cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/42471244

Farmers in Zambia have filed an $80bn (£58.5bn) lawsuit against two Chinese-linked firms, blaming them for an "ecological catastrophe" caused by the collapse of a dam that stored waste from copper mining.

Million of litres of highly acidic material spilled into waterways in February, leading to "mass fatalities" among fish, making water undrinkable and destroying crops, the farmers said in court papers.

This is one of the biggest environmental lawsuits in Zambia's history, with the farmers saying the spillage affects about 300,000 households in the copper-mining region.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/42411443

Archived

Chinese miners are illegally extracting Congolese gold on a vast scale, according to a new report from the nonprofit PAX, which also accuses the Democratic Republic of the Congo of weak and ineffective governance.

The report, published Wednesday by the Netherlands-based peace advocacy group, said that semi-industrial gold mining operations have devastated at least 155 miles of rivers and streams in Haut-Uélé, a province where poverty is widespread and where armed conflict and violence have roiled the population for decades.

[...]

Asked about whether Chinese nationals are engaged in illegal, semi-industrial gold mining in northeastern DRC, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said in a written statement: “I’m not aware of the specifics you mentioned. Please refer to the competent authorities for further comments.”

He added: “As a principle, the Chinese government consistently requires Chinese nationals abroad to abide by local laws and regulations and to refrain from any illegal activities.”

China’s Foreign Ministry said virtually the same thing in January when asked about similar illegal gold mining operations in a different DRC region, Kivu.

A surge in illegal gold mining in Haut-Uélé began in 2020, with Congolese mining enterprises presented as small-scale, artisanal “cooperatives” using Chinese financial and technical backing, the report said. Congolese law allows artisanal mining cooperatives of Congolese nationals to operate in certain areas if licensed.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21698005

As government regulators focused on reigning in air pollution, companies were busy generating new sources of pollution, including plastics and PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals. PFAS, which stands for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of compounds used, among other things, to make fabric stain-resistant and pans nonstick.

Over time, these modern-era substances — which famously take decades to millennia to degrade — have leached into the environment, reaching every corner of the planet, no matter how tall or deep. Microplastics, PFAS, and some other compounds, such as pesticides, are now so widespread that they’ve essentially become part of our biome, not unlike bacteria or fungi.

They’re so common, in fact, that they’re even found in the rain.

A number of studies, for example, have documented microplastics in rain falling all over the world — even in remote, unpopulated regions. For one 2020 analysis in the journal Science, researchers documented microplastics in rainwater that fell on several national parks and wilderness areas in the Western US. Most of the plastic bits were microfibers, such as those shed from polyester sweaters or carpeting on the floor of a car. The researchers estimated that more than 1,000 metric tons of plastic from the atmosphere fall on parks in the West each year, including both as rainfall and as dry dust. That’s equivalent to roughly 120 to 300 million plastic water bottles, according to the study.

archived (Wayback Machine)

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/38095363

• Ozone layer remains on track to recovery in coming decades
• WMO Ozone Bulletin says ozone hole in 2024 smaller than previous years
• Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol show benefits of science for global action
• Stratospheric ozone protects people’s and planetary health
• Continued atmospheric monitoring is vital

[...]

“Forty years ago, nations came together to take the first step in protecting the ozone layer — guided by science, united in action,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

“The Vienna Convention and its Montreal Protocol became a landmark of multilateral success. Today, the ozone layer is healing. This achievement reminds us that when nations heed the warnings of science, progress is possible,” he said.

To date, the Montreal Protocol has led to the phase-out of over 99% of the production and consumption of controlled ozone-depleting substances, which were used in refrigeration, air conditioning, firefighting foam and even hairspray. As a result, the ozone layer is now on track to recover to 1980s levels by the middle of this century, significantly reducing risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and ecosystem damage due to excessive UV exposure.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/21453065

When the Vietnam War finally ended on April 30, 1975, it left behind a landscape scarred with environmental damage. Vast stretches of coastal mangroves, once housing rich stocks of fish and birds, lay in ruins. Forests that had boasted hundreds of species were reduced to dried-out fragments, overgrown with invasive grasses.

Fifty years later, Vietnam’s degraded ecosystems and dioxin-contaminated soils and waters still reflect the long-term ecological consequences of the war. Efforts to restore these damaged landscapes and even to assess the long-term harm have been limited.

