In 2019, the illegal wildlife trade reached staggering levels. Pangolin scales and ivory were being trafficked in massive quantities from Africa to Asia, exposing a network of crime syndicates operating at an industrial scale. The sheer volume of these shipments marked a disturbing milestone, one that revealed the global reach …
China's prestigious Tsinghua University is seeking to collaborate with Africa research institutes in order to improve soil fertility in the continent. Hou Deyi, associate professor at Tsinghua University told Xinhua in Nairobi that his institution has developed green and sustainable technologies to improve soil health. "We are seeking to partner …
A recent study has shown that long-term exposure to PM2.5, a major particle matter pollutant increases the risk of diabetes. Diabetes causes substantial economic and health burdens worldwide. However, the association between air pollution and diabetes incidence is rarely reported in the developing countries, especially in China which has a …
China's air quality improved substantially last year, the environment ministry said Monday, following a government crackdown on pollution and a weakening economy. Thick smog clouds have plagued China's cities for years and represent the dark side of rapid development that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. The country's …
China is considering options for increasing fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions from freight transportation. This study assesses the future costs of existing and emerging technologies to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of long‑haul tractor‑trailers in China. Economic impact metrics are investigated, including investment payback period, first-owner and full …
The UK is one of the most vulnerable nations to the toxic fumes spewed out by ships, according to a new study. Analysis by transport experts reveals more than 3,000 British deaths each year can be attributed to shipping emissions. Pollution from boats is linked to early deaths as the …
GENEVA, Switzerland - Shifting to renewable energy could save up to 150 million lives by the end of the century. The estimate comes amid concerns that six billion people regularly inhale air “so polluted that it puts their life, health and well-being at risk,” a UN-appointed independent rights expert said …
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Air pollution in 39 smog-prone northern Chinese cities soared in February, making it increasingly unlikely they will meet their annual winter air quality targets, Reuters analysis of official data showed. China is heading into the sixth year of its “war on pollution” to try to reverse damage …
Use of coal increased again in 2018, raising questions about the Asian super power’s green energy transition. Coal consumption peaked in China in 2013 at 4.24 billion tonnes. Then government efforts to improve the energy structure and tackle pollution saw coal use fall between 2014 and 2016. Following a small …
In December 2019, the China Ministry of Transport released an upgraded action plan for establishing a national domestic emission control area (DECA). This action plan marks China’s ambition to keep pace with world-class environmental regulations. This policy update provides an overview of the national DECA plan and compares it to …
Plants are essential sources of food, medicine, shelter, fuel, feed, and forage, and provide a wide range of additional ecosystem and cultural services to humanity. In recognition of the tremendous value of useful plants and of the increasing threats to their persistence, international agreements including the Convention on Biological Diversity, …
Some angry natives of Talensi, a district in the Upper East region, have spoken of an upcoming street demonstration with a tone far more in venom than the pitch with which previous protests in the area were announced in advance. Several demonstrations have erupted against the Shaanxi Mining Company Ltd, …
East China's Jiangsu Province will establish nine courts to handle environment-related cases in nine different ecological zones within the province. Different from traditional courts dealing with cases in specific administrative divisions, each of these courts will take charge of one ecological zone, such as the Yangtze River basin, Taihu Lake …
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment has drawn up an action plan to improve the water quality of the Yangtze River over the next two years, it announced on Thursday. The ministry aims to finish the overhaul of sewage outlets and eliminate nearly all water below Grade V - the …
El Nino, a periodic event that involves warming currents in the Pacific Ocean, is to blame for the unusually wet winter in southern parts of China and has been responsible for air pollution retained in areas of the north, experts said. Since June, the area with rising temperatures in the …
The Koshi Basin, spread across China, Nepal and India, is perceived as having high potential for hydropower and irrigation development, both seen as ways to promote economic development in the region. This paper quantifies and assesses the past and projected future spatial and temporal water balances in the Koshi Basin. …
Isimba Hydropower Plant constructed by Chinese companies in eastern Uganda awaits official commissioning next month after it passed tests from engineers, environmentalists and conservationists. After commissioning of all the units, the Isimba power plant will generate the installed capacity of 183 MW, which is currently about 19 percent of the …
Up to 1,500 chimpanzees could be killed by a new Chinese dam that will swamp a crucial sanctuary for the endangered primate in Guinea, experts have warned. The 294MW Koukoutamba dam will be built by Sinohydro, the world’s biggest hydroelectric power plant construction company, in the middle of a newly …
Fourteen major cities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region had their air quality improved in 2018, thanks to intensified efforts in environmental control. The average concentration of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and fine particles dropped by 15.4 percent, 10 percent, 23.1 percent, 6.3 percent and 10.9 …
Developing countries are split over whether the UN’s flagship climate fund needs a voting system to break deadlock on policy and project decisions. At present, all 24 members of the Green Climate Fund board have effective veto power. The US used this in October to block a Chinese bid for …
And they are exacerbated by bad management, says Simon Long AS IT SCOURS the universe for signs of extraterrestrial life, NASA has a motto-cum-mission-statement: “Follow the water”. About 70% of the human body is made up of water, it says, and 70% of Earth’s surface is covered in the stuff. …
