Hollywood filmmakers and movie stars have joined forces with Humane Society International to produce a powerful stop-motion animated short film, #SaveRalph, to end cosmetic testing on animals around the world, including South Africa. Although banned in 40 countries, the practice is still legal in most of the world, and is even making a comeback in some regions, subjecting … [Read more...]
Global SO2 emissions dropped last year according to new report
Anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions fell globally in 2019, reveals a new analysis of NASA satellite data by Greenpeace India and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). In 2019 human-made SO2 emissions fell in all three of the world’s top SO2 emitter countries - India, Russia and China - the report shows. "While heartening at first glance, the drop … [Read more...]
South Africans plan mass global demonstration
The immense socio-economic impact under one of the world’s most extreme lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in South Africans uniting for their voices to be heard under a grassroots movement called Move One Million. The movement, launched in July 2020, has garnered interest from half a million South Africans to date and organisers are using a combination of … [Read more...]
Mexico death toll reaches 361 after massive earthquake
The death toll from Mexico's magnitude 7.1 earthquake rose to 361 on Sunday after another casualty was confirmed in the capital, where a search continued at a collapsed seven-story office building in a central neighborhood. National Civil Defense chief Luis Felipe Puente reported on Twitter that the dead include 220 people killed in Mexico City by the Sept. 19 quake. The … [Read more...]
Can human urine replace chemical fertilizers?
The Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont, is likely the only organization measuring success in gallons of urine. In 2012, Kim Nace, Rich Earth’s administrative director and partner Abe Noe-Hays collected 600 gallons of urine from friends and neighbors. The next year, the organization brought in about 3,000 gallons from 170 human volunteers. Rebecca Rueter, a board … [Read more...]
Hurricane Patricia a sign of things to come
Last week, Hurricane Patricia made landfall here in Mexico. It was the strongest hurricane ever recorded. At one point, Patricia would have been a “Category 7” hurricane, except that the measurement scale only goes up to Category 5. By the time you read this, the worst part of the storm will have passed us. Thankfully, early reports indicate that the damage has been … [Read more...]
Banks for bean counters
In the early 1970s Asia’s rice farmers faced ruin. The brown planthopper, an insect up till then found mostly in Japan, began to appear across the region. It fed on young plants and transmitted grassy stunt virus, causing crops to shrivel and brown. As it swept through Asia’s paddy fields, yields crashed. By the end of the decade it had caused damage costing over $300m—more … [Read more...]
HFC’s in your fridge is a dangerous greenhouse gas
Brazil, China and India have the dubious honor of becoming the first nations to directly contradict the pledges made at the Rio+20 summit last month. All 193 member states of the UN signed the declaration in Rio which included: “We recognize that the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances is resulting in a rapid increase in the use and release of high global-warming … [Read more...]
Brave Elvis reaches America
Twenty-five-year-old Tanzanian conservationist Elvis Munis recently cycled from Mexico to the United States, raising funds to set up a scholarship for Tanzanian students to study conservation and resource management. His fundraising goal is 100 000 US dollars. The Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) will administer the scholarship. Elvis began his trip in Chile and … [Read more...]
Chill out, but don’t forget the bottles
Relax. Unwind. Chill out. But don’t forget the bottles. Taking time out in our glorious South African summer is thirsty work. And the most convenient way to quench that thirst is with the water or soft drinks bottled and chilled in store fridges everywhere. But after cracking open the top and drinking the contents, please remember that the bottle your water or soft drink … [Read more...]
A Prayer for the Gulf of Mexico
Dr. Masaru Emoto is a scientist from Japan who has done alot of research and publications about the characteristics of water. Among other things, his research has revealed that water physically responds to emotions. Many people have the predominantly angry emotion when we consider what is happening in the Gulf. And while justified in that emotion, we may be of greater … [Read more...]
A River Runs Through Us
International Rivers is proud to announce our new 22-minute movie on the movement to protect rivers and rights. It was made by an independent filmmaker from Mexico, and filmed mostly at the "Rivers for Life" meeting of activists that took place in Mexico in October. 'Rivers are life' is the unifying theme motivating activists in the global movement to protect rivers from … [Read more...]
