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JULY 2019 / Savanna.org

Black Panther FACT OR FICTION?

Mt Kilimanjaro A Case study for land use and climate interaction

Serengeti Mara Squeeze

How Human Activities are affecting the Iconic ecosystem A ( G B M ) G R E E N

B E L T

M O V E M E N T

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I N I T I A T I V E

Porche Cayenne

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When Porsche first introduced the Cayenne eight years ago the sports car specialists proved they could make an SUV. Now they want to prove it’s a Porsche.

Not content to make a vehicle appealing to a North America’s legions of pampered soccer moms, the Stuttgart-based carmaker has revamped the Cayenne for 2010.

The new model is leaner, meaner and even comes as a hybrid if you feel like helping out the environment while cruising on the autobahn, off-roading, or even just picking up some groceries.

Of course, the Swabians would never concede the old Cayenne wasn’t a real Porsche. But it’s apparent that they’ve made a distinct effort to ensure the new one has even more “Porsche DNA,” as lead designer Mitja Borkert put it during a press preview in Leipzig this week.

The effort has paid off, with the front-end of the new Cayenne looking distinctly more aggressive and shark-like than its predecessor.

“We’ve tried to pull the nose down as low as possible,” said Borkert, adding that all Porsche’s try to evoke the lines of a classic 911 Carrera.

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PA G E 1 2

BLACK PANTHER FACT OR FICTION The Black Panther is a rare, fearless, powerful and intelligent animal. It is one of the most aggressive and most feared animals in the world. The Black Panther is not a distinct animal species though. The term black panther is commonly used for one or several kinds of closely related all-black big cats.

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REGULARS

Content

06 Editor’s letter / Magazine Credits 08 Mt Kilimanjaro - Ecological Story

Guide 2019

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18 World’s biggest Environmental stories 26 National Geographic Plastic Ad awareness

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PA G E 8

PA G E 1 6

PA G E 2 2

MT KILIMANJARO ECOLOGICAL STORY

SERENGETI MARA SQUEEZE

5 WAYS FACTORY FARMING 5 POSITIVE DESTROYS NATURE ENVIRONMENTAL STORIES

In a world threatened by climate change, tropical mountains are centres of biodiversity and as such they are important refugia for plants and animals. tropical mountain regions are increasingly under threat by the spread of agriculture and overexploitation.

“One of the world’s most iconic ecosystems under pressure.

Factory farming is essentially liable for the degradation of lands, harm to animals, and depletion of natural resources, The consequences of industrial farming have become more and more prominent in recent decades.

Urgent need to rethink how we manage the boundaries of protected areas”

PA G E 2 4

a “biological annihilation at the hands of humans;” multiple studies suggest climate change is spiralling out of control; the U.S., led by President Donald Trump, still plans to withdraw in 2020 from the Paris Agreement to stem greenhouse gases; and Sudan, the last male Northern white rhino on the planet, died.

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CONSERVATION

ENVIRONMENTAL

SUSTAINABILITY

ADVOCACY

JULY 2019 / Savanna.org

EDITORIAL

EDITOR Manyara Moses

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mike Mutua

Black Panther

ART DIRECTOR Betty Muthamia DESIGN DIRECTOR Sylvester Omolo PRODUCTION Moses Manyara PUBLISHING Mike Onyonka

FACT OR FICTION?

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Nail Michaels PRODUCTION MANAGER Humprey Munene ADVERTISING SALES Caroline Naeku

SAVANNA (KENYA)

Mt Kilimanjaro

EDITOR IN CHIEF Moses Manyara

A Case study for land use and climate interaction

DESIGN DIRECTOR Karenge DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Daniel Githuku EDITORIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR Florida Mwaura

Serengeti Mara Squeeze

SENIOR EDITOR Washingtong Gikunju DEPUTY DIRECTOR ART Washington gikunju

How Human Activities are affecting the Iconic ecosystem

RESEARCH EDITOR Edith Kimani

EDITOR AT LARGE AND TRAVEL ADVISORY BOARD COMMUNICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT Moses DIRECTOR Moses

INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING

PUBLISHER & VICE PRESIDENT Global Media SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Global Media SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Global Media

SENIOR MANAGER Global Media And Experiences SENIOR EDITOR International Publishing EDITORIAL DIRECTOR International Editions EDITORIAL SPECIALIST International Edition

