air pollution - The African Mirror

Sep

2021

Delhi orders ban on pollutive firecrackers ahead of Diwali to ‘save lives’

NEHA ARORA and SAURABH SHARMA DELHI authorities ordered a ban on the storage, use and sale of firecrackers in the Indian capital late on Wednesday ahead of the Diwali festival to curb air pollution levels which cause thousands of deaths each year. India is among the most polluted countries in the world, and air quality in Delhi and neighbouring northern states normally begins to deteriorate at the end of September as farmers set off crop fires to prepare for a new sowing season. Delhi recorded some of the worst pollution levels globally in its latest peak pollution period between October…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Activists and South African gov’t lock horns over coal pollution

ENVIRONMENT

TIM COCKS SOUTH Africa's failure to tackle toxic levels of air pollution produced by burning coal is a violation of its post-Apartheid constitution, activists and a U.N. rights expert said in court on Monday. Campaigners are suing the South African government in the High Court, hoping to force tougher action against heavy polluters such as state power company Eskom and liquid fuel producer Sasol. The campaigners say tougher action is required to enforce a constitutional guarantee of the right to an environment not harmful to health. Environment Minister Barbara Creecy acknowledges that air pollution is a problem, but her submission…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Air pollution: How to create an ‘air quality’ garden

ENVIRONMENT

RACHEL BROWN WHY is air pollution a concern? Air pollution is a global problem that affects us all, causing harm to our health, vegetation and ecosystems in both urban and rural areas. It occurs when clean air is polluted by particulate matter (PM). This is made up of solid or liquid particles from natural sources such as pollen and desert sand, or from man-made sources, such as dust, soot and smoke. Man-made PM mainly comes from wood-burning stoves, solid-fuel stoves, and open fires in homes; industrial combustion and processes; and road transport. Air pollution also come from gases that have…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Landmark ruling links death of UK schoolgirl to pollution

WORLD

LIN TAYLOR AIR pollution contributed to the death of a London schoolgirl, a coroner has ruled in a landmark case that could push Britain to get tougher on traffic and clean up city air. After a two-week inquest, coroner Philip Barlow said the death in 2013 of Ella Kissi-Debrah, aged 9, was caused by acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and exposure to pollution. "I will conclude that Ella died of asthma contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution," said Barlow from Southwark Coroner's Court in south London. He said air pollution was a "significant contributory factor" that had exacerbated…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Nairobi’s air has been polluted for decades: new review suggests a path forward

ENVIRONMENT

ACCORDING to the State of the Global Air 2020 report, ambient air pollution was responsible for around 5,000 premature deaths in Kenya in 2019 alone. It is the fourth most important risk factor in driving death and disability combined in Kenya. Indeed, the 2017 national economic survey estimated that 19.9 million Kenyans suffer from respiratory ailments that are exacerbated by poor air quality. PRIYANKA DESOUZA, PhD researcher at the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Kenya’s national environmental management agency imposed regulations in 2014 for national ambient air quality standards. These set out the maximum permissible…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

African countries need more air quality data – and sharing it unlocks its benefits

ENVIRONMENT

REBECCA GARLAND, Principal Researcher in Climate and Air Quality Modelling Research Group, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research PAUL PLANTINGA, Research Specialist: Digital Strategies and Engagement, Human Sciences Research Council THE harm that air pollution is doing on the African continent seems to be growing. Estimates of premature mortality attributed to air pollution have increased from about 570,000 in 1990 to over 700,000 in 2013. In the same period, premature deaths from unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and childhood malnutrition have decreased across Africa. Many challenges also remain for the continent to reach the Sustainable Development Goals related to air quality.…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s pioneering gas flaring plan risks going down in flames

ENVIRONMENT

LIBBY GEORGE JONAH Gbemre often has no electricity, but he says his home is permanently lit at night by the flames of waste gas being "flared" near his home town in Nigeria's Delta State. Like Gbemre, nearly half of Nigerians have no stable power supply, yet government attempts to harness gas belching from its oil fields to generate urgently-needed electricity or revenue have stalled. And experts say that without progress towards its 2030 target of virtually eliminating flaring, which releases carbon dioxide along with polluting methane and soot, Nigeria cannot meet its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20%.…