Conservation

We’ve all seen towering piles of plastic. In Sweden, instead of letting those bottles and packaging waste gather dust, the country turns much of it into energy.

Kenya has been chosen to pioneer the Responsible Sourcing Initiative in Africa, aiming to cut plastic pollution while uplifting 46,000 waste workers with fair pay, safer jobs, and greener recycling systems.

Mau forest complex, one of the five main water towers in Kenya, has for a long time been under threat from human activities, that undermine its ecological, economic and climatic value.

For over 15 years, PELIS has been hailed as a clever way to expand tree cover, boost local incomes, and foster community stewardship of forests. But it has also been criticized for fueling corruption, enabling farmland encroachment, and sacrificing biodiversity in the name of expanding tree cover.

The new rules, found in what’s known as the EU Deforestation Regulation, are part of a wider effort to ensure European consumption doesn’t drive global deforestation.

A new study published in Nature Medicine has taken the alarm a step further. Scientists examining brain tissue in New Mexico found traces of microplastics lodged in human brains. In some cases, they estimated up to 10 grams, about the weight of a crayon, could be present in a single brain.

Determined to create change, Saida, Imbwira, and hundreds of their neighbors have embraced conservation efforts. On this day, more than 300 residents participated in a community-led cleanup supported by the Breathe Nairobi Initiative.

Kenyan fig trees have been found to have the ability turn part of themselves into stone, helping them to store carbon from the air, improves the soil around them, all while still growing fruit.