Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

Bali plastic recycling scheme swamped with garbage

News Feed
Wednesday, November 20, 2024

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) makes high-profile claims about the projects around the world it supports in the pursuit of clearing up plastic waste leaching into the environment.It works with partner organisations in developing countries to support community initiatives to collect and recycle plastic waste.But a visit to one of the earliest projects in Bali reveals it has collected a fraction of the plastic waste it set out to handle.Based in Jembrana, west Bali, the scheme set out to develop a “life-changing” waste system catering for 160,000 people. It was designed and implemented by the alliance in partnership with Project STOP, which aims to support waste management projects in south-east Asia.Jembrana’s scheme includes a household waste collection service, an educational campaign and sorting buckets for residents, and a new recycling facility, where waste is processed and composted.The facility was built next to an existing landfill. When the Alliance handed Project STOP Jembrana over to the local government and community last year, it said that it had “reached financial sustainability”. But it reported collecting less than a quarter of the 2,200 tonnes of plastic it originally intended to prevent from entering the oceans each year.The Peh landfill on Bali, run by the local government. It takes unprocessed waste from the community including the neighbouring recycling facility, built as part of Project STOP Jembrana in collaboration with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Photograph: Made Nagi/GreenpeaceBut when a reporter from Greenpeace’s Unearthed team went to visit it earlier this month, it was swamped with garbage from an adjacent landfill and struggling with broken machinery and poor finances.The local organisation that took over the site with the local government has fallen into debt, and the mountain of waste at the surrounding landfill is bigger than when Project STOP began.The project recently announced plans for waste to be burned in cement kilns – a practice that has raised concerns over the impact of air pollution on local communities, and which campaigners say disincentivises recycling.Unearthed was told by workers that only 35 of the original 53 waste collection vehicles were still operational, and many of those frequently broke down.“There has been no fleet to pick up trash from my house for a long time. So I still use a bucket to collect trash, but I burn the trash behind my house,” resident Ni Luh Sumitri told Unearthed.Crucial waste sorting and recycling equipment is also broken, contributing to the growing waste pile adjoining the site. This waste pile has reportedly caused frequent fires, pollution and foul odours.A landfill worker, who spoke to Unearthed on condition of anonymity, said smoke from fires at the landfill often entered residents’ homes at night.A spokesperson for the AEPW said: “We fund a portfolio of projects of different sizes and nature with the objective of helping to solve the plastic waste challenge as well as develop learnings for future activities.“As with any portfolio, we recognise projects may not work perfectly or achieve the same level of success. If these projects were easy, we wouldn’t be fulfilling our purpose of developing new solutions. Accordingly, we not only measure our progress by volume, but also through the funding of projects and the advancement of what we hope are scalable solutions that may have the potential to scale.”The head of Jembrana’s environmental agency, Dewa Gede Ary Candra Wisnawa, told Unearthed that his party was still trying to improve management, but added: “We in the regions [are facing] budget constraints … there are many things that need to be fixed or adjusted. That is normal in adjusting the system.”“More and more residents are collecting and sorting waste before being transported to [the recycling facility], but the problems at the [facility] are now an obstacle,” I Ketut Suardika, the head of the Jagra Palemahan community organisation, told Unearthed.

Scheme has collected a fraction of the waste it set out to handle and is struggling with broken machinery and poor financesFive firms in plastic pollution alliance ‘made 1,000 times more waste than they saved’The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) makes high-profile claims about the projects around the world it supports in the pursuit of clearing up plastic waste leaching into the environment.It works with partner organisations in developing countries to support community initiatives to collect and recycle plastic waste. Continue reading...

The Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) makes high-profile claims about the projects around the world it supports in the pursuit of clearing up plastic waste leaching into the environment.

It works with partner organisations in developing countries to support community initiatives to collect and recycle plastic waste.

But a visit to one of the earliest projects in Bali reveals it has collected a fraction of the plastic waste it set out to handle.

