Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out

Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out

By Petro Kotzé Toilet paper is so common in some countries it’s only noticed when it’s not there, as exemplified by the panic buying that prompted shortages when the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. Thought to be in use in China since the sixth century, inventor Joseph C. Gayetty patented the first U.S. commercial “medicated paper” in the 1850s. Since then, demand has soared in many places, bolstered by rising population, […]

March 18, 2024 80

World

International Atomic Energy Agency chief visits

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency is visiting Japan for a progress report on the discharge of treated nuclear waste water into the Pacific Ocean. Japan began a 30-year release of more than a million tonnes of treated, radioactive water used to cool the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant in August.

March 12, 2024 21

Africa

Lagos bans single-use plastics – why I think Nigeria should have taxed them instead

By Kehinde Allen-Taylor, Technical University Braunschweig Waste pollution is a huge problem in Nigeria, with serious impacts on the environment. In response, the Lagos state government has banned styrofoam (a type of plastic widely used as food containers) and other single-use products. Following a three-week moratorium for producers and sellers to mop up styrofoam containers, enforcement began on 4 March 2024. In 2019, Nigeria was estimated to […]

March 12, 2024 22

Africa

In climate-related flooding, a Ugandan river turns poisonous

By Ashoka Mukpo Uganda’s Nyamwamba river, in the Rwenzori Mountains, has begun to flood catastrophically in recent years, partly due to climate change. Along the river are copper tailings pools from an old Canadian mining operation, which are becoming increasingly eroded by the flooding. According to a series of studies, these tailings have been washing into the water supply and soil of the Nyamwamba River Basin, contaminating human tissue, food […]

March 11, 2024 62

Environment

Japan to release more Fukushima water into Pacific

Japan will begin a fourth discharge of treated, radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from Wednesday. The owner of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, TEPCO, has been releasing the water in batches since August last year. Chris Gilbert reports from Tokyo.

February 27, 2024 21

Environment

In Brazil’s soy belt, community seed banks offer hope for the Amazon

By Ana Ionova Not too long ago, the plot of land that Maria Ivonete de Souza inherited was barren, the soil hardened by years of cattle ranching. When the family had arrived to the Amazon from southern Brazil four decades earlier, her father had swiftly cleared the dense rainforest to make way for pasture. “He razed it all by hand, with a saw and an ax,” Souza […]

February 20, 2024 11

Environment

17 million South Africans live on communal land – new study of a rural valley offers insights on how to manage it

Tyhume Valley in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Wonga Masiza, Author provided Wonga Masiza, Agricultural Research Council The Tyhume River, flowing from the forested Amathole Mountains in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, gives its name to a valley of 20 villages on communal land. Much of the land is being used to keep livestock, as crop production has declined over the years. This land is under the custodianship of traditional leaders. […]

February 14, 2024 10

Uncategorized

Africa’s green energy potential lures crypto miners

By Seth Onyango, bird story agency Nomadic crypto miners in search of affordable energy are eyeing Africa, with Ethiopia emerging as a prime location for blockchain mining. This pivot towards the continent is driven by its abundant renewable sources including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Ethiopia, with its colossal hydroelectric dam, has seen an increased inflow of bitcoin miners especially from China, who are dodging Beijing's tight […]

February 14, 2024 7

Africa

Madagascar: giant tortoises have returned 600 years after they were wiped out

By Grant Joseph, University of Cape Town A six-year-old project to return giant tortoises to the wild in Madagascar could result in thousands of the 350kg megaherbivores re-populating the island for the first time in 600 years. The first group of Aldabra giant tortoises (Aldabrachelys gigantea) were brought in from the Seychelles in 2018, and have been reproducing on their own since. Ecologist Grant Joseph explains how reintroducing […]

February 5, 2024 17