Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A ban on plastic bags came into force in Kenya on Monday in a bid to slow pollution, with offenders liable to jail time or hefty fines. The ban on the use, manufacture and importation of plastic carrier bags was carried through after the …
Read More »China runners brave gawps, pollution and deadly driving
Shanghai, China | AFP | A group of elderly Chinese joggers are pounding along a deserted motorway when suddenly a taxi ploughs into the back of them, knocking them over like skittles. At least one person was killed and the footage from the eastern province of Shandong went viral on Chinese …
Read More »World gears up for electric cars despite bumps in road
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Technological advances mean fossil fuel in cars could be phased out within decades but switching to electric carries its own environmental and economic concerns as more and more countries announce radical plans. Britain on Wednesday said it would “end the sale of all conventional petrol …
Read More »Scientists breed caterpillars that can eat polythene bags
KAVERA: The Very Hungry Caterpillar joins fight against plastic pollution Polyethylene Paris, France | AFP | A moth caterpillar commonly bred to provide fish bait feasts on a notoriously resistant plastic, scientists reported Monday, raising hopes the creature can help manage the global problem of plastic-bag pollution. “This discovery could be …
Read More »London, Paris, Seoul launch ‘name-and-shame’ polluting car index
Paris, France | AFP | The mayors of Paris, London and Seoul on Wednesday launched an initiative to rate the most polluting vehicles in a bid to keep them off the roads of their cities. The aim of the “Air’volution” scheme is to help drivers avoid buying the most harmful …
Read More »Another reason to flip the off switch: light pollution
Paris, France | AFP | For the 11th year running, cities worldwide will turn their lights off Saturday to mark Earth Hour in a global call to action on climate change. But the moment of darkness should also serve as a reminder, activists say, of another problem that gets far …
Read More »City noise linked to hearing loss
Paris, France | AFP | Urban noise pollution and hearing loss are closely linked, according to rankings of 50 large cities in both categories released on Friday. High-decibel urban areas — such as Guangzhou, New Delhi, Cairo and Istanbul — topped the list of cities where hearing was most degraded, …
Read More »VIDEO: Lake Victoria pollution threatens lives
VIDEO: A rise in pollution levels at Murchison bay in Luzira, Kampala is threatening the life of millions of Ugandans – with little hope that the situation is set to improve soon. The National Environment Management Authority blames the pollution on the destruction of the Nakivubo wetland, a natural filter of …
Read More »Five things to know about VW’s ‘dieselgate’ scandal
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | It has been a year since Volkswagen admitted to fitting millions of cars with cheating software to dupe emissions tests, plunging the German auto giant into one of the biggest scandals ever to hit the industry. Billions of dollars in compensation later and mired in …
Read More »Traders selling dangerously dirty fuel across Africa
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | European oil companies, especially Swiss commodity traders, are exploiting weak African fuel standards by selling toxic diesel and gasoline across the continent, a campaign group said Thursday. A three-year investigation published by Switzerland-based environmental and economic group Public Eye did not accuse oil companies of …
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