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| After the UK recently fired down its last coal plant, incineration of waste became the country's most polluting source of energy generated. But even the most hazardous waste can be disposed of without resorting burning, as our reporter Gabriella Jozwiak found out. One innovative answer comes from a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, which employs a biodigester to harvest the methane gas from placentas and food scraps – and then uses it in the hospital's kitchen. Also in this edition: climate change is putting strain on subsea internet cables. | |
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THE BIG PICTURE | The ancient habitat that resists extinction | | A huge variety of marine life flourishes in the coral triangle. Credit: Getty Images | Dubbed the "Amazon of the seas", the coral triangle in the south-west Pacific Ocean is one of the most diverse places on Earth, home to 75% of all known coral species. Many of these species are extraordinarily resilient, and some have been thriving in this expanse of ocean for up to 30 million years. Scientists are now starting to unlock the secrets of this unusually stable marine habitat in the hope it will help them protect more vulnerable reefs today. Read about their insights in Sophie Hardach's story. | |
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CLIMATE CONVERSATION | Nepal's inventive use for medical waste |
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| | Medical waste is hard to dispose of sustainably and safely. Credit: Alamy |
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| | When civil engineer Mahesh Nakarmi helped found Nepal's National Kidney Center in Kathmandu in 1997, he was shocked to see how much waste hospitals generated and how poorly staff managed it. "I was scared," he says. "I thought, we are not saving people – we are contaminating society."
What he witnessed is common. Hospitals worldwide generate millions of tonnes of waste annually and about 15% of this waste is hazardous material that may be infectious, toxic or radioactive, according to the World Health Organization.
Separating and treating wastes differently can help ensure people and the environment are not put at risk. But just one third of hospitals do this. Many incinerate infectious waste, especially in developing countries, which releases highly toxic compounds, including dioxins, into the environment. |
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| The domed biodigester has replaced the hospital's incinerator. Credit: Ruth Stringer/HCWH | This was the situation at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu – most of its waste was going to the incinerator, sending black smoke billowing from its chimney. Hospital staff experienced coughs, headaches and rashes. The hospital's food waste – almost 200kg (441lb) daily – was being sent to landfill, where it released the harmful greenhouse gas methane.
Witnessing the widespread waste problem in Nepal, Nakarmi decided to come up with a solution. He describes himself as a hospital doctor, although he is not medically trained. Instead, he "diagnoses" hospitals by helping them manage their medical waste in a safe and sustainable way. | Cleaner cooking | At Kathmandu's Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, he created an underground biodigester to dispose of healthcare waste safely. Biological waste, such as placentas, are sent to the biodigester along with food scraps, where they break down in a contained environment. The methane they produce is captured and piped into the hospital kitchen where it is used for cooking.
The hospital's ugly incinerator and its clouds of black smoke are now gone. The biodigester is hidden underground. Above it, hospital staff have planted grass and flowerbeds, where they can relax during a break while drinking a cup of methane-gas boiled tea.
You can read my full report here. | |
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CLIMATE QUIZ | Which country was the first in the world to build a tomb for nuclear waste? | A. France | B. Finland | C. Denmark | Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for the answer. |
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| How are we protecting biodiversity? | These are the biggest threats to biodiversity and how countries are tackling the issue. | Keep reading >
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| Rats and hush money: life next to an incinerator | The UK's biggest waste incinerator has been polluting its local community in Cheshire for years. | Keep reading >
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| Is climate change on the ballot in Georgia? | Will voters in the swing state of Georgia be thinking about climate change when they vote in November? | Keep reading >
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TAKE A MOMENT | Will climate change turn shipwrecks into polluters? | As shipwrecks decay, "you could have the equivalent of a small oil tanker running aground", one marine archaeologist warns. | |
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AND FINALLY... | Ninety-nine percent of the world's digital communications rely on subsea cables. When they break, it can lead to major internet outages. Most faults are caused by accidental human activities like the dropping of anchors or dragging of trawler boat nets – but climate change is also increasing the risk of cable damage. So what happens when there's a snag? There is an army of stand-by repair ships strategically placed around the world to quickly get us back online. Read more about the deep-sea "emergency service" that keeps the internet on. |
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