Researchers have found that the plastic mulch used to support the growth of Californian strawberries sheds large quantities of plastic mulch fragments. These particles have been shown to negatively impact soil qualities, casting doubt on the long-term viability of their use. The findings from the survey are likely to apply world-wide to plastic use in...
Top environmental fund chief calls on countries to defund activities ‘destroying’ nature. A new global fund for nature conservation alone won’t do much to solve the biodiversity crisis. This is according to the CEO of the Global Environment Facility. Countries have pledged to channel more money toward environmental protection. But that won’t be enough to...
Here’s where water is running out in the world—and why. A growing population and rising temperatures will strain the world’s freshwater supplies over the next 30 years, jeopardizing available water for drinking, bathing, and growing food, according to new research. An analysis of newly released data from the World Resources Institute (WRI) shows that by 2050, an...
Climate Change: ‘Study shows Lagos is sinking and needs support’. As part of mitigation measures, Lagos State in 2018 developed a climate action plan. The plan targets ensuring it achieves net zero by 2050. Experts, government officials, and stakeholders recently converged on Lagos. There, at a summit, they pondered the prevention and mitigation of climate...
Out With Shrimp, In With Jellyfish? The seafood industry is facing potential overhaul due to climate change. Record-breaking ocean warming, shifting currents, and continued development in coastal communities are all contributing to a changing planet and concerning climate patterns that stand to dramatically impact the world’s seafood supply and could deliver a $10 billion hit...
Al Gore vs. Oil-Rich Dubai, Host of COP28. Al Gore, former US Vice President, recently held a TED talk in anticipation of COP28. It is the upcoming Conference of the Parties, aka UNFCCC or 2023 United Nations Climate Conference, November 30th–December 12th, 2023, to be held at Expo City, Dubai. It increasingly looks like a...
Swedish wine: How global warming is shifting Europe’s vineyards northwards. Scandinavian wine could be the next big thing as unpredictable weather hits southern Europe. Scandinavia isn’t exactly what connoisseurs would define as prime wine country. But with climate change making for warmer and longer growing seasons and new varieties of grapes adapted to this landscape,...
New Data: Shut Down 60% of Existing Fossil Fuel Extraction to Keep 1.5°C in Reach. In May 2021, the International Energy Agency (IEA) sent shockwaves through the fossil fuel industry and its allies in government. It concluded that no new coal mines or oil and gas fields should be developed if the world is to hold global...
Polishing off Plastic Pollution? “There’s a great future in plastics.” The iconic line, advice to a fresh-from-college ingenue played by Dustin Hoffman in the 1967 film The Graduate, was intended for laughs. But in 2023, it highlights a grim reality. The world’s economies generate roughly 400 million tons of plastic waste each year. And only nine percent...
Wagner Group’s Engagements in West Asia and North Africa. Wagner Group’s mutiny against the Russian military establishment and its sudden withdrawal in June 2023 have created chaos in Russia. This leaves analysts of Russian politics with several questions regarding the future of Wagner and the country’s internal dynamics. Such questions have also been raised in...