Charlot Magayi used to sell charcoal for cooking in the Nairobi slum community of Mukuru where she grew up. Today, she’s the recipient of a 2022 Earthshot Prize for her work on climate and the promotion of clean cooking alternatives. Magayi, founder of Mukuru Clean Stoves, was one of five…
The World Health Organization issued new guidelines on air pollution Wednesday that dramatically reduce the levels of particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants linked to a range of diseases. These illnesses include heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, and respiratory diseases including asthma. “Since WHO’s last 2005 global update, there has…
As the United Nations marks World Environment Day, this year’s theme focuses on air pollution – and that’s a significant challenge on the African continent. A recent study from NASA in the United States found some 780,000 premature African deaths per year were linked to air pollution from different causes….
Environmental protection advocates at Greenpeace have stepped up to demand that South African power utility Eskom comply with the country’s Minimum Emissions Standards, rather than receive approval for continued waivers and postponements for excessive emissions. The Greenpeace activists say Eskom, with 17 coal-fired power plants, exceeded the limits for particulate…
Air pollution has increased significantly in the last 25 years, and that’s having health consequences especially in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study published in The Lancet medical journal. Researchers found that air pollution – specifically, the small particles measured as less…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times