PARTNERS CEO Moses Manyara EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Washington Gikunju CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Alice Mukuhi CHIEF OF STAFF Benedict Mackenzi CHIEF ADMIN OFFICER Kip Amos GENERAL MANAGER Joel

Savana.Org Are Registered Trademarks of the Green Belt Movement and Used Under License For more info contact savana.org/info Copyright@2018 savana.org. All rights reserved Savanna magazine Kenya is published by indigo media group ltd P.O Box 17232 00100 Ngong road Nairobi Kenya Printed by Brand world Communications Savanna magazine is published by indigo media, is proud to use 100% recycle paper. Some positive impacts of this decision include saving about 41000 trees a year and reducing landfill waste that produces harmful greenhouse gases. We are proud to be using one of the most environmental friendly recycled papers available.

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A ( G B M ) G R E E N

B E L T

M O V E M E N T

I N I T I A T I V E

Editors Letter

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lean streets, beautiful tree covered landscapes; clear skies and fresh air are experiences that we all wish for. It would be a beautiful environmental to live and work We all have something that we can do about it. We just need to learn a little about that. From kitchen life hacks to understanding different ecologies and their effects and how we can protect them. There will never lack simple hacks to try and save our environment.

I have always loved trees, in my younger years, meditation corner used to be at the edge of the Nyambene hills forest. The beautiful scenery coupled with the whispers from the trees was therapeutic.

We have a connection to nature and nature has this curative effect on our souls. But that is the silence and beautiful cure we are killing little by little, and we need to learn how to turn this around. We have quite a lot of those hacks.

And finally the small ones need to start learning something too. We cannot leave then behind.

Enjoy your read

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Ecological Study

An ecological study

2019 marks the 250th anniversary of Alexander von Humboldt. He was one of the first naturalists to document the distribution and adaptation of species on tropical mountains in the 19th century. Humboldt also observed that high mountains represent a microcosm of the earth’s climate zones. Today, his scientific findings are more relevant than ever.

In a world threatened by climate change, tropical mountains are centres of biodiversity and as such they are important refugia for plants and animals. These organisms perform vital functions such as carbon storage, nutrient retention in soil, water supply, pollination and pest control. But tropical mountain

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regions are increasingly under threat by the spread of agriculture and overexploitation.

Nature publishes results of the study “Until now it has been unclear how human land use affects the biodiversity and ecological functionality of tropical mountain ecosystems,” says Marcell Peters from the Chair of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology at JuliusMaximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) in Bavaria, Germany. Now an international team of researchers led

by JMU scientists set out to study biodiversity as well as ecosystem functions in natural habitats and in

Ecological Study

habitats with different land-use intensities in all elevation zones on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Until now it has been unclear how human land use affects the biodiversity and ecological functionality of tropical mountain ecosystems,

The Ecological zones of mount Kilimanjaro About land use on Kilimanjaro At 5,895 meters, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and home to a rich abundance of plant and animal species. The climatic conditions change with elevation as do the plant and animal species that live there. Maize is the most widely grown crop in the foothill area. At higher elevations, farmers cultivate mixed systems of coffee and forest or grassland for

livestock grazing.

The research team studied species richness of plants, animals and microorganisms as well as ecosystem functions like soil nutrient contents, pollination and leaf decomposition at elevations between 850 and 4,550 meters.

Different interactions between climate and land use The results show that land use leads to a significant loss of biodiversity and alters the ecosystem functions of tropical mountains. The intensity of these changes varies in different elevation zones. “In the savanna zone at the foot J U LY 2 0 1 9 / S a va n n a . o rg | 9

Ecological Study

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Ecological Study of the mountain, up to 50 percent of species are lost even when land use is moderate and the functionality of ecosystems exhibits significant changes. In contrast, the ecosystems at medium elevations with a moderate climate are slightly more robust,” Peters explains.

He says that although biological communities still suffer major changes, the overall biodiversity and ecological functionality are less severely affected than in the savanna areas at the foothills of Kilimanjaro.

“Our study shows that the impact of land use on the biodiversity and functionality of ecosystems is strongly correlated with the climatic context.” This is highly relevant for understanding land use and climate change on mountains but also in a world threatened by climate change: Studies at different

montane elevation zones can help make more accurate predictions of how climate change will impact natural habitats and systems used by humans.