Based in Jembrana, west Bali, the scheme set out to develop a “life-changing” waste system catering for 160,000 people. It was designed and implemented by the alliance in partnership with Project STOP, which aims to support waste management projects in south-east Asia.

Jembrana’s scheme includes a household waste collection service, an educational campaign and sorting buckets for residents, and a new recycling facility, where waste is processed and composted.

The facility was built next to an existing landfill. When the Alliance handed Project STOP Jembrana over to the local government and community last year, it said that it had “reached financial sustainability”. But it reported collecting less than a quarter of the 2,200 tonnes of plastic it originally intended to prevent from entering the oceans each year.

The Peh landfill on Bali, run by the local government. It takes unprocessed waste from the community including the neighbouring recycling facility, built as part of Project STOP Jembrana in collaboration with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Photograph: Made Nagi/Greenpeace

But when a reporter from Greenpeace’s Unearthed team went to visit it earlier this month, it was swamped with garbage from an adjacent landfill and struggling with broken machinery and poor finances.

The local organisation that took over the site with the local government has fallen into debt, and the mountain of waste at the surrounding landfill is bigger than when Project STOP began.

The project recently announced plans for waste to be burned in cement kilns – a practice that has raised concerns over the impact of air pollution on local communities, and which campaigners say disincentivises recycling.

Unearthed was told by workers that only 35 of the original 53 waste collection vehicles were still operational, and many of those frequently broke down.

“There has been no fleet to pick up trash from my house for a long time. So I still use a bucket to collect trash, but I burn the trash behind my house,” resident Ni Luh Sumitri told Unearthed.

Crucial waste sorting and recycling equipment is also broken, contributing to the growing waste pile adjoining the site. This waste pile has reportedly caused frequent fires, pollution and foul odours.

A landfill worker, who spoke to Unearthed on condition of anonymity, said smoke from fires at the landfill often entered residents’ homes at night.

A spokesperson for the AEPW said: “We fund a portfolio of projects of different sizes and nature with the objective of helping to solve the plastic waste challenge as well as develop learnings for future activities.

“As with any portfolio, we recognise projects may not work perfectly or achieve the same level of success. If these projects were easy, we wouldn’t be fulfilling our purpose of developing new solutions. Accordingly, we not only measure our progress by volume, but also through the funding of projects and the advancement of what we hope are scalable solutions that may have the potential to scale.”

The head of Jembrana’s environmental agency, Dewa Gede Ary Candra Wisnawa, told Unearthed that his party was still trying to improve management, but added: “We in the regions [are facing] budget constraints … there are many things that need to be fixed or adjusted. That is normal in adjusting the system.”

“More and more residents are collecting and sorting waste before being transported to [the recycling facility], but the problems at the [facility] are now an obstacle,” I Ketut Suardika, the head of the Jagra Palemahan community organisation, told Unearthed.

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

Biden proposes to restrict pollution from new gas plants

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure. The agency said that the...

The Biden administration has proposed a rule that it says will reduce pollution stemming from new gas-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The proposal would require these plants to cut their emissions of pollutants known as nitrogen oxides, which can lead to smog formation and contribute to asthma in people with long-term exposure.  The agency said that the regulation would reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as many as  198 tons in 2027 and 2,659 tons in 2032.  However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule is not expected to become final before inauguration day, meaning it would be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to move ahead with it.  The incoming Trump administration has indicated that it hopes to reduce regulations on both the economy as a whole and the power sector in particular. Nevertheless, environmental advocates, who praised the Biden action, said they would push the incoming Trump administration to keep it.  “The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule is an important and long-overdue step towards limiting dangerous smog and soot-forming pollution,” said Matthew Davis, vice president of federal policy at the League of Conservation Voters, in a written statement.  “We will continue to press the EPA to improve on these important clean air safeguards and will hold the future Trump administration accountable to the court-ordered deadline to finalize a protective rule in November 2025,” he added.  A 2023 legal agreement between the EPA and environmental groups who sued the agency says the EPA has to either tighten the standards or issue a formal decision not to do so no later than November 12, 2025. 

Pollution
Conservation

Why is it still so hard to breathe in India and Pakistan?

