insert_link Africa Lagos bans single-use plastics Nigeria's Lagos state will start implementing a ban on Styrofoam and other single-use plastics. The State's environment commissioner told the BBC that non-biodegradable plastics were a major pollution problem, and were clogging drains. State officials say they'll use a dormant 2009 law to fine or jail culprits. Lagos is one of Africa's most populous cities. International experts estimate Nigeria generates 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste annually. todayJanuary 22, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Congo’s blackwater Ruki River is a major transporter of forest carbon – new study River Ruki. Photo by Matti Barthel, Author provided Travis Drake, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich; Johan Six, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and Matti Barthel, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich The Congo Basin of central Africa is well known for its network of rivers that drain a variety of landscapes, from dense tropical forests to more arid and wooded savannas. Among the Congo River’s large tributaries, the […] todayJanuary 22, 2024 11
insert_link Environment Why are floods in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal so devastating? Urban planning expert explains By Hope Magidimisha-Chipungu, University of KwaZulu-Natal The devastation caused by the recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa demonstrates again that the country is not moving fast enough to adopt appropriate urban planning. It should be integrating risk assessment and management in the design and development of cities. This is becoming more urgent as the frequency of floods increases. Most South African cities were built a long time ago, before […] todayJanuary 22, 2024 12
insert_link Business / Economics Risks posed by the proposed In Situ Leach Mining of Uranium in the Stampriet Artesian Basin, southeastern Namibia. Open Letter to the Members of Cabinet, Members of Parliament, Standing Committees, Regional Governors, Councilors, Traditional Authorities and the Namibian Public More than 99 percent of Earth's water is deemed unusable by humans and many other living organisms. It seems extraordinary that the water supporting all terrestrial life on our planet is so scarce (Source: National Geographic; North American and Australian groundwater databases). The water that sustains life falls […] todayJanuary 19, 2024 40
insert_link Environment Tondoro Health Centre experiences flooding following heavy thunderstorm The Tondoro Health Centre in the Kavango West Region reportedly experienced flooding following a heavy thunderstorm on Wednesday. The Ministry of Health and Social Services' Executive Director (ED), Ben Nangombe, in a media statement issued on Thursday said no major damage to medical equipment or clinical supplies was recorded. 'In our assessment, the rainwater that flooded the health centre originated from a water pool that had formed along the […] todayJanuary 19, 2024 22
insert_link Africa Senegal’s pink lake is on the verge of disappearing – how to protect it By El hadji Sow, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar Lake Retba, better known as Lac Rose (the Pink Lake), is located around 35km from the city of Dakar, Senegal. It sits in a depression with a shoreline 6.5 metres below sea level. The lake is isolated from the sea by about 1km of sand dunes. Its fresh water comes from the seasonal water table in the dunes, which […] todayJanuary 18, 2024 15
insert_link Africa Mozambique’s cyclone flooding was devastating to animals – we studied how body size affected survival By Jason P. Marshal, University of the Witwatersrand and Francesca Parrini, University of the Witwatersrand Anyone who watches the news will have seen the devastation that tropical cyclones can cause when they reach land, with very strong winds, high rainfall and flooding. A cyclone like this, Idai, moved over Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique in March 2019. At that time, it was the deadliest storm in Africa. Rainfall […] todayJanuary 18, 2024 14
insert_link Environment Agricultural nitrogen pollution is global threat, but circular solutions await By Claire Asher via MongaBay As the world grapples with escalating climate change, policymakers remain laser-focused on CO2, with humanity striving to decarbonize energy systems, capture carbon, issue carbon credits, and plant millions of trees to absorb emissions. But carbon dioxide is just one of several powerful greenhouse gases destabilizing the global climate, and just one of the human-produced pollutants severely impacting the natural world and threatening to push Earth out […] todayJanuary 18, 2024 17
insert_link Environment Elton John achieves EGOT status with Emmy win Music icon Elton John has become the 19th person to become an EGOT, winning all four major entertainment awards: an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. He secured EGOT status when his Disney Plus special, Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium, took home the award for outstanding variety special at the 75th Emmy Awards. The Smithsonian Magazine reports that he now has two Oscars, five Grammys, one […] todayJanuary 17, 2024 14
