Kenya Floods 2024: Old Kijabe Dam bursts after heavy rains in the Rift Valley; 45 killed so far

East Africa deluged as Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya receive massive amounts of precipitation  

‘Restoring tree cover may lead to global warming but only in some places’

Forest restoration scientist Susan Cook-Patton on albedo change due to restoring tree cover and ideal places for climate-positive reforestation 

DTE Coverage: Dubai Floods 2024

How Down To Earth tracked and reported on the floods that occurred in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates on April 16, 2024

‘Heavenly Horses’: Heard of the Akhal-Teke? Turkmenistan will hold a beauty contest for them today

Last year, the art of breeding the Akhal-Teke horse and the traditions of horse decoration were included in the UNESCO Representative List of the …

DTE Coverage: Plastic’s toxic trail

A 5-part series that looks at health impacts across the life cycle of plastic

Why did Dubai flood? World Weather Attribution says global warming, not cloud seeding, the reason

The recent rainfall in West Asia was made 10-40 per cent heavier by warming, according to the WWA

Simply Put: Insect killers

Plastic’s toxic trail: What are these polymers and what do they contain?

Between 2021 and 2024, the number of chemicals reported to be used by the plastic industry has gone up from around 10,000 to 16,000

CSE-DTE at Ottawa: Just transition and Global Plastic Treaty — An inclusive journey towards circularity?

Waste pickers and concept of just transition have gained attention during process of developing Global Plastic Treaty

Plastic’s toxic trail: What are other countries doing about chemicals used in these polymers?

The need right now is to simplify plastics towards safety and sustainability through policies promoting the use of fewer and safer chemicals

Plastic’s toxic trail: These polymers’ usage and disposal have their own set of dangers

Plastics not only pollute and affect human health during the production phase, but continue to do so during the usage phase, as well as through …

Our laser technique can tell apart elephant and mammoth ivory – here’s how it may disrupt the ivory trade

Annually, over 20,000 elephants are poached for ivory, primarily in Africa

DNA analysis reveals how ancient nomads who disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago lived

Avar societies meticulously preserved an ancestral memory

Contributo di accesso: Venice, sinking Queen of the Adriatic, will prevent ‘overtourism’ by charging you €5 to enter

The access fee is an experiment promoted by the Municipality of Venice, with the purpose of regulating the tourist flows in the historic centre, …

Key takeaways from the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2024

The two Bretton Woods Institutions need to build momentum to deliver money for climate finance

DTE Coverage: Global plastic profiles

A 17-part series that examines who stands where on various aspects of plastic pollution

Global food crisis: 1 in 5 people in need of urgent action 

Over 72 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity because of extreme weather events

Aflatoon and the Avars: How modern science helped solve two historical mysteries

While modern imaging techniques helped point out Greek philosopher Plato’s exact resting place, genomics have revealed the social …

Global plastic profiles: How is the Global North helping the South tackle plastic pollution?

Capacity-building, technical assistance and technology transfer to poor countries aims to advance a resilient and sustainable approach to plastic …

Global plastic profiles: Can a dedicated financial mechanism beat global plastic pollution?

Such a mechanism can provide predictable, sustainable and adequate resources to support implementation efforts in developing countries

Global plastic profiles: How well are countries tracking and monitoring the plastic supply chain?

To ensure effective management and regulation, Parties are required to monitor and track the production, imports and exports of chemicals and …

Global plastic profiles: Where do countries stand on a ‘just transition’ for the plastic industry?

A just transition approach prioritises addressing social and economic impacts associated with transitioning by providing support to affected …

A job in a warzone or unemployment at home

Indian diplomatic missions need to closely monitor the security situation and assess the threat perceptions to its communities

Southern African drought primarily driven by El Nino, massive blow to food security, health: Study 

Researchers recommend enhanced resilience to droughts that may occur twice as frequently in El Nino years

Climate change worsening air pollution: 131.2 million Americans breathing unhealthy air, warns report

Nearly 90.7 million people in the US live in counties with failing grades for year-round particle pollution, finds report