India and Pakistan are losing ground to a common deadly enemy. Vast clouds of dense, toxic smog have once again shrouded metropolises in South Asia. Air pollution regularly spikes in November in the subcontinent, but this year’s dirty air has still been breathtaking in its scale and severity. The gray, smoky pollution is even visible […]

Commuters step out in a foggy winter morning amid rising air pollution, on November 19, 2024 on the outskirts of Delhi in India. India and Pakistan are losing ground to a common deadly enemy. Vast clouds of dense, toxic smog have once again shrouded metropolises in South Asia. Air pollution regularly spikes in November in the subcontinent, but this year’s dirty air has still been breathtaking in its scale and severity. The gray, smoky pollution is even visible to satellites, and it’s fueling a public health crisis. Last week, officials in the Punjab province in Pakistan imposed lockdowns on the cities of Multan, population 2.1 million, and Lahore, population 13.7 million, after reaching record-high pollution levels. “Smog is currently a national disaster,” senior Punjab provincial minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said during a press conference last week. Schools shut down, restaurants closed, construction halted, highways sat empty, and medical staff were recalled to hospitals and clinics.  Across the border in India, the 33 million residents of Delhi this week are breathing air pollution that’s 50 times higher than the safe limit outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The choking haze caused 15 aircraft to divert to nearby airports and caused hundreds of delays. Students and workers were told to stay home. Despite all the disruption, air pollution continues to spike year after year after year.  Why? The dirty air arises from a confluence of human and natural factors. Construction, cooking fires, brick kilns, vehicles, and burning leftovers from crop harvests are all feeding into the toxic clouds. The Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountains to the north of lower-lying areas like Lahore and Delhi hold the smog in place. In the winter, the region experiences thermal inversions, where a layer of warm air pushes down on cool winter air, holding the pollution closer to the ground. As populations grow in South Asia, so will the need for food, energy, housing, and transportation. Without a course correction, that will mean even more pollution. Yet history shows that air pollution is a solvable problem. Cities like Los Angeles and Beijing that were once notorious for dirty air have managed to clean it up. The process took years, drawing on economic development and new technologies. But it also required good governance and incentives to cut pollution, something local officials in India and Pakistan have already demonstrated can clear the air. The task now is to scale it up to higher levels of government.   We’re still not getting the full picture of the dangers of air pollution There’s no shortage of science showing how terrible air pollution is for you. It aggravates asthma, worsens heart disease, triggers inflammation, and increases infection risk. It hampers brain development in children and can contribute to dementia in adults. On average, air pollution has reduced life expectancies around the world by 2.3 years, more than tobacco. It contributes to almost 7 million deaths per year, according to WHO, about one in nine deaths annually. It sucks trillions of dollars out of the global economy.  The toll is especially acute in South Asia. Air pollution drains 3.9 years of life in Pakistan. In India, it steals 5.3 years. For workers who spend their days outdoors — delivery drivers, construction crews, farm laborers — the damage is even higher. Many residents report constant fevers, coughs, and headaches.  Despite the well-known dangers and the mounting threat, it remains a persistent problem.  Part of the challenge of improving air quality is that air pollution isn’t just one thing; it’s a combination of hazardous chemicals and particles that arise in teeming metropolises in developing countries.  One of the most popular metrics around the world for tracking pollution is the Air Quality Index, developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The index is not a measurement of any one pollutant, but rather the risk from a combination of pollutants based on US air quality standards. The main villains are ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particles. The particles are subcategorized into those smaller than 10 microns (PM10) and smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5). (Earlier this year, the EPA modified the way it calculates the AQI, so numbers from this year are not an apples-to-apples comparison to levels from previous years.) The tiny particles are pernicious because they penetrate deep into the lungs and trigger breathing problems. An AQI below 50 is considered safe to breathe. Above 200, the air is considered a health threat for everyone. At 300, it’s an emergency. In Delhi, the AQI this week reached 1,185. Lahore reached 1,900 this month. If a person breathes this air for over 24 hours, the exposure is roughly equivalent to smoking 90 cigarettes in a day.  However, air pollution poses a threat long before it’s visible. “Your eye is not a good detector of air pollution in general,” said Christi Chester Schroeder, the air quality science manager at IQAir, a company that builds air quality monitoring instruments and collects pollution data. “The pollutant that you have to be really careful about in terms of not being able to see it but experiencing it is ozone. Ozone levels can be extremely high on sunny days.” IQAir has a network of air quality sensors across South Asia, including regions like Lahore and Delhi. The company tracks pollution in real time using its own sensors as well as monitors bought by schools, businesses, and ordinary people. Their professional-grade air monitors can cost more than $20,000 but they also sell consumer air quality trackers that cost $300. Both sources help paint a picture of pollution.  