Supporting sustainable use is crucial Land use has particularly detrimental consequences for the biodiversity and ecosystem functions of dry and hot ecosystems as are encountered in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro. Protecting and promoting land use that is sustainable and compatible with biodiversity is vital to preserve the diversity of species and naturebased ecosystem functions.

Story Source: Materials provided by University of Würzburg.

Above 5,000m

Eternal Ice Ice, glacier Up to -250C

4000-5,000m

Alpine desert

3,000-4,000m

Moorland

Stone, lava desert Up to +150C

Grasslands, upland moors +150C-+200C

Rainforest 1,800-3,000m

Up to 1,800m

Dense vegetation, frequent rainfall +200C - +250C

Civilization

Villages, agriculture, livestock breeding, plantations Up to +350C

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Fact or fiction

he Black Panther is a rare, fearless, powerful and intel- ligent animal.

It is one of the most aggressive and most feared animals in the world.

The Black Panther is not a distinct animal species though. The term black panther is commonly used for one or several kinds of closely related all-black big cats.

Black panthers live chiefly in the hot, dense tropical rainforests of South and Southeast Asia. They are mainly in Southwestern China, Burma, Nepal, Southern India, Indonesia, and the southern part of Malaysia. Black leopards are more common than lightcoloured leopards. They are less common in tropical Africa but have been reported from Ethiopia, from the forests of Mount Kenya and from the Aberdare’s; however, their population in these areas is sparse. One of the reasons that black panthers are able to live in such a variety of habitats is that they can eat 1 2 | J U LY 2 0 1 9 / S a va n n a . o rg

many types of animals. Their food includes various species of mammals, reptiles, and birds, all of which live in different habitats.

Physical: The typical head and body length of a leopard is between 37 and 65 inches, while the tail can be between 24 to 43 inches. The shoulder height is 18 to 31 inches. Males are about 30% larger than females, weighing 30 to 90 Kilos compared to 23 to 59 kilos for females.

Melanistic leopards (very dark brown) are com- monly called black panthers. However, there is no such animal. The dark colour, called melansim, is due to a recessive gene. Melanistic cubs can be born to spotted parents. Although melanistic, the black leopard has the same pattern of spots as any other leopard. There are no solid-black big cats.

Cover Story

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Cover Story

They are the largest cats to climb trees regularly.

Life Cycle: Panthers may mate all year round. The oestrous cycle is usually about 46 days and the female is on heat for 6 to 7 days. Gestation period is 3 to 3 1â „2 months.

Cubs born can range from 1 to 6, but typical litre is 2 to 3. The mortality of cubs is estimated at 40 to 50% during the first year. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open 4 to 9 days after birth. At 1 year of age, leopard young can probably fend for themselves but remain with the mother for 18 to 24 months.

Maturity is reached at 3 years. Leopards live 12 to 15 years in the wild and up to 23 years in captivity.

Behaviour: Panthers are nocturnal, hunting by night while spending most the day resting although, radiotracking and scat analysis in West Africa showed that rainforest leopards are more likely to be diurnal (day active). Adult leopards are solitary and territorial and will only associate long enough to mate. Occupation of a territory is advertised by marking with urine and faeces and clawing the bark of trees. Although they are solitary animals and do not live in families, leopards nevertheless

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have strong maternal bonds. Even though the young become independent at about 22 months, the mother may continue to share kills with her offspring until they become totally self-sufficient.

The Black panther is classically feline in its hunting behaviour, specializing in stalking and ambushing its prey. A kill is usually dragged away from other predators and often stored in trees out of the reach of lions and hyenas. Leopards are renowned for their great strength and can haul a carcass greater than their own weight up the trunk of a tree. The muscles attached to the scapula are exceptionally strong, which enhance their ability to climb trees. This great strength means a big adult leopard is capable of killing prey up to 10 times its own weight.

Diet: Feeding on a greater diversity of prey than other members of the Panthera species, leopards will eat any warm-blooded prey, from mice and hares to large antelope. But a leopard is the supreme opportunist and will also eat birds, reptiles, rodents, and even insects. They select their prey

Cover Story focusing on small herds, dense habitat, and low risk of injury.

FUN FACTS: Although smaller than other members of the Panthera genus, they are able to take large prey due to their massive skulls that facilitate powerful jaw muscles.

Although they may at first look solid black, their spotted pattern is visible from the right angle.

Panthers can hear five times more sounds than humans, even the ultrasonic squeaks made by mice.