Although the war spurred new international treaties aimed at protecting the environment during wartime, these efforts failed to compel post-war restoration for Vietnam. Current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East show these laws and treaties still aren’t effective.

archived (Wayback Machine)

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/20411809

Fast-moving underwater avalanches, known as turbidity currents, are responsible for transporting vast quantities of microplastics into the deep sea, according to new research published today.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/27466197

• Flooding in Indonesia is increasingly traced to corporate destruction of peatlands rather than natural causes, according to a new report by NGO Pantau Gambut.
• The construction of industrial-scale canals poses a growing threat; the report found that 281,253 kilometers of canals have cut through peatland ecosystems, draining the peat and compromising its sponge-like function.
• In addition, the report concluded that peatland protection laws are deeply flawed, as they serve corporate profit interests, rather than environmental protection.

archived (Wayback Machine)

Gigantic cracks known as gullies are opening up in cities in Africa, swallowing up homes and businesses, sometimes in an instant, a study has found.

A new study published in Nature has revealed just how enormous this threat has become, focusing on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Scientists mapped 26 cities across the country and found an astonishing 2,922 massive gullies, each one a scar across the urban landscape. These are not small erosions; they are immense chasms that can stretch hundreds of meters, tearing apart entire communities. And they are spreading.

Between 2004 and 2023, these gullies displaced nearly 118,600 people in the DRC alone. Entire families have been forced to leave homes passed down through generations, while the land beneath their feet collapses into voids. The danger is accelerating—today, 3.2 million people live in areas at risk of being swallowed, double the number from just over a decade ago.

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/6078255

KIRUNA, Sweden -- High atop the Luossavaara Mountain in northern Sweden, Sami reindeer herder Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen mapped out a bleak future for himself and other Indigenous people whose reindeer have roamed this land for thousands of years.

An expanding iron-ore mine and a deposit of rare-earth minerals are fragmenting the land and altering ancient reindeer migration routes. But with the Arctic warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, herders say they need more geographic flexibility, not less, to ensure the animals' survival.

If a mine is established at the deposit of rare-earth minerals called Per Geijer, which Sweden heralds as Europe’s largest, Kuhmunen said it could completely cut off the migration routes used by the Sami village of Gabna.

That would be the end of the Indigenous way of life for Kuhmunen, his children and their fellow Sami reindeer herders, he said, in this far-north corner of Sweden some 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the Arctic Circle.

Full Article

cross-posted from: https://hexbear.net/post/6094797

The Innu Council of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam (ITUM) and its Chief Jonathan Shetush—on his 100th day in office—announced the establishment of a protected area running the full length of the Moisie River in eastern Quebec.

The project is called the Innu Protected Area of ​​the Mishta-shipu (Moisie River) Watershed.

André Michel, director of ITUM’s Office for the Protection of Rights and Territory, said the Moisie, known in Innu-aimun as “Mishta-shipu,” or “The Great River,” is central to the lives of the community.

“The entire history of the Innus of Uashat mak Mani-utenam is based on this river,” Michel told APTN News. “Our ancestors were nomads who spent 10 months of the year inland. This was the main route of penetration that led inland, where they spent the whole winter searching for caribou.”

“The projects we submitted for protection may not be accepted in their entirety,” Michel said. “But as a government, even if the Quebec government does not agree with the protected area projects, we, as Innu, will protect them and recognize them as Indigenous protected areas. If there is development in that territory, whether it be forestry, hydroelectric, or mining, we will oppose all projects in that protected area.”

Full Article

In Alaska’s Salmon River, leached metals reach levels that are toxic for aquatic life

The Salmon River, in remote northwestern Alaska, has long been a symbol of the region’s untrammeled, wild beauty.

Beginning in 2019, the river turned orange and yellow, reminiscent of acidic runoff from mining waste. (...) The river and many of its tributaries are now laced with toxic metals, leached from thawing permafrost, at levels that can harm aquatic life, scientists report today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Some scientists and engineers have proposed novel technological "fixes" to mitigate the impacts of climate change — including giant, floating sea curtains to prevent warm water reaching ice shelves.

But a new report by international researchers warns massive geoengineering concepts could cause environmental harm and cost billions of dollars.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41953366

Archived

A group of 87 Russian scientists has called on President Vladimir Putin to block a controversial bill that would allow clear-cut logging along the shores of Lake Baikal, the Kommersant business newspaper reported Tuesday, citing their collective letter.

The government reportedly signed off on long-stalled amendments this summer, allowing so-called sanitary logging in the area around Baikal — a practice meant to curb damage from fires, pests and other threats. Scientists say they repeatedly raised objections during two years of debate but were ignored.

In July, two environmental protection committees in Russia’s lower-house State Duma demanded that the bill be reworked before lawmakers scheduled votes on passing the amendments.

