Renewable Energy & Climate Change
Sustainable Development
GIS and Remote Sensing
Biodiversity & Water Management
Hydroponics and the Environment
Hydroponics is the growth of plants in other media which are not soil. This could be fluids that have minerals and essential plant nutrients. Agricultural benefits of hydroponics include the fact that it allows crop growth in small space, thereby achieving intensification of agriculture and…
The population crisis worsens environmental threats
The increase in human population is putting an unprecedented pressure on the available natural resources. The population boom has led to an increased demand for food and space as consumption and habitation are now priorities. Vast tracts of state land, oceans and forests have become…
Irrigating Horticulture products with effluent in Africa – Pros and Cons
Life is strange, ones stomach has the power to determine their fate, although Henley wrote, “ I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul. I believe this wisdom by Henley shows that we have the power to control our…
MV Wakshio Captain says search for internet connection led to Mauritius Environmental Incident.
By Freedom Muranda and Wallace Mawire The Wakashio ship Captain who was arrested in August 2020 confirmed that he allowed the ship to get close to shore to search for an internet connection so that he’s crew would connect with their families and maintain a…
Hydroponics and the Environment
Hydroponics is the growth of plants in other media which are not soil. This could be fluids that have minerals and essential plant nutrients. Agricultural benefits of hydroponics include the fact that it allows crop growth in small space, thereby achieving intensification of agriculture and…
The population crisis worsens environmental threats
The increase in human population is putting an unprecedented pressure on the available natural resources. The population boom has led to an increased demand for food and space as consumption and habitation are now priorities. Vast tracts of state land, oceans and forests have become…
Editors Pick
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF AVIATION POST-COVID-19
Bon Voyage! Many people are celebrating that they are able to get into the skies again after the COVID-19 pandemic has eased in the last few months. There are serious concerns however related to the emissions caused by the aviation sector due to the flight…
Climate Proofing in Zimbabwe
The Government of Zimbabwe is making remarkable strides in making sure that the whole nation is well equipped with the knowledge of climate change. Everyone has seen the realities presented by climate change vagaries, ranging from drought spells, shift of climatic weather pattern, flash floods,…
Can Africa win from exploiting its oil and gas?
One can not dispute the arguments made against fossil fuels from an environmental standpoint. Numerous calculations demonstrate that the production from oil and gas fields that have already received licenses, much alone any upcoming exploration, will release carbon emissions substantially above what is consistent with…
Hydroponics and the Environment
Hydroponics is the growth of plants in other media which are not soil. This could be fluids that have minerals and essential plant nutrients. Agricultural benefits of hydroponics include the fact that it allows crop growth in small space, thereby achieving intensification of agriculture and…
ESIA as a tool for business sustainability
Every developmental project entails the exploitation of the environment, be it the natural or artificial built environment. Construction encompasses the extraction and use of resources and this could have significant or non-significant impacts on all aspects of the environment either during project implementation or after…
Safe Chemicals Management key for sustainable industrial growth
Chemical usage continues to rise globally. The utility of chemicals is well documented, but mitigation measures are lagging behind. Many chemical accidents have occurred. As a result, stakeholders are implored to manage their chemical usage, storage and disposal. Chemical accident prevention is a priority in…
Psychological block to acting on climate change
People are always motivated when it comes to avoiding danger. You run away if you step into the street and a bus is coming at you from behind. You stay inside if a sizable strange dog is growling outside your front door. Why is it…
The involvement of children in greening Africa and the fight against climate change
In the borderlines of Hurungwe and Nyaminyami districts, in Chitete village, Netsai * walks a combined distance of 20 kilometres every day going to school. When she returns around sunset, she has to fetch water. The nearest water hole which is the source of life…
The coming of a Circular Economy – Is Africa Ready?
Circular Economy buzzword has become synonymous with many African countries as nations find ways to deal with burgeoning environmental crises. Traditional models of development favoured take-make-dispose models. These models resulted in overexploitation of environmental resources. Wearing clothes once, single-use plastics and other key one-hit wonders…
Climate change: The game changer in the world of business and financial management
A phenomenon that was once termed an illusion by many is now being fully embraced after realizing the dire effects the world will face if it continues unabated. An increasing realization also appreciates the benefits that come with trying to mitigate and adapt to this…
The population crisis worsens environmental threats
The increase in human population is putting an unprecedented pressure on the available natural resources. The population boom has led to an increased demand for food and space as consumption and habitation are now priorities. Vast tracts of state land, oceans and forests have become…
FIFA Launches Green Card in Time for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
As the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar beckons, FIFA has launched the Green Card which is aimed at mainstreaming sustainability into the world’s most beautiful game. FIFA president Gianni Infantino led the process of launching the Green Passport and has been joined…
Climate financing – Better said than done?
The bulk of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from a few nations, with highly industrialized economies releasing noticeably more CO2 per person than low and middle-income nations. Developing nations have been seeking greater climate justice for decades after realizing these imbalances. Although the Paris Agreement…
World Bicycle Day celebrated in Harare
Many Zimbabweans grew up around bicycles – parents cycled to work and back on a daily basis and children used bicycles to get to school or visit friends. In rural areas cycling is still one of the most popular forms of transport as it is…
Global Data Barometer and Land Portal publish benchmarks on state of open land data including climate action in more than 100 countries
The Data for Development Network, Latin American Open Data Initiative, and the Land Portal Foundation have launched the land module as part of the Global Data Barometer project, a global index study that helps the land and open data communities to identify countries where land…
Environmental Courts and Tribunals – Can Africa implement?
