insert_link Environment Gum arabic from Africa’s acacia trees in the Sahel is used in hundreds of products: what’s worth knowing By Asgar Ali, University of Nottingham The conflict in Sudan has turned attention to a rarely discussed commodity: gum arabic. This product, the dried sap of certain species of acacia trees, is used mainly as an additive in the soft drinks industry. Sudan accounts for about 70% of global gum arabic exports. Asgar Ali, an expert in sustainable food systems, answers questions about the commodity and its […] todayApril 30, 2024 15
insert_link Environment Calle Schlettwein chairs Zambezi Water Commission The Minister of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein has assumed the Chairmanship of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission, in Mozambique. He took over from Carlos Alberto Fortes Mesquita, the Minister of Public Works, Housing, and Water Resources of Mozambique during the 11th Zambezi Watercourse Commission Council of Ministers Meeting. Namibia will host the next Council of Ministers. todayApril 29, 2024 18
insert_link Environment Court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction A New York court has overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction. Judges say the landmark MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with "egregious" improper rulings. According to the Associated Press, the court found the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against the ex-movie mogul based on allegations that weren’t part of the case. Weinstein, 72, will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. But […] todayApril 25, 2024 5
insert_link Environment Asia was the most disaster-affected region in 2023 Asia remains the world's most disaster-affected region in 2023 due to weather, climate, and water-related hazards. According to UN News, storms and floods have hit the hardest, a new report published by the World Meteorological Organisation revealed on Tuesday. todayApril 24, 2024 21
insert_link Environment Over 2.4 billion workers face climate-related health risks Bloomberg News reports that more than 2.4 billion workers — or 70% of the global workforce — are exposed to climate change-related health hazards. An International Labour Organisation’s report, published Monday, also estimates that 18,970 lives and 2.09 million disability-adjusted life years are lost annually to 22.87 million occupational injuries attributable to excessive heat. todayApril 24, 2024 4
insert_link Environment Agriculture Ministry calls for national drought emergency The Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform has advised the government to declare a national drought emergency following its assessment of crop prospects and food security. According to Nampa, the recommendation was made after monitoring the situation in the seven major northern communal crop-producing regions from 12 February to 11 March 2024. Executive Director Ndiyakupi Nghituwamata highlighted significant distress grazing in the southern, western, and eastern parts of the […] todayApril 23, 2024 11
insert_link Environment Report links H&M and Zara to major environmental damage in biodiverse Cerrado A report by U.K. investigative NGO Earthsight links supply chains of fashion giants H&M and Zara to large-scale illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in Brazil. The country’s Cerrado region, home to a third of Brazil’s species, has already lost half of its vegetation to large-scale agriculture and is under increasing pressure from a booming cotton industry. The two major producers linked to illicit activities, SLC Agrícola and Grupo Horita, […] todayApril 23, 2024 6
insert_link Environment A web of front people conceals environmental offenders in the Amazon A paper trail left by a notorious land grabber reveals how he used relatives and an employee as fronts to evade environmental fines and lawsuits, shedding light on this widespread practice in the Brazilian Amazon. Fronts prevent the real criminals from having their assets seized to pay for environmental fines, besides consuming time and resources from the authorities, who spend years trying to prove who the real financier of the […] todayApril 23, 2024 4
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 6
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