Many schools and businesses across South Asia have installed their own pollution monitors. The US maintains its own air quality instruments at its consulates and embassies in India and Pakistan as well.  Happy Air Quality Week! Did you know that U.S. Consulate Lahore has an air quality monitor? Follow us on Twitter @Lahore_Air for hourly AQI readings! pic.twitter.com/nRAKAPbOph— U.S. Consulate General Lahore (@USCGLahore) May 4, 2023 Schroeder noted however that IQAir’s instruments are geared toward monitoring particles like PM2.5 and don’t easily allow a user to make inferences about concentrations of other pollutants like sulfur oxides and where they’re coming from. “When you’re looking at places that have a really big mixture of sources — like you have a mixture of transportation and fires and climate inversion conditions — then it gets to be much murkier and you can’t really sort of pull it apart that way,” Schroeder said. Politics lies at the core of the air pollution problem Air quality monitors in India and Pakistan show that air pollution can vary over short distances — between neighborhoods or even street by street — and that it can change rapidly through the day. Nearby bus terminals, power plants, or cooking fires contribute a lot to local pollution, but without tracking systems in the vicinity, it can be hard to realize how bad the situation has become. “I think the most surprising, interesting, and scary thing, honestly, is seeing the levels of pollution in areas that haven’t been monitored before,” Schroeder said.  Another complication is that people also experience pollution far away from where it’s produced. “This automatically creates a big governance challenge because the administrator who is responsible for providing you clean air in your jurisdiction is not actually the administrator who is governing over the polluting action,” said Saad Gulzar, an assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University.  Take crop stubble burning, which accounts for up to 60 percent of the air pollution in the region this time of year. In late fall, farmers in northern India and Pakistan harvest rice and plant wheat. With little time between the reaping and sowing, the fastest and cheapest way for many farmers to clear their fields of leftover stems, leaves, and roots is to burn it. The resulting smoke then wafts from rural areas into urban centers. The challenge is that farmers and urbanites are different political constituencies, and it’s hard to demand concessions from the former to benefit the latter. It has led to bitter political fights in both countries and between them. Farmers also point out that the reason they have so little time between crops is because of water conservation laws: To cope with groundwater depletion, officials in India imposed regulations to limit rice planting until after monsoon rains arrive in the early summer to top up reservoirs. Delaying planting means delaying harvest, hence the rush to clear their fields.  Both India and Pakistan have even gone as far as to arrest farmers who burn crop stubble, but there are millions of farmers spread out over a vast area, stretching enforcement thin. However, local efforts to control smoke from crop burning have proven effective when local officials are motivated to act.   Gulzar co-authored a study published in October in the journal Nature, looking at air pollution and its impacts across India and Pakistan. Examining satellite data and health records over the past decade, the paper found that who is in charge of a jurisdiction plays a key role in air pollution — and could also be the key to solving it.  When a district is likely to experience pollution from a fire within its own boundaries, bureaucrats and local officials take more aggressive action to mitigate it, whether that’s paying farmers not to burn stubble, providing them with tools to clear fields without fires, or threatening them with fines and arrest. That led fires within a district to drop by 14.5 percent and future burning to decline by 13 percent. These air pollution reductions led to measurable drops in childhood mortality. On the other hand, if the wind is poised to push pollution from crop burning over an adjacent district, fires increase by 15 percent.  The results show that simply motivating officials to act at local, regional, and national levels is a key step in reducing air pollution and that progress can begin right away.  But further air quality improvements will require a transition toward cleaner energy. Besides crop burning, the other major source of air pollution across India and Pakistan is fossil fuel combustion, whether that’s coal in furnaces, gas in factories, or diesel in trucks. These fuels also contribute to climate change, which is already contributing to devastating heat waves and flooding from torrential monsoons in the region. Both countries have made major investments in renewable energy, but they are also poised to burn more coal to feed their growing economies.  At the COP29 climate change conference this week in Baku, Azerbaijan, India is asking wealthier nations to contribute more money to finance clean energy within its borders and to share technologies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance air quality.  Solving the air pollution crisis in India and Pakistan will take years, and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. But there are lifesaving measures both countries can take now.