In their letter, the group of scientists warned Putin that the measure could encourage arson of healthy forests for profit, destabilize soil and pollute the UNESCO-protected lake. They said allowing the removal of felled wood from Baikal’s protected area would effectively commercialize its forests, while artificial reforestation could worsen erosion and wash nutrients into the water.

The letter also criticizes provisions that would allow the construction of tourism infrastructure across more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of the protected area and remove Baikal’s water protection zone from its ecological buffer. That, the scientists warn, would open shoreline land to development.

[...]

Experts [are] warning that heavy machinery, soil runoff and “forest amnesty” rules will damage Baikal’s ecosystem. They say the bill’s opaque system for reclassifying land risks prioritizes development over conservation.

UNESCO, which granted Baikal World Heritage status in 1996, earlier this year raised concerns over the “uncertain legal protection” of the lake. A Change.org petition against the bill has been signed by more than 115,000 people.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41836195

Archived

[...]

As climate change accelerates, the once distant and frozen Arctic is transforming into a controversial industrial frontier. Nowhere is this tension clearer than along Russia’s Northern Sea Route (NSR). This emerging shipping corridor, running along Russia’s 6,000-kilometer Arctic coastline, is being touted by the Kremlin as a lucrative shortcut between Europe and Asia.

But as we illustrate in our new report, the rush to exploit this fragile environment threatens to turn the Arctic into another zone of sacrifice — one where delicate ecosystems are collateral damage in the hunt for hydrocarbons and geopolitical influence.

The Arctic is in a vicious cycle where the melting sea ice that makes the NSR more accessible jeopardizes the region’s unique biodiversity and climate stability. Russia’s ambitions to transform this route into a major trade artery — and to ramp up oil and gas extraction along its coastline — risk compounding the climate crisis while leaving Arctic ecosystems vulnerable to catastrophic pollution.

In 2024 alone, more than 84% of the cargo transported along the NSR was oil and gas. Fossil fuel extraction is the engine driving Russia’s Arctic strategy. The Kremlin shows no sign of slowing down, even amid its ongoing war in Ukraine and mounting international sanctions.

[...]

Russia’s Arctic coastline spans half of the entire Arctic Ocean — a vast and fragile habitat for fish, marine mammals, and migratory birds. This region is not just a domestic matter; it is a global concern. Yet Russia’s environmental stewardship has lagged far behind its economic ambitions.

[...]

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41826094

Archived

"Based on current [satellite] images, the area [of the slick] already measures 350 square kilometers. In my entire career, I’ve never seen such an extensive film of pollution on the sea. The film remains quite thick for this type of petroleum product. This means that the slick currently contains at least 10 metric tons of petroleum products. It’s located west of Anapa, with a small chance of some reaching the shore north of Anapa. The slick is moving toward Crimea, but for now it’s passing south of the Kerch Strait." -- Sergei Statichny, remote sensing expert at Russia’s Marine Rescue Service, according to pro-Kremlin agency TASS

• New simulation shows: Supercell thunderstorms are becoming more frequent in Europe and causing severe damage through hail, wind and rain.
• The Alpine region and parts of Central and Eastern Europe are particularly affected, while south-western France is experiencing a decline.
• Although supercells account for only a small proportion of all thunderstorms, they are posing increasing challenges for infrastructure and society.

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/4394432

Archived

A giant oil slick that leaked into the Black Sea near the port city of Novorossiysk in southern Russia’s Krasnodar region on Friday is nearing the shores of the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, according to Greenpeace.

Dmitry Markin, an expert at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe, told Russian investigative news outlet IStories on Wednesday that the spill demonstrated that profiting from oil sales was “more important for the current Russian regime than the safety of nature and its citizens.”

The oil spill, which took place at a marine terminal belonging to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) near Novorossiysk on Friday, was the twelfth known leak off Russia’s Black Sea coast this year, according to independent news outlet Agentstvo.

The leak is also the largest since the wreck of the Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 tankers in December, each reportedly carrying over 4,000 tonnes of oil, Agentstvo added.

[...]

“Another oil spill off the coast clearly shows that in Russia environmental safety is increasingly being sacrificed for the sake of the oil industry,” Markin told IStories, accusing the authorities of “turning a blind eye to violations and helping oil companies cover up incidents” and noting that environmental monitoring efforts had weakened sharply amid the increase in political oppression in the country.

[...]

According to Greenpeace, the pollution forms a continuous film, which poses a great risk to living organisms, as the film instantly blocks contact with oxygen. Birds will be the first to suffer, as they will come into contact with petroleum products when landing on the water and diving (for example, in search of food). In addition to birds, marine mammals and other marine animals will also fall victim to the oil spill.