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 …
On World Environment Day this year, the Gas Authority of India Limited (gail) spent a small fortune issuing a colour advertisement in newspapers urging us to use plastic. gail wanted us to know this: by using plastic, we would save 20 million trees matured over 10 years especially for packaging …
UPDATE Unsustainable Tower of Babel Barely a hundred days before the biggest environmental event of the decade takes place in Johannesburg, negotiators are floundering in a sea of unpromising text. Three preparatory committee (prepcom) meetings have resulted in little more than a shopping list of issues that need to be …
In 1995, Indian exporters got a rude shock when a consignment of Darjeeling tea was rejected by Germany. The reason for this drastic measure: the tea leaves contained excessive pesticide residue levels. The unsavoury incident left a bitter aftertaste in India, but the fact remains that the tea did contain …
at least 27 million vehicles are junked every year. Ever wondered what happens to them? Studies show that they spawn an environmental disaster that governments are finding difficult to handle. The European Union (eu ) has taken the lead in reversing this trend. From April 21, 2002, with the implementation …
The World Trade Center (WTC) may not be resurrected in New York but the pieces are being picked up by India and China. Steel from the wreckage of the twin towers in the US is destined for a new life in the two Asian countries, where it is meant to …
• The Supreme Court recently slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Union environment ministry for showing laxity in probing the disappearance of huge quantity of hazardous waste oil from major ports. • The Sikkim Forest Department arrested a person on charges of smuggling medicinal plants from Borong recently. …
a report calling for widespread testing of chemicals to assess their health and environmental impact has been recently endorsed by the European Parliament. This move is being seen as a major step towards overhauling the outdated chemical policy of the European Union (eu). The report was approved by 242 votes …
The Union government has been directed by the Supreme Court to conduct an enquiry into the allegation that huge quantities of hazardous waste oil were imported to India through various harbours. The government has been asked to submit the report within seven weeks from December 3, 2001. The court's directive …
Hospital waste in Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, is posing to be a health hazard for the people. Over 60 health institutions in Kathmandu produce 1,300 kg of hazardous waste every day. This hospital waste also mixes the 350 tonnes of solid waste, thereby aggravating the whole problem."This unmanaged waste can trigger …
No breakthrough has been made in the dialogue between Bhutan's ministry of agriculture and the Indian authorities regarding the safe disposal of about 33 metric tonnes of hazardous chemical waste stored in a makeshift shed at Paro in Bhutan. India's neighbour wants it to incinerate the chemicals in Mumbai. But …
even as the controversy generated by Gujarat's highly polluting Alang shipbreaking yard refuses to die down, Andhra Pradesh is clearing the decks for a similar unit to be located in its fragile coastal belt. The proposal for the yard at Vodarevu near Chirala of Prakasam district was given the technical …
I n the past few decades, society has played a proactive role in purging the market of toxic products. This has been largely possible due to sustained information campaigns, highlighting the damage these noxious substances cause to the environment and health. Cases in point are public disclosure drives that have …
living within two kilometres of a landfill site increases a woman's risk of having a baby with a birth defect by up to seven per cent, recent research conducted in the uk shows. The link though is not conclusive, say researchers at Imperial College, London, and add that more research …
can detergents and ecosafety go hand in hand? Well, this might happen in Europe if the proposals of the European Commission's industry directorate are accepted. The proposals, aimed to amend the detergents legislation of the European Union (eu), include stringent standards for biodegradability and mandatory labelling of products causing skin …
a sum of us $4.73 million! This is the total fine Greece paid for running an illegal waste dump. The European Commission, which had been fining the country since July 2000, stopped doing so after the dump was closed recently. "I am satisfied that the illegal dumping has been stopped …
in two separate incidents in Idukky district in Kerala, one boy died and 41 persons were hospitalised after being exposed to phorate, an extremely hazardous pesticide, on June 26, 2001. The pesticide, which is widely used in the state, is a restricted use pesticide and is part of the us …
A dozen notoriously toxic chemicals have been outlawed, or restricted around the world under a landmark United Nations treaty signed in Stockholm in May. It is a rare piece of good news for the global environment. The accord will ban, phase out or severely cut back a range of industrial …
some European countries and the us had plans to dump 29 million tonnes of toxic wastes in 11 African countries. But their plans were stalled in the wake of widespread protests from African communities. These are the findings of a new report, which was recently released by Oladele Osibajo, Nigeria's …
the former employees of the Hindustan Lever Limited's ( hll ) thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, are protesting against the company's "unrepentant and insensitive attitude' regarding hazardous working conditions and dangerous mercury waste management practises. The worker's association alleges that instead of conducting health checkups for its workers, the …
