Namibia faces most severe drought in 30 years

 

Picture: LEAN TIMES ... Farmers from the Omaheke village in the Kunene Region are seen moving their lean cattle towards the Omakange village in Omusati to escape the drought. The central parts of Namibia have experienced the worst rainfall in 30 years.

The central areas of Namibia are experiencing the most severe drought in three decades, seasonal rainfall figures released by the Meteorological Service of Namibia show. 

Nigeria: Fed Govt pledges N10b to Great Green Wall project

The Federal Government of Nigeria has pledged N10billion for the implementation of the Great Green Wall Project. The Minister of the Environment, Hajiya Hadiza  Mailafia, said  at the National Conference on Environment in Makurdi, Benue State that the government had made a N10 billion commitment towards the implementation of the United Nations-backed programme.

Eat Right Tips: Eat Real Foods

Picture courtesy Brent Shetler / Istock

Why eat real foods?

 If your grandmother wouldn't have immediately recognized it as "food" there's a good chance it's less food and more manufactured good. Who wants to eat a manufactured good? 

Beijing targets 50,000 Electric Cars By 2015, 30,000 For Private Uses

Pix: : A Chinese woman contemplates an electric car at a car show in Shanghai. Courtesy Reuters/Carlos Barria.

 

Beijing plans to have 50,000 electric cars by 2015, 30,000 of which will be owned privately, the rest used as public transit, taxis and other public uses.

On Sunday May 19th, the first electric car rental service in Beijing opened in the Wudaokou area of the city as part of the Electric Beijing Partnership Plan, according to Caixin News, a financial news website. As part of the launch, dozens of charging posts were installed.

Mountains of Wealth in Afghanistan

Photo: Mountains in the Chapa Dara District of Afghanistan’s Kunar province (Photo by Matthew Moeller)

Illegal and risky it may be, but mining for gemstones is an irresistible way of earning a living for some Afghans. The eastern province of Kunar is just one region where precious and semiprecious stones are dug up and smuggled abroad.

Radiation leak in Japan affects scores

  Pix: Reuters

A nuclear research laboratory in northern Japan has reported a radiation leak that may have affected 55 people, though none has been hospitalised and no impact is expected outside the facility.

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that the accident occurred on Thursday at a nuclear physics lab in Tokaimura, the site of at least two previous radiation accidents.

Eat Right Tips: Eat Less Meat

Why eat less meat?

Eating lower on the food chain is probably the single most important thing you can do to help the environment. If the whole world stopped driving cars and SUVs, shipping goods in tractor trailers, flying planes, sending freighters across the ocean and all other transportation activity, it wouldn't do as much as if we all just stopped eating beef.

Pacific Ocean houses the world’s largest ‘waste dump’

Map showing North Pacific Gyre where the Pacific garbage patch is located. Courtesy: Fangz.

If you were to travel from the United States of America to Japan, you would most likely encounter what could be described as the world’'s largest waste dump: a 100,000 tonne expanse of debris floating around a large region of the Pacific Ocean. The total area of this phenomenon has been said to equal the size of continental U.S., but the truth about its true size remains unknown. This ‘pacific garbage patch’ was first discovered by Captain Charles Moore in 1997.

Chinese’ oppose planned petrochemical plant over environmental concerns

Pix:  A demonstrator stands firm outside a government building in China’s Yunnan province. Courtesy independent.co.uk

More than 2,000 people gathered outside the Yunnan provincial government headquarters to demand greater transparency about the environmental risks the 20 billion yuan (£2bn) facility – which will produce gasoline and petrochemicals such as paraxylene (PX), used in making fabrics and plastic bottles – may pose. 

Eat Right Tips: Eat at Home and Cook for Yourself

Why cook for yourself? It's cheaper than eating out. It's fun. It's a chance to spend time with loved ones (or catch up on your favorite TV -- whatever works). You choose the ingredients. You control how nutritious it is. You drive less. You waste less food.

 Why not cook for yourself? Time.

A little planning goes a long way. Stretch Sunday's meal into Monday and Tuesday's leftovers, try a slow cooker, develop new quick pasta recipes, learn to love root vegetables with a forgiving shelf life, and soups and stews that keep on giving. 

Cooking for yourself is a habit like anything else. It's a habit that can help you lose weight, stay healthy, save money -- and do your part to save the planet. Oh -- and don't forget to eat your leftovers.

Illegal Logging Poses Greater Threat to Liberia's Forest

A fresh report released by the environmental watchdog Global Witness indicates that illegal logging in Liberia is posing greater threat to the country's forest.

Rains in Western Uganda Lead to Price Hikes

Prices for such things like passion fruits in many markets have started to climb due to the effects of the Kasese floods on the supply chain. There has been a spate of heavy rains in western Uganda, especially in Kasese district, near the Rwenzori Mountains. This has caused many crops being washed away.

Nigeria: Dangote harps on good environmental policy

 As part of its effort in tackling environmental problems bedeviling Nigeria, the Dangote Group has partnered with the ministry of environment and sponsored the 9th National Council on Environment.

A statement from Dangote Group said it decided to sponsor the council given its penchant and track record for environmental issues.

UNEP: Curb food wastage via traditional preservation methods

Pix: A woman on the outskirts of Kintampo town in central Ghana, making garri from cassavas for sale. Courtesy www.geog.cam.ac.uk

UNEP showcases traditional ways of preserving food, ahead of this year’s world environmental day in June. This goes a long way in preventing waste of food, which is one of the world’s most precious resources.

3 Billion at Risk When Cooking Meals

 While cooking can be considered a safe practice in most of the Western world, it is a potential lethal activity in other regions.

“Cooking a meal is the biggest environmental health risk in the world,” said Radha Muthiah, executive director at Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.