They are the largest cats to climb trees regularly.

Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull.

up to 10 feet vertically.

Panthers produce a number of vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, meows, and “sawing� sounds.

Ecology and Conservation: All Panthers subspecies are either endangered or threatened.

Leopard-skin coats were legal for many years and are still sold secretly.

Many trees in leopard habitats have been cut down for building projects. And poachers are still killing leopards for their whiskers.

In addi- tion, because leopards prey on livestock, they are frequently poisoned by ranchers trying to protect their animals.

They can run at over 36 mph, leap over 20 feet horizontally, and jump

The Black panther is classically feline in its hunting behaviour, specializing in stalking and ambushing its prey!

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Wild Life

THE SERENGETI MARA SQUEEZE Increased human activity around one of Africa’s most iconic ecosystems is squeezing the wildlife in its core’, damaging habitation and disrupting the migration routes of wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, an international study has concluded.

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of the largest and most protected ecosystems on Earth, spanning 40,000 square kilometers and taking in the Serengeti National Park and Maasai Mara National Reserve in East Africa.

Every year a million wildebeest, half a million gazelle and 200,000 zebras make the perilous trek from the Serengeti national park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara reserve in Kenya in their search for water and grazing land.

Now, an international team of scientists have discovered that increased human activity along the boundaries is having a detrimental impact on plants, animals, and soils.

The findings are published in the

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journal Science.

The study looked at 40 years of data, and revealed that some boundary areas have seen a 400 per cent increase in human population over the past decade, while larger wildlife species in key areas in Kenya have declined by more than 75 per cent.

The study reveals how population growth and an influx of livestock in the buffer zones of the parks have squeezed the area available for migration of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles, causing them to spend more time grazing less nutritious grasses than they did in the past.

This has reduced the frequency of natural fires, changing the vegetation and altering grazing

opportunities for other wildlife in the core areas.

The study shows that the impacts are cascading down the food chain, favouring less palatable plants and altering the beneficial interactions between plants and microorganisms that enable the ecosystem to capture and utilize essential nutrients.

The effects could potentially make the ecosystem less resilient to future shocks such as drought or further climate change, the scientists warn.

The authors conclude that, even for reasonably well-protected areas like the Serengeti and Mara, alternative strategies may be needed that

Wild Life sustain the coexistence and livelihood of local people and wildlife in the landscapes surrounding protected areas. The current strategy of increasingly hard boundaries may be a major risk to both people and wildlife.

The study was led by the University of Groningen with collaborators at 11 institutions around the world, including the universities of York, Glasgow and Liverpool.

Dr Colin Beale, from the University of York's Department of Biology, said: "Protected areas across East Africa are under pressure from a wide range

of threats. Our work shows that encroachment by people should be considered just as serious a challenge as better-known issues such as poaching and climate change."

Dr Michiel Veldhuis, lead author of the study from the University of Groningen, said: "There is an urgent need to rethink how we manage the boundaries of protected areas to be able to conserve biodiversity. The future of the world's most iconic protected area and their associated human population may depend on it."

Research Institute added: "These results come at the right time, as the Tanzanian government is now taking important steps to address these issues on a national level."

"This paper provides important scientific evidence of the far ranging consequences of the increased human pressures around the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, information that is now urgently needed by policy makers and politicians."

Dr Simon Mduma, Director of the Tanzanian Government's Wildlife

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Environmental News

The World’s biggest environmental stories A group of school children hold signs that read “12 years left” Local school children join Greta Thunberg’s initiative on climate strike during the COP24 UN

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Climate Change Conference 2018 in Katowice, Poland, on Dec. 14, 2018.

Credit: Grzegorz Celejewski/ Agencja Gazeta via Reuters

Environmental News

From the Amazon to the Arctic, 1. China stopped taking much of the US’s recycling.

By the Wolf Staff

At the beginning of 2018, China set much stricter purity standards for the recycling it accepts and stopped taking two dozen different types of solid waste entirely. Mountains of recycling that used to be sold to Chinese recycling firms piled up in American cities, and cities and companies worked toward more efficient recycling programs.

2. Cape Town avoided “Day Zero” and the city’s water kept flowing. After three years of drought, residents of Cape Town, South Africa feared the city’s reservoirs would reach such critically low levels that the city would turn off the taps. To avoid reaching “Day Zero,” Cape Town instituted stringent water consumption restrictions that had residents gathering around watering holes to fill up jugs and prompted one local radio journalist to file eight water reports a day.

