Effective environmental protection policies relating primarily to the effects of degradation and depletion of the environment need to be implemented and maintained by institutions and individuals at all levels of society namely, local governments and national, regional,  4  Environment Canada, International Relations, International Agreements, 1998 http://www.ec.gc.ca/international/multilat/ ozone_e.htm  5  Kyoto Protocol, Status of Ratification, Last Modified 29th July 2004, http://unfccc.int/resource/kpstats.pdf  BIS Review 74/2004  7  as well as international institutional bodies. This is even more critical for Africa which is also faced with unique constraints such as rapid urbanisation, poverty, poor legislation and inadequate capacity to implement and enforce legislative controls where they exist. The trend of population growth in developing countries, estimates that 95% of the total world population growth will occur in Africa, Latin America, and Asia over the next 30 years (Post-LawrenceWeber, 1999). The resulting increasing strain on natural resources due to the imminent population boom in Africa if not checked, will cause many setbacks to economic growth and human development. It is therefore advisable that stricter environmental policies be implemented in these countries so as to offset encounters with such negative developments. The anticipated future demographic pressure on urban areas due to a shift of the expanding population to the cities and towns in search of jobs will ultimately result in increased levels of air pollution, and pressure on transportation facilities, urban sanitation, access to clean water supply, and waste disposal.

The total population of Africa is projected to reach 1,941 million by the year 2050, from approximately 885 million in 2004 (Ashford, 2004). According to statistics collected by UN-Habitat 2002 and UN 2002, they indicate that out of a world total of 923,986 thousand urban slum dwellers, 869,918 thousand (94.1%) were from developing countries, with Africa accounting for 187,563 thousand or 20% (UNDP, 2003). It is important for local governments to ensure adequate planning policies in order to accommodate the predicted rising population. Local governments must also ensure the implementation of effective policies meant to regulate the activities arising from globalisation on the African economy such as the expansion in the number of urban industries, and the need for land for cultivating commercial crops, as well as to support the need for increased areas of subsistence farming. Another fundamental aspect that needs urgent attention is the issue of collecting more accurate data on environmental pollution and degradation and related statistics on the environment. Items such as farming methods employed, the pace of clearing of land for settlements, and charcoal burning, are presently not included in existing statistics. Appropriate measurements will provide a more precise indicator of the weight and quantitative value of negative environmental externalities on economic development in Africa. Chinese policy makers have now adopted the use of “green GDP” (The Economist, August 21st 2004), which takes into account the environmental costs on economic development.