insert_link Africa Planting trees in grasslands won’t save the planet – rather protect and restore forests By Susanne Vetter, Rhodes University Tree planting is one of the nature-based solutions being used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Many of these tree planting projects target Africa’s rangelands (open grasslands or shrublands used by livestock and wild animals). They include agroforestry initiatives such as the Great Green Wall in the Sahel, or commercial timber plantations that double as carbon offset projects. […] todayApril 23, 2024 27
insert_link Environment World marks 54th Earth Day It is Earth Day, an annual event to show support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by Earthday.org including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2024 is "Planet vs. Plastics." Choking our oceans, plastic waste makes up 80 percent of all marine pollution. Over 10 million metric tonnes of plastic end up […] todayApril 22, 2024 45
insert_link Africa Insurance payouts expected for some Southern African drought hit countries A drought driven by the El Nino weather pattern is likely to trigger insurance payouts to four southern African countries that took out cover with an agency of the African Union. Bloomberg reports that Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique will receive payments at the end of the harvesting season, according to current projections, African Risk Capacity said in a statement but the payments are unlikely to meet regional needs. todayApril 22, 2024 31
insert_link Environment Snack giant PepsiCo sourced palm oil from razed Indigenous land – investigation By Andrew Wasley, Aramís Castro, Elisângela Mendonça In the last few years it is likely that PepsiCo has been using in its production palm oil from deforested land claimed by the Shipibo-Konibo people in eastern Peru, a new investigation has found. Palm oil from Peru enters PepsiCo’s supply chain via a consortium that shares storage facilities with Ocho Sur, the second largest palm oil producer in the country which […] todayApril 22, 2024 29
insert_link Africa Blue whales: first discovery near Seychelles in decades – what our study found By Jeremy Kiszka, Florida International University Blue whales are fascinating animals. At 24-30 metres in length (longer than a basketball court) they are the largest creatures on Earth. They are also among the rarest. Estimates suggest that there are only around 5,000 to 15,000 blue whales left in the world. Their populations experienced a 89-97% decline due to commercial whaling activities worldwide that started in the North […] todayApril 22, 2024 22
insert_link Environment Namibia stops Russian uranium exploration because of pollution concerns Namibia has suspended Russia's state atomic energy agency's uranium exploration due to fears of groundwater contamination. Despite being Africa's largest producer of nuclear fuel, the government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land reform has withheld the necessary mining permit, citing concerns over One Uranium's failure to demonstrate a pollution-free extraction method. Here is Petra Witbooi the Chairperson of Leonardville Village Council. Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform […] todayApril 18, 2024 87
insert_link Environment Dubai roads and airport flooded with heavy rains The United Arab Emirates experienced torrential rainfall and flooding yesterday, in what the government has described as the largest amount of rainfall in the past 75 years. More than 142- millimetres of rain soaked Dubai over just 12 hours. Dubai International Airport, recently crowned the second-busiest airport in the world, diverted planes as its tarmac was under water. The UAE government says the downpours were an exceptional climate event. According […] todayApril 17, 2024 80
insert_link Environment Advancing the rights of girls and women promotes justice and is also effective climate action By Grace M. Jaramillo, University of British Columbia Across the world, climate change disproportionately impacts the lives of girls, yet children are often forgotten in climate policy. I recently led a team of student researchers from the University of British Columbia to better understand why this is the case during field research in the Dominican Republic. Our team talked to 45 people, including key policy decision-makers on social […] todayApril 17, 2024 27
insert_link Africa Tanzanian floods kill 60 Nearly 60 people have died since the start of April in heavy rains and flooding that has hit several parts of Tanzania, the government said. The coastal region of the East African country is one of the worst affected, with floods damaging thousands of farms there, Mobhare Matinyi, the government spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday. He told the BBC that so far, 58 deaths have been recorded across […] todayApril 15, 2024 22