Africa
GAIA's partner groups in Africa are not only grappling with legacies of persistent pollution, but also with toxic health and environmental threats from contemporary waste and development problems. Learn more.
In the Spotlight
Wastepickers Demand an Inclusive Global Climate Fund
Copenhagen, 7 December 2009 – Fifteen million people worldwide make a living from waste picking. They collect, sort, clean and in some cases, process these recyclables, returning them to industry as an inexpensive and low-carbon raw material. Wastepickers are incredibly efficient recyclers – and can achieve recycling rates higher than 80%. Their recycling work reduces emissions up to 25 times more than incineration does. Wastepickers significantly reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through recycling rates, and could further reduce emissions given proper support.
Incineration seen as a waste of energy
by Premita Leelachand, The Defi Media Group
by Premita Leelachand, The Defi Media Group
Incineration is not waste to energy but a waste of energy, says Paul Connet, Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of St Lawrence in Canton, New York.
New Report: An Industry Blowing Smoke
10 reasons why gasification, pyrolysis & plasma incineration are not “green solutions”
Kenya: Toxic smoke harmful to foetus’ sex organs
by Maore Ithula, The Standard for Fairness and Justice
by Maore Ithula, The Standard for Fairness and Justice
A pall of dark smoke spirals into the morning air, blacking out a section of Nairobi’s Outering Road, beside which street children are burning tyres.
Motorists stuck in a morning jam can be seen winding up their windows to avoid the acrid sting of the smoke.
groundWork: Reclaiming Livelihoods - A Report on Wastepickers
This report focuses on the contributions of reclaimers to social and environmental sustainability. It explores the work that reclaimers do, how they use salvaging of commodities from the waste stream as a way to support themselves, and how they are being affected by municipal waste management policies.