Pollution
Business
Climate

Japanese Manicurist Takes on Plastic Pollution, One Nail at a Time

By Tom BatemanCHIGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) - Before global leaders take the problem of plastic pollution into their hands this month, Japanese...

CHIGASAKI, Japan (Reuters) - Before global leaders take the problem of plastic pollution into their hands this month, Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto is putting it into her fingernails.At the beach near her home south of Tokyo, Arimoto carefully sifts sand for tiny bits of plastic that she can mould into decorative tips to put on the false nails at her salon. She came up with the idea after taking part in community cleanups along the coast."I became aware of environmental issues the moment I saw with my own eyes just how much plastic waste was in the ocean," 42-year-old Arimoto said. "I thought it was horrifying."An estimated 20 million tonnes of plastic waste is dumped into the environment each year, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A United Nations summit in Busan, South Korea, starting on Nov. 25 aims to craft a landmark treaty that would set global caps on plastic production.The United States, one of the world's biggest plastic makers, signalled in August it would support a global treaty, a shift that environmental watchdog Greenpeace called a "watershed moment" in the fight against plastic pollution.Arimoto opened a nail salon in her home in 2018 after a spinal condition forced her to give up her career as a social worker, and she's been using Umigomi, or "sea trash," to make nail art since 2021. To gather the raw materials, she uses a custom wheelchair to scour the nearby beach every month to gather microplastics that other cleaners might miss.To turn sea trash into treasure, Arimoto starts by rinsing the plastic in fresh water and then sorting it by colour. She cuts the plastic into smaller pieces and places them into a metal ring before melting the plastic to form a colourful disc that can be attached to the artificial nails. Prices for a set start at 12,760 yen ($82.52)."I know there are other things made of recycled materials, like toilet paper and other daily necessities, but I had no idea you could have nails too, that was a surprise," said salon customer Kyoko Kurokawa, 57.Arimoto acknowledges that her nail art is a drop in an ocean of plastic pollution, but says raising consciousness of the problem is a step to towards working together for a solution."I hope that by putting these in front of people's eyes, on their fingertips, they'll enjoy fashion while also becoming more aware of environmental issues," she said.(Reporting by Tom Bateman and Rocky Swift, Editing by Kate Mayberry)Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters.

Pollution
Conservation
Waste

Flatulence tax: Denmark agrees deal for livestock emissions levy

It is part of a wider plan to reduce emissions and pollution and restore natural habitat.