Nigeria: Ancient tree collapse, kills over 50 in Imo State

Over 50 people are feared dead and a yet to be ascertained number were critically injured when a tall tree known as Osisi Ukwu Uko, collapsed on buildings, as well as those transacting their business in a market located under the tree on Thursday May 16^th.

The tree, which has been in existence for over 200 years, fell during a heavy rainstorm around 8pm Thursday night. Some victims who didn't die were severely injured and are being treated at the hospital.

London set to drink recycled sewage

Thames Water, the company that provides drinking water for the city of London, has unveiled a new long-term strategy that will recycle sewage to provide drinking water for the entire population. The strategy looks to address the challenges the city will face in the next 25 years as the population the company serves grows from 9 million to 10.4 million by 2040. This will increase demand by between 230 and 340 million liters per day, with about 80 per cent of this rise expected in London.

Angola: Ministry to run Environment Fair

The International Environmental Technologies Fair called “Ambiente Angola” will take place from May 31 to June 2 this year in Luanda, Angop learned.

Nigeria: FG Urges Mandatory EIA on Development Projects

The Nigerian Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, has urged all Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure that Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is mandatorily included in the contractual agreements of all major development projects

U.N. to world: “Eat your insects.”

If we want to satiate the world population’s ever-growing appetite, insect farming should be the next global foodie fad. Or at least that’s the gist of a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The thorough 187-page report published Monday, covers everything from different cultures’ attitudes towards eating insects to farming methods to tips for using insects as emergency food during disasters.

Scientists link kidney problems to traffic fumes

Traffic pollution can harm the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys, a new study has warned. This means that Living close to a busy road may increase one's risk of developing kidney problems.  

Experts already know that long-term exposure to exhaust fumes increases the risk of vascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke.

Global carbon dioxide in atmosphere reaches 400 parts per million for the first time in human history

Pix: Hawaii's Mauna Loa observatory, where record CO2 increases are being documented.

For the first time in human history, the concentration of climate-warming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has passed the milestone level of 400 parts per million (ppm). The last time so much greenhouse gas was in the air was several million years ago, when the Arctic was ice-free, savannah spread across the Sahara desert and sea level was up to 40 metres higher than today.

Lost Lands Found by Scientists

Pix: A manned research submersible takes a rock sample from the seafloor near Brazil.

A lost continent off the coast of Brazil may have been found, scientists announced this week.
Granite boulders dredged from the seafloor off the coast of South America two years ago could be remnants of a long-vanished continent, according to Roberto Ventura Santos, the geology director of Brazil's Geology Service.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TIPS: 15.Stop Wasting Gas

Increase your gas mileage by checking your tire pressure. More than a quarter of all cars and nearly one-third of all SUVs, vans and pickups have underinflated tires, according to a survey by the Department of Transportation. If every American for instance kept his or her tires properly inflated, we could save 2.8 billion gallons (10.6 billion liters) of gasoline a year -- and help curb global warming pollution. Imagine how much would be saved if adhered to globally. Therefore, inflate the tires on your car or truck and continue to do so once a month or as necessary.

How to Control Fleas Without Chemicals

Flea and tick treatments may contain toxic chemicals that can poison pets and harm people. Even
when applied as instructed on the box, these chemicals are not safe, either for pets or for humans. Avoid toxic chemicals by taking care of your pet.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TIPS: 14.Give Up Dry Cleaning

Until recently, almost all dry cleaners used a cancer-causing chemical called perchloroethylene, also known as Perc or TCE. Traces of this toxic chemical remain on your clothes after dry cleaning and will evaporate into the air in your car or home. If you have to use a traditional dry cleaner, take your dry cleaning out of the plastic and air it outside or near a window before hanging it in your closet. To avoid the need for dry cleaning at all, make customer care a part of your clothing purchase decisions and choose fabrics that don't require dry cleaning at all.

Nigeria: Zamfara Lead Poisoning Remediation Near Completion

The Minister of Environment, Mrs. Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, has stated that 300 Compounds representing 75 per cent of the Lead Contaminated Compounds in Bagega village of Zamfara State have been remediated and rendered Safer for habitation.

China decries high duty on solar panels by EU

The European Commission agreed to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China in a move to guard against what it sees as dumping of cheap goods in Europe, prompting a cautious response from Beijing which called for further dialogue.
China's ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Yi Xiaozhun, called the decision a mistake although he declined to comment on any possible retaliation. "It will send the wrong message to the world that protectionism is coming," Yi told Reuters in Geneva on 8 May.

Agriculture and Livestock Remain Major Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Global greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector totaled 4.69 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent in 2010 (the most recent year for which data are available), an increase of 13 percent over 1990 emissions. By comparison, global CO2 emissions from transport totaled 6.76 billion tons that year, and emissions from electricity and heat production reached 12.48 billion tons, according to Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Signs Online service.

Former coal corporation boss decries poor rate of mining in Nigeria

Mr Herbert Diala, former Managing Director, Nigerian Coal Corporation, on Wednesday decried the poor rate of mining in Nigeria occasioned by the nation’s over reliance on oil. Diala made the observation in Abakaliki during a workshop for artisanal and small-scale miners, organised by the Ebonyi Ministry for Mines and Steel Development.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE TIPS: 13. Give up 2 Degrees

Electric power plants are the one of the world's largest industrial source of the pollutants that cause global warming. By snuggling under a blanket on the couch on a cold or snowy winter night instead of turning up the heat, or enjoying the breeze from a fan in the height of summer instead of turning up the air conditioning, you can save pounds of pollution, as well as some money off your utility bills. Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees F (20° C) or less during the daytime and 55 degrees F (13° C) before going to sleep or when you are away for the day. And during the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees F (26° C) or more.