The city’s water-saving campaign worked, and Day Zero was eventually pushed back indefinitely.

But the episode was seen as an example of what life might look like in the future as parts of the globe grow increasingly drought-prone.

Cape Town residents gather to collect water at a spring with makshift spigots ear Table Mountain. It's one of dozens of open springs across the city where

residents come to collect extra water to add to their meager daily quota of 13 gallons.Credit: Daniella Cheslow/The World 3. The people of the Arctic continued to feel the impacts of climate change most acutely. The 4 million people who live in the Arctic are feeling the effects of rapid climate change more quickly than anywhere else on earth, The World reported in a special series.

An Alaskan village is falling into the sea and Arctic perma- frost is starting to thaw. But as the landscape around them changes, the people of the arctic are pushing for sustainability and adapting to a new normal as new business opportunities open up at the top of the world.

4. British and American scientists launched a campaign to understand melting on a massive Antarctic glacier.

Science agencies in the US and the UK in April announced they would spend the next five years researching Antarctica’s Thwaites glacier, which is roughly the size of Florida and could contribute up to three feet of sea level rise if it were to collapse completely. Ice melting on Thwaites already contributes about four percent of global sea level rise, an amount that’s nearly doubled since the 1990s.

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Environmental News

5. In the US, climate action was driven by cities, states and private businesses As the federal government cut regulations aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions, cities, states and private businesses continued to lead the transition to a greener economy. In September, California Governor Jerry Brown convened a global climate summit that attracted heads of state and business leaders from around the world and extracted a slew of new commitments from them, from transitioning to zero-emission vehicles to protecting forests.

Around the world, Starbucks and McDonalds launched an initiative to make their cups fully recyclable and compostable, the nation’s leading coal state looked toward wind, and PepsiCo and Levis are worked to conserve water in their manufacturing processes.

6. One year after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico still struggled to recover. The first anniversary of Hurricane Maria arrived in Puerto Rico in September on an island still recovering from the devastating storm. Some residents had just gotten power back in their homes, and even as much of the island’s agricultural sector had rebounded, Puerto Rico’s coffee industry remained devastated. The island’s national forest was re-growing, but Maria highlighted concerns about the ecosystem’s ability to survive increasingly intense storms.

Residents and officials recognized that while life on the island had reached a new normal, a year after Maria, Puerto Rico was still not prepared for another big storm.

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7. Concerns mounted for the future of the Brazilian Amazon As illegal logging and a “tipping point” threaten the Amazon’s ability to capture and store carbon, a new president in Brazil has promised to exploit the rainforest and roll back protections for it.

Scientists are warning that as the forests fail, they’re losing their ability to regulate Earth’s climate and protect us from the impacts of rising emissions.

A bare chested man wearing beads and body paint sits in a motorboat as it speeds through a muddy river ” Sometimes, when we see the trees cut down, we feel rage,” says Guajajara Guardians of the Forest chief Claudio da Silva. “This is why we keep fighting, so this doesn’t happen.” Credit: Sam Eaton/The World 8. Kids took center stage in the fight against climate change. Young people will feel the biggest impacts of climate change as they grow up in a warming world, and in 2018 they became some of the most visible campaigners for efforts to cut carbon emissions. A lawsuit brought by 21 young people who argue the US government violated their constitutional rights by supporting the continued use of fossil fuels wound its way through the courts. Kids and teenagers staged a massive climate march in Washington in July. And 15-year-old Greta Thunberg was a sensation at the UN climate talks in Poland in December when she told adults they “are not mature enough” to face the climate crisis head-on.

Sometimes, when we see the trees cut down, we feel rage,

Environmental News

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Environmental News

Ways in which factory farming Destroy Nature One of the most harmful practices of modern civilization is industrial agriculture (most commonly known as factory farming).

Factory farming is essentially liable for the degradation of lands, harm to animals, and depletion of natural resources, and it survives on its produce which is cheaply and easily available. The consequences of industrial farming have become more and

more prominent in recent decades, and its impact is more profound in countries such as the United States of America.

Factory farming is prevalent across the world, and because of its presence, its impact is vast and easily palpable. Some of the dangers posed by factory farming have been enumerated below:

01 Deforestation

02 Air Pollution

Factory farming is practiced at the cost of millions of acres of forest land, and every year forests are sacrificed for carrying out the sinister plans of industrial farmers. In Brazil, three million acres of forest land has been cleared for the purpose of growing chicken feed. The most affected area is the lush Amazon rainforest which is on the brink of near devastation.

