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7 Sep 2023
Microplastics discovered in human heart
In August, microplastics were found for the first time in human heart tissue. A discovery that is now raising new concerns about their long-term impact on health. A Chinese team discovered the presence of microplastics after examining tissue samples from 15 cardiac surgery patients. The presence of chemicals, such as acrylic or Plexiglas, provides "direct evidence of the presence of microplastics in cardiac surgery patients", although there may be some doubt about contamination during surgery, according to doctors...
7 Sep 2023
Sudan Update: The Water Diplomat Speaks to Action Against Hunger
Tobias Schmitz: From your perspective, what is the current status of the conflict and which areas are currently affected: has this changed geographically since mid-May? Paloma Martin: The fighting that began with the outbreak of conflict on 15 April between the Sudanese armed forces and the Sudanese security forces has resulted in frequent air attacks and shelling of military and civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country...
7 Sep 2023
Malawi and South Sudan Announce Presidential Compacts on Water and Sanitation
On the 21st of August, at Stockholm Water Week, the governments of Malawi and South Sudan announced the launch of Presidential Compacts on Water and Sanitation. This builds on an initiative in 2022 by the Government of the Netherlands, together with IRC WASH, SWA and UNICEF, to directly engage heads of state in the drive to prioritise action on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)...
7 Sep 2023
China suffers flooding and emerging food safety concerns
Since the end of July, and for just a few days, China experienced severe flooding caused by the aftermath of typhoon Doksuri. Flooding took place in the grain-growing region of northeast China whereby flood waters inundated farmland. The floods have resulted in a double catastrophe for the country, which is concerned not just about the damage from the water but also about its food security...
7 Sep 2023
Release of Water from Fukushima Nuclear Plant Begins
On August 24, Japan began the process of releasing water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The position of Japan is that a special process is being applied, with many precautions taken, one which is "common practice in the nuclear industry worldwide". The water has been filtered beforehand to remove most of its radioactive substances, with the exception of tritium...
6 Sep 2023
Groundwater: a resource for resilience in Southern Africa
Because it is available in different seasons and often of good quality, groundwater provides the opportunity to respond to droughts and climatic variations. These ideas underlie phase II of the new SADC groundwater management programme for 2031, following the one completed in 2021. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)’s Groundwater Management Institute (GMI) secured funding from the World Bank and Global Environmental Facility for phase II of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Project...
6 Sep 2023
Water and Sanitation Finance: The Challenge with Blended Finance
A recent study estimated the annual global investment needed to cover WASH-related services by 2030 at $264 billion. Figures from the UN2023 Water Conference varied between US$182 to more than US$600 billion annually. These figures are commonly used to support the position that neither public finance nor official development assistance (ODA) are sufficient to fill the funding gap, hence we must tap private finance...
6 Sep 2023
Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas highlights unprecedented water demand and climate impacts
The world is on the verge of an unparalleled water disaster, as a result of increasing demand and the unrelenting effects of the climate emergency, according to a report by the World Resources Institute (WRI). The analysis reveals that an alarming 25 percent of the world's population is presently facing significant water stress, with forecasts indicating that an extra billion people would be in this precarious scenario by 2050...
6 Sep 2023
European Industry and Environmental Concerns Clash Over Proposed PFAS Ban
The European Union's proposed ban on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is deepening a debate between corporate interests and environmental concerns, underscoring the fragile balance between economic viability and ecological effect. The Voice of the German Machinery and Plant Engineering Industry -Verband Deutscher Maschinen und Anlagenbau (VDMA), which represents over 3,600 European mechanical and plant engineering companies, has raised a red flag regarding the potential negative effects of a comprehensive PFAS ban on a variety of industrial processes...
5 Sep 2023
Zambia halts mine in Lower Zambezi National Park
On the 29th of August, the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) clarified its decision on the 24th of August to cancel the decision letter issued to Mwembeshi Resources Limited in 2021 pertaining to its large-scale open pit copper mining project in Lower Zambezi National Park. According to ZEMA, the permission originally granted to the company in 2021 was provided under very strict conditions, stating that “given the fact this mine was going to be set up in the middle of one of the country’s most serene national parks, it follows that no margin of error should be allowed in ensuring adherence to environmental guidelines”...
4 Sep 2023
Panama accedes to Helsinki Convention
On the 7th of July Panama announced its accession to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), otherwise known as the Helsinki convention. In so doing, Panama has become the first Latin American country to accede to the convention...
4 Sep 2023
Franco Swiss Negotiations on the use of the Rhone’s water
The Rhône River, which originates in the Swiss Alps upstream of Lake Leman (colloquially: Lake Geneva), has again become the subject of negotiations between Switzerland and France against the background of recent drought and water shortages in France. Importantly, the water of the Rhône is used to cool 14 of the 56 nuclear reactors providing France with electrical power...