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Chinese Companies Operating in Zimbabwe Causing “Catastrophic” Environmental Damage

NEW YORK - According to leading environmentalist and human rights activist Farai Maguwu, Chinese companies that have set up shop in Zimbabwe – with some not even having the proper licenses to operate – have been engaging in practices that are wreaking “catastrophic” environmental damage upon the African country.

Chinese companies, especially in the gold, diamond, and chrome mining industries, have been accused of engaging in numerous activities that are extremely detrimental to Zimbabwean eco-systems, including the dumping of toxic waste into local water systems. This has had the result of causing disease in humans, lowered crop yields, killing livestock, and smaller numbers of fish in rivers. Some of the waste is so concentrated that locals are noting that it is actually causing congestion and blockages in waterways, interfering with crop irrigation and the ability for local villages to obtain water.

The University of Zimbabwe is credited with conducting research into the affected water and proving that large-scale contamination has taken place due to the introduction of outside toxic waste. However, it is alleged that the Chinese companies that are purported to be carrying out this horrible pollution are being protected by the Zimbabwean government, as China is a major investor in the country and officials are not willing to overlook the income that they bring into their borders.

In addition, few countries currently support Zimbabwe, due in part to widespread reports of systematic and escalating violations of human rights in the country under the Mugabe administration and the dominant party, the ZANU-PF. Clearly, if someone is willing to overlook these issues and invest in Zimbabwe, the government is quite willing to look the other way if some alleged transgressions are taking place... even if those transgressions threaten the every environment that they people need to survive.

Recently, China has issued funding to Zimbabwe in the form of loans and grants that have allowed the country to engage in several much-needed infrastructural projects, such as expanding the Robert Mugabe International Airport and upgrading several power plants. Yet more funding is expected from China in the future, according to reports.

Pollution from Chinese companies allegedly dumping their toxic waste left and right isn’t the only problem facing Zimbabwe’s environment, unfortunately. Large parts of the country were once covered by forests with abundant wildlife, but deforestation and poaching has taken a huge toll in recent years. Woodland degradation and deforestation, due to population growth, urban expansion and lack of fuel, are major concerns and have led to erosion and land degradation which diminish the amount of fertile soil. Local farmers have also been criticized by environmentalists for burning off vegetation to heat their tobacco barns.

Zimbabwe's commercial farming sector was traditionally a source of exports and foreign exchange, and provided 400,000 jobs. However, the government's land reform program badly damaged the sector, turning Zimbabwe into a net importer of food products. The issue with Chinese pollution in the waterways is also starting to have a significant impact upon crop production in the remaining segment of the population that currently engages in farming.

For the past ten years, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics has been assisting Zimbabwe's farmers to adopt conservation agriculture techniques, a sustainable method of farming that can help increase yields. By applying the three principles of minimum soil disturbance, legume-based cropping and the use of organic mulch, farmers can improve infiltration, reduce evaporation and soil erosion, and build up organic soil content.

However, the degree to which these new farming techniques are being undermined by Chinese pollution is currently unknown, and if the Zimbabwean government continues to disregard the damage that these companies are doing to their environment, it’s likely that the problems facing the poor people who scratch their livings from the increasingly poisoned soil and water are only going to get worse.

Environmental Highlights of 2018 Are Paving Way to Bright and Sustainable 2019

NEW YORK, NY - While the fight to sustain and protect the environment on this fragile little sphere that we all occupy is a constant uphill battle, 2018 was nonetheless a year that saw significant progress in advancing the “green” agenda, laying down the groundwork for an even more successful and productive 2019.

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a report in October of 2018 that the planet has only 12 years left in which mankind can institute changes – particularly a cut of at least 50 percent in carbon emissions by the planet as a whole – that will help to circumvent the most harmful and hard-hitting effects of global climate change. 

This report was given credence by a report put out approximately a month later by the United States government, backing up the IPCC’s claims, noting that climate change has already had a serious impact upon America in the form of an increase in wildfires and hurricanes and that the occurrence and severity of these events will only increase if something is not done. The widespread coverage these reports received in the media last year helped to communicate the vital importance of combating global warming by all countries, great and small.

However, despite this grim news, 2018 also saw a great many stories regarding how the global community is taking steps to safeguard the environment in a number of effective and progressive ways, and that these efforts will carry over into the new year and beyond.

For example, clean, renewable energy sources were turned to at a much higher level than ever before in years past; companies worldwide purchased more clean energy solutions in a mere six months than in all of 2017 as a whole, which represents a significant investment by the overall business community in pledging themselves to using green power sources – including solar and wind – for their needs.

Electric vehicle sales from 2017 to 2018 also increased by a factor of 50 percent, and are predicted to continue their upward climb for the foreseeable future as the technology is further developed and refined, experts say. Their success is such that major automotive manufacturers such as Volvo, Nissan, Audi, Jaguar, and Mercedes are getting in on the act, with plans to develop and sell various models of electric cars in 2019. Also, many countries are adopting the use of electric buses for mass transportation needs, with China leading the way by replacing tens of thousands of internal combustion-based buses with their electric equivalent every month or two. 

Major corporations has increased their transparency and public engagement in terms of their progress in adopting green attitudes as well; many well-known companies have installed displays in publicly-accessible areas of their buildings to engage visitors and convey the steps they have taken to reduce their carbon footprint, reduce their impact upon the environment, and incorporate sustainable practices in their business model.

In addition, 2018 saw a vast increase in the number of large companies that are rolling up their sleeves and pitching in with the cleanup of the Earth by way of monetary donations in the face of disaster relief across the planet. At the turn of the millennium, fewer than 35 percent of big businesses pitched in at all; fast-forward to 2018, and that number has risen to almost 90 percent, which is a definite sign of the overall trend in the corporate world to embracing sustainability and doing their part in protecting the planet that we all live on. 

In contrast, coal mines are being closed across the world; 2018 saw Germany close its last remaining coal mine, and France is slated to do away with a majority of its coal mines by 2021. In addition, India has called off their plans to construct a number of new coal mines in their country as well and are investing in newer, green energy technologies to take up the slack for their power needs.

As you can see, 2018, while presenting some speed bumps in the global fight to preserve the environment, nonetheless was a red-letter year when it comes to not only shedding well-publicized light on the plight of climate change and how it’s affecting us in the here and now, but also when it comes to the nations of the world embracing green tech and power and curbing their reliance on fossil fuels. Indeed, the groundwork has been laid to ensure that 2019 will be even better.

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