor have on the environment of a developing country like Zambia. What gives you hope for
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