Deviance in the area of environmental management and sustainability often goes unnoticed and the remedies which are available sometimes are not deterrent. In different parts of the world there is a growing pattern of establishment of Environmental Courts and Tribunals (ECTs). Disposal of raw sewage,…
Deforestation, a threat to biodiversity and viable Mopane worm business
Rufaro Mahaka travels from Kwekwe to Gwanda, a distance of 316 kilometres in one direction every year to harvest mopane worms. She has been doing this for the past 15 years and has been making a living which has seen her children going up to…
Harvesting the Sun in Hwange
At the end of April when other areas in Zimbabwe are receiving last rains and preparing for the winter, Enock Ncube sits under a tree shade trying to take cover of the sunrays and sweltering heat. The temperatures are so high and nauseating but for…
Schools’ environmental clubs vital for children’s sustainable living
The impacts of climate change have strained children’s educational programmes, mostly in developing countries due to their low coping mechanisms and being under resourced. Schools around the world are at the epicentre of extreme weather events, such as flash floods, cyclones, hail, strong winds, destroyed…
World Environment Day – Only One Planet
For many years, the environment was neglected as a facet which would self-correct, despite unending damage. Consequently, society found itself in the middle of strife due to climate change and resource scarcity. As famine abounds and water stress increases across the globe, there is growing…
Green Schools – Pathway to sustainable development
Academic excellence is the cornerstone of the development of every country worldwide. Schools continue to churn out gifted individuals, who occupy influential positions in society. There are many environmental initiatives which schools can do in order to promote sustainable development and protect the planet. Green…
The environmental downsides to corruption
Corruption is as old as the society itself. In a way, you could say it is inevitable in all societies. The World Bank has put the annual value of corruption to a staggering USD$ 1.5 trillion, around 2 percent of the global GDP. In addition…
A double whammy: Global crises of climate change and food security
At this alarming rate, that imagined dystopian enclave might become a reality and nothing suggests we are not getting there. One unfortunate impact of climate change is food security, which has always been a key concern for sustainable development. COVID 19 has had some adverse…
Chronicles of Cyclone Idai, Zimbabwe’s first documentary on Climate Change Vagaries
Zimbabwe premiered the first ever documentary since the unfolding of the unprecedented climatic weather pattern which ravaged lives and infrastructure in Chimanimani and parts of Chipinge. A documentary titled “Chronicles of Cyclone Idai,” gives a preview of the escalation of the weather phenomenon to the…
Impacts of Deforestation on Livelihoods
A new born baby has to draw its first breath to survive, a grandmother in the village needs herbs to make medicine to boost her grandchild’s health and to be able to do this there need to be an adequate supply of oxygen, plants and…
Could fusion energy be the solution to low carbon-low radiation energy – An Introduction?
The say the best creation ever made on this earth is that of a human being. A creature born to take on a challenge endowed with the intellectual ability to think, calculate, analyze, reason and create. Just like any other creature when faced by a…
Single-use plastics pressure mounts – as toxicology grows
Organisations whose products and services are based on single-use plastic are increasingly getting under siege. This is due to the vociferous anthems of the environmental effects of plastic from the scientific and civil community. It is well known that plastic supports a great chunk of…
Impact of Climate Change Induced Heat Waves in Coal Mining Areas
The impact of climate change is affecting nations across the globe and it is naturally becoming part of the agenda for every conference. The situation is worse in the coal mining areas. Coal usage is being attributed to worsen climate change due to the increase…
Is it possible to completely phase out coal?
The question on whether Zimbabwe is yet to completely phase out coal or not, will largely depend on verifiable actions put in place as a way of determining the extent at which the country is honouring its pledge to reduce carbon emissions in line with…
Cosmetics and the Environment
While some people assume that cosmetic products are a recent invention, the use of cosmetics can be traced back to thousands of years. Cosmetics are substances or products applied to the body for the purpose of beautifying or altering the appearance. Designed to enhance one’s…
Africa`s Green manufacturing: Opportunities for the determined
The African continent remains at cross roads. It is the most vulnerable to climate change and climate variability. The incentive is strong for African countries to join global efforts to reduce greenhouse emissions while also increasing its adaptive capacity. In the same vein, African countries…
Used computers – blessing or curse in electronic waste
The first computing or rather calculating machine was invented in the 1820s by a man called Charles Babbage. In 1936, Alan Turing developed an idea that influenced computers, a universal machine which could compute anything computable. Fast forward to 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak…
Wildlife Feature: Southern Ground-Hornbill
Bucorvus Leadbeateri Southern Ground-Hornbill (English Name) DENDERA (Shona name) The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the Southern Ground Hornbill as vulnerable to extinction. Their distribution range has hugely decreased recently, due to persecution and habitat alteration through extensive farming, pollution, deforestation as…
Energy Efficiency and the Environment – A Reciprocal Nature
Energy is the ability of doing work. It exists in the following but not limited forms; thermal, electrical, chemical and nuclear. There are two sources of energy, non-renewable energy and renewable energy. Non-renewable energy includes coal, oil and natural gas, while renewable energy includes solar,…
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