The Stream, January 7: Shell Gives Hefty Oil Settlement to Nigerian Community

The Global Rundown

Shell is paying $US 83 million to a Nigerian community devastated by oil spills in 2008 and 2009, and two Muslim charities are donating $US 100,000 to keep more Detroit citizens from having their water shut off. Togo‘s capital city will see a 50% increase in its water supply this year, and Kenyan farmers are baling hay to survive a drought. Bill Gates is advocating a machine that powers itself and creates drinking water from human feces.

“The compensation is a step towards justice for the people of Bodo, but justice will be fully achieved when Shell properly cleans up the heavily polluted creeks and swamps so that those who rely on fishing and farming for their income can begin to rebuild their livelihoods”–Styvn Obodoekwe, Director of Programmes of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, on a settlement paid by Shell to a Nigerian community affected by oil spills.

By The Numbers

$US 83 million Size of settlement to be paid by Shell to a Nigerian fishing community devastated by two oil spills in 2008 and 2009. $US 53 million will be paid directly to farmers and fishermen, while $US 30 million will go to the broader community of Bodo, Nigeria.  Climate Progress

20,000 cubic meters Increase in water supply to Togo’s capital city, Lome, in 2015. Plans to increase the 2014 supply of 40,000 cubic meters to 60,000 cubic meters this year will still fail to meet Lome’s actual water demand – 77,000 cubic meters. Bloomberg

Science, Studies, And Reports

Bill Gates is using his blog to advertise a machine that extracts clean drinking water from human feces and powers itself with the waste. He posted a video of himself drinking water that had been feces just minutes before. The machine is called the OmniProcessor and is manufactured by Janicki Bioenergy. Time

On The Radar

The Michigan Muslim Community Council and Islamic Relief USA are donating $100,000 to prevent further water shutoffs for Detroiters. The money will be put towards the unpaid water bills of Detroit families who risk losing their water service. Associated Press

Baling hay is gaining popularity with Kenyan livestock herders as an alternative to migration during the dry season. Instead of trekking hundreds of miles with their animals to find greener pastures during dry months, Kenyan farmers have taken to simply collecting and baling hay when it is plentiful during the rainy season. This method is safer, and provides some relief from the impacts of drought and climate change. Reuters