The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
friendly plastic: A new plastic made from plant sugar will be soon introduced in the market. The plastic called NatureWorks PLA is being manufactured by Cargill Dow Polymers, a Nebraska-based company. Unlike conventional plastic, NatureWorks can break down in a compost pile if subjected to the right combination of heat …
A UK-based company has developed a lantern which can provide cheap, reliable, ecologically friendly power. The Glowstar lantern, developed by Intermediate Technology Consultants, is a purpose-built sealed unit containing its own rechargeable battery. The lantern is unique because it is made up of a new type of microchip charge regulator. …
at a time when the use of fossil fuels to power vehicles is incurring environmentalists' wrath, an alternative source of fuel has emerged as a viable alternative. Additionally, its use solves a disposal problem. The fuel is nothing but used vegetable oil which has been tested satisfactorily. It has powered …
bio-diesel , an alternative fuel made from renewable resources, such as soybean oil, has become the first and only alternative fuel to have successfully completed the health effects testing requirements of California's Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. The tests also showed that the use of bio-diesel would result in …
a connecticut, us -based company is all set to offer its customers a new power alternative called "green" electricity. This, it says, is not generated from oil or nuclear reactors, but from renewable sources like wind, water and methane gas. Though the electricity would be costlier by us $5-6 a …
researchers in the us have developed a pen-shaped battery-operated device that can quickly and safely disinfect contaminated drinking water. This device can prove to be highly useful for travelers, soldiers and victims of natural disaster. The operation of this device is very simple: just remove the pen's cap, remove a …
US-based company Arctic Cat has come out with a means to combat noise and air pollution caused by snowmobiles in national parks. The company has introduced the
Although marginal, the recent hike in prices of diesel and petrol with low sulphur content may defeat the very purpose of promoting cleaner fuels. While the price of petrol with 0.05 per cent sulphur has been hiked by 13 paise per litre, diesel with the same sulphur content will cost …
THOUSANDS of small industrial units in developing countries like India do not invest in clean technologies because of prohibitively high costs. Now the Horticulture and Food Research Institute of New Zealand Ltd (HortResearch) has developed a low-cost technology that can help treat contaminated soil and at the same time provide …
ALMOST 90 per cent of dry cleaners in the us use a chemical solvent called perchloroethylene or perc for dry cleaning. Perc is a primary solvent. However, the health and environmental effects have been found to be quite disastrous and depend on the length of time and amount of exposure. …
The deadline for completing the tasks laid down by the Montreal Protocol is fast approaching, but India seems to be nowhere near to fulfilling its obligations, warn experts. Under the international treaty signed in 1987, India is supposed to phase out Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) like chlorofluoro carbons (CFCs) by January …
The manner in which low sulphur petrol and low sulphur diesel, have been introduced in Delhi to fulfil the requirements of a Supreme Court order, aimed at bringing down air pollution in Delhi, is threatening to derail the spirit of that very order. This cleaner petrol and diesel, containing 0.05 …
following the Arab oil embargo in 1973, when queues for petrol lengthened at petrol pumps all over usa and Europe, the Wall Street Journal carried a front-page feature on a South American community that had "solved" the energy crisis by devising equipments powered by renewable energy sources. The report was …
a rich source of energy lay untapped till a chartered engineer and energy expert based in the uk found a way to use steam let out through the factory chimneys. This is also good news from the environmental viewpoint as steam let out into the atmosphere not only contributes to …
tipwood a substitute for wood has been developed for use in the construction industry. Tipwood maintains the aesthetic nature of wood but scores over the latter as it is termite-proof, fire-resistant, does not need solvent treatment and maintenance-free. The technology behind the product, made by Tipco Industries Ltd (til), is …
after many years of pulling the traditional rickshaw, 48-year-old Hira Lal is a much relieved person. He is a proud owner of a new model of cycle rickshaw that was recently introduced in his city, Agra in Uttar Pradesh. He says that the effort that had to be put in …
H B MATHUR While the last century belonged to liquid fuels, this century is going to witness a preference for gaseous fuels, which are renewable and also comparatively cleaner. With time there is bound to be a shift towards gaseous fuels such as natural gas and ultimately hydrogen, which is …
Bullish predictions have already been made about its future. Experts say it will tempt a lot of people. It's the Powabyke. Costing $818, the electric mountain bike weighs some 40 kilogrammes with a speed limit of 24 km per hour without additional pedal power. The removable battery pack, mounted on …
fashion czar Giorgio Armani has already done it. Gap and Nike are doing it. And the Dutch-based clothing house C&A; is hoping to do it. Green fashion is finally coming of age. Environmental designer clothes no longer seems like a contradiction. And while designers stitch what Armani calls "the eco-compatible …
in 1994, the highly-polluting nature of brick kilns forced the Supreme Court of India to issue directions for kiln operators to shift to cleaner production technologies or face closure. Thus began the hunt for a cleaner option. Finally, there is a solution in sight