Factory farming is responsible for the emission of dangerous greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide. Factory farming causes emission of 90 million tons of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. About 37 percent of methane is released as a direct consequence of factory farming, and as a side note, methane is potentially more dangerous than carbon dioxide so you can easily imagine the upshots.

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Environmental News

03 Monocultures

04 Water Pollution

One of the biggest threats to food security across the world is monocultures. Single-crop farms are among the outcomes of factory farming, in which a certain small group of crops has taken over the majority of the agricultural land across the globe. They might be available in huge quantities, but they feed only a small percentage of people.

You would not believe, but factory farming consumes about 70 percent of the available freshwater resources of the world. The regulatory authority, EPA, claims that about 75 percent of all water-related issues in the United

The world is witnessing a massivescale farming of monocultures— which depend largely on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers—and this has put immense pres- sure on the ecosystem. It is not easy to maintain monocultures, and that is why substantial financial resources are invested.

States can be traced to factory farming. Polluted water from farm centers ecosystem and introduces toxicity, which ultimately enters the food chain. One of the most common contaminants from industrial agriculture are Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations that comprise ahuge amount of animal waste, and when water run-offs from these farms enter water bodies, contaminants such as nitrates, drug-resistant bacteria, etc are introduced.

05 Carbon Emissions and fossil fuels Estimates show that industrial agriculture consumes about 6 gallons of fossil fuels every acre, and this, without any further explanation, points to a disturbing trend which is bound to capsize the entire human civilisation into the abyss.

Moreover, factory farming releases a mammoth amount of carbon emissions which are primarily responsible for global warming.

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Environmental News

5 Positive Environmental Stories from 2018.

It wasn’t too long ago — the mid-1980s, to be exact — that scientists made a deeply troubling discovery: The ozone layer of Earth, which shields us from the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet rays, each spring opened a massive hole over Antarctica. Even worse, the ozone layer all around the world was also being steadily thinned. These supported assertions of ozone depletion going back to the 1970s.

5. The Ozone Is Healing The chief culprit was chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals that were used at the time in common items like hairspray and refrigerants. Skin cancer, cataracts, severe harm to plants and animals — studies that followed the discovery painted a dire picture of future human existence, if we didn’t do something quick to stop it.

That something was the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which banned the production of CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals.

And while the news turned slowly better for the ozone (and us) over the past two decades, the latest check-up from 2018 is an undeniable win: A United Nations report says the ozone, including the gaping hole over Antarctica, will be fully healed by the 2060s.

4. Second Largest Coral Reef No Longer Endangered Along with news of polar bears starving to death or drowning, coral reefs (and the marine ecosystem that is symbiotic to

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them) have become a poster child for the disturbing effects of climate change. The Great Barrier Reef — the world’s largest — is experiencing a “widespread die-off,” according to a 2018 report.

But off the coast of Central America’s Belize, a section of the world’s secondlargest coral reef has been removed from UNESCO’s endangered list. The 200-milelong (321-kilometer) Belize Barrier Reef System, which measures about a third of the Mesoamerican Reef System, was placed on the list in 2009 due to threats like coastal development and oil drilling. The U.N. agency cited a “transitional shift” by the Belize government as part of the rationale for the removal from the list. However, “the primary threats are all still there,” 3. Bans on Plastic Plastic is a problem that is not going away; just look at the ever-growing garbage vortex in the Pacific. And despite the obvious need for sensible alternatives to plastic, the banning of it — including straws — by cities,

Environmental News

CORAL countries and international corporations has transformed, as it often does these days, into a goofy meme.

But seriously, Starbucks banned plastic straws from its 28,000 stores around the globe, becoming “the largest food and beverage retailer to make such a global commitment.” That’s just the tip of the anti-plastic iceberg — even Queen Elizabeth II forbid plastic at royal estates and associated premises.

Meantime, reports from Kenya, which institut- ed the world’s toughest moratorium on plastic bags in 2017, suggest the ban is having posi- tive effects: The decrease in so-called “flying toilets” is just one anecdotal piece of evidence.

Several other East African nations are considering plastic bans, too.

Despite some criticism faced by the movement’s activists, more bans are likely.

