Ghana’s e-waste upcycling

The riverside town of Manningtree in Essex may be small, but when it comes to the environment, it’s making big waves.  The tiny place on the River Stour has been given special environmental status after its businesses agreed to stop using unnecessary single-use plastics.  Mother-of-two Bekki Bibko was the driving force behind that change. Three years ago she formed a community group with other residents who were growing increasingly concerned about the climate crisis.  “I believe we are stewards of this planet and we have a responsibility to leave something behind that is not damaged,” she says.

Natural gas supporting the development of renewables Natural gas is an important part of the global effort to reduce emissions, particularly as a partner to variable renewable energy – the fastest growing sources of power in power grids across the world. Natural gas generated power is important as it can respond quickly to changes in solar and wind supply, such as on cloudy or still days, therefore helping to maintain reliable electricity supply to customers. This certainty of supply is particularly important to manufacturers and other energy intensive industries. Other technologies that can play a role in firming variable renewables are pumped hydro and batteries.

Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) say they have demonstrated a technology that rapidly detects pollutants in water by measuring their impacts on swimming microorganisms. Their proof-of-concept, published in Scientific Reports, does not require any chemicals, reagents or laboratory equipment. Instead, it leverages the regular camera of a smartphone as well as microorganisms called Paramecia that are ubiquitous in water bodies–making it especially suitable for assessing water drinkability in underdeveloped regions.