2. Swiss Businessman Donates $1 Billion to Protect the Planet It’s reminiscent of media mogul Ted Turner’s donation of $1 billion to the United Nations in 1997. In October of 2018, businessman, philan- thropist and conservationist Hansjörg Wyss announced

that he would donate $1 billion of his fortune over the next decade to “help accelerate land and ocean conservation efforts around the world, with the goal of protecting 30 percent of the planet’s surface by 2030.” He plans for his money to support local conservation efforts around the world, push for land and ocean protection, raise public awareness about the impor- tance of conservation and to fund scientific studies to identify the best strategies to reach his target.

1. China Is Winning War on Pollution It wasn’t long ago that China, the most populous country in the world, was making news for apocalyptic pollution days that browned out the sun. Now, just four years after Chinese premier Li Keqiang declared war on pollution, the country has seen astounding success.

Recent studies show China’s cities and rural areas “have cut concentra- tions of fine particulates in the air by 32 percent on average.”

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Environmental News

Affordable Ways of Helping the Environment One of the main issues that has dominated the United Nations is the discourse on global warming. It is important to note that although the proposed budget target for this noble course was unmet, people around the world can still do something to make the world a better place. The responsible bodies in a sustainable environment are pushing micro approaches to this discourse which, according to pundits, can achieve more results compared to the typical, large-scale approach.

Recycling Waste Products Recycling is without a doubt the most vital way of reversing global warming and other trends that are making the earth inhabitable. The best thing about recycling, to the environment, is that everything can be recycled. In the last three decades, conferences and conventions have discussed this approach intensively. In all these meeting and gatherings, the value of recycling is getting new and insightful approaches.

Recycling of waste products, however, put people in a position of investing in this technology. It is important to appreciate the fact that although finances can be limited, monthly instalment loans for these projects are ideal. With funds, therefore, a safe and waste-free world is in sight.

Another angle of recycling product,

according to pundits, is composting. The most iconic aspect about composting is that it uses available leftovers to make farm inputs and therefore to save money.

Although only agricultural areas can benefit from this project, urban areas are the largest producers of leftovers, and this project can save garbage collectors millions of dollars each month.

Minimize the Use of Water According to the UNEP, water is one of the most wasted resources in the world. The water wastage has many implications on the environment, especially because the process of purifying water is expensive and has major effects on the environment. This reality means therefore that a change in the overall water consumption can go hand in hand in saving the environment from the harmful effects of water processing and purification.

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Environmental News UNEP also points out that a big percentage of the water that is wasted can help in other activities, such as watering gardens and, therefore, making the world a better place to live. There are tons of ways to make better use of water. Some of them include putting a limit in the domestic use of water as well as minimizing leakages at home or in any social places. With these simple measures, the journey to a better world is not farfetched.

Affordable Green Living Tips Although large-scale approaches

and especially in the USA. Some of the ways of minimizing the use of electricity include using better bulbs for lighting and, alternatively, using windows as a source of light during the day.

Adopt Alternative means of Transport One of the significant ways in which the environment is saturated with poisonous gasses is due to using of cars as the only source of transportation. Although vehicles are irreplaceable in terms of

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to saving this beautiful planet are essential, it is important to appreciate the fact that small-scale changes in basic living are more vital to this campaign. The following are some of the affordable green living tips.

Adopt Alternative means of Transport One of the significant ways in which the environment is saturated with poisonous gasses is due to using of cars as the only source of transportation. Although vehicles are irreplaceable in terms of

efficiency and speed, adapting other means of transportation is ideal in green living. Cycling to work is one of the ways some countries, such as the Netherlands, are reversing global warming. In addition to saving the environment, there are tons of health benefits from cycling to the human body.

Reduce Electricity Use Just like the use of cars, electricity is irreplaceable as a means of living. However, it is essential to understand that electricity

efficiency and speed, adapting other means of transportation is ideal in green living. Cycling to work is one of the ways some countries, such as the Netherlands, are reversing global warming. In addition to saving the environment, there are tons of health benefits from cycling to the human body.

Reduce Electricity Use Just like the use of cars, electricity is irreplaceable as a means of living. However, it is essential to understand that electricity production is expensive in the world

production is expensive in the world and especially in the USA. Some of the ways of minimizing the use of electricity include using better bulbs for lighting and, alternatively, using windows as a source of light during the day.

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