Denmark has agreed on how to implement the world’s first tax on agricultural emissions, including flatulence by livestock.This comes after months of negotiations between the country’s major parties, farmers, the industry, trade unions and environmental groups. The Green Tripartite agreement was first announced in June.From 2030, farmers will have to pay a levy of 300 kroner ($43; £34) per tonne of methane (as per carbon dioxide equivalent) on emissions from livestock including cows and pigs, which will rise to 750 kroner in 2035.The Green Tripartite minister said they will “do what it takes to reach our climate goals” after receiving a “broad majority” in parliament.“[It is a] huge, huge task that is now underway: to transform large parts of our land from agricultural production to forestry, to natural spaces, to ensure that we can bring life back to our fjords,” Jeppe Bruus said.Part of the Green Tripartite agreement between the government, the agriculture industry and environmental organisations is to also reduce nitrogen pollution in an effort to restore the coasts and fjords. Nitrogen emissions could be reduced by 13,780 tonnes annually from 2027, AFP news agency reported.A concerted effort will also be made to improve the country's biodiversity.According to Danish daily The Copenhagen Post, 250,000 hectares of new forest will be planted, and 140,000 hectares of peatlands that are currently being cultivated will be restored to natural habitat.Peatlands are wetlands characterised by waterlogged conditions and are known carbon stores.Around 60% of Denmark's territory is currently cultivated, making it together with Bangladesh the country with the highest share of cultivated land, according to a Danish parliamentary report."Danish nature will change in a way we have not seen since the wetlands were drained in 1864," Mr Bruus said, as quoted by AFP news agency.Speaking about the agreement, the Danish minister for climate, energy and utilities, Lars Aagaard, said it showed the country’s “willingness to act”.“It also shows the Danish model - broad political majority in the Danish parliament [and] involvement of the sectors that will be affected by the tax and involvement of environmental stakeholders," he added, explaining these are "things that we could all benefit from if the rest of the world could foster such cooperation in the climate fight.”

Pollution
Agriculture
CO2

India's Capital Chokes As Air Pollution Levels Hit 50 Times The Safe Limit

Authorities in India’s capital have shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city.

NEW DELHI (AP) — Authorities in India’s capital shut schools, halted construction and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city on Monday after air pollution shot up to its worst level this season.Residents of New Delhi woke up to thick, toxic smog enveloping the city of some 33 million as the air quality became increasingly hazardous. It rose further into the severe category, according to SAFAR, the country’s main environmental agency, which measures tiny particulate matter in the air that can enter deep into the lungs.The deadly haze covered monuments and high-rise buildings in the capital, with visibility so low that airlines warned of delays.In several areas of the city, pollution levels were more than 50 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended safe limit. Forecasts say the poor air quality will continue into the week.Air pollution in northern India rises every year, particularly in winter, as farmers burn crop residue in agricultural areas. The burning coincides with colder temperatures, which trap the smoke in the air. The smoke is then blown into cities, where auto emissions add to the pollution.Commuters drive through a thick layer of smog as air pollution shoots up in New Delhi, India, on Nov. 18, 2024.Emissions from industries and the burning of coal to produce electricity are also linked to the pollution, which has been steadily ticking up in recent weeks.Starting Monday, authorities began enforcing stage 4 of a graded response action plan, or GRAP 4, based on the severity of the air pollution. Earlier stages of the plan were already in place, and stage 4 includes stricter curbs.Classes for all grades except 10 and 12 will be held online and no trucks will be allowed to enter the city except for those carrying essential items. Some older, diesel guzzling vehicles have been banned inside the city, and all construction activities have been halted. Authorities also urged children, the elderly and others with chronic diseases or respiratory issues to avoid going outside as much as possible.We Need Your SupportOther news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone.Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you.Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all.You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again. We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you.Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all.Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.Over the weekend, farmers in neighboring Uttar Pradesh state burned their fields, releasing plumes of gray smoke that winds likely carried into New Delhi and other nearby areas. Despite the poisonous air, many in the capital continued their usual routines, including morning walks in the city’s beloved Lodhi Garden.“Everyone has a sore throat,” said Sanjay Goel, a 51-year-old shopkeeper in New Delhi. “They should ban crop residue burning ... it’s just smoke everywhere.”The worsening air quality in the capital also sparked outrage from residents on social media. Many complained of headaches and hacking coughs, describing the city as “apocalyptic” and a “gas chamber.” Others urged officials to solve the public health crisis once and for all. Several studies have estimated more than a million Indians die each year from pollution-related diseases.Authorities have invoked similar measures in the past and have at times deployed water sprinklers and anti-smog guns in an attempt to control the haze. But critics say there needs to be a long-term solution that drastically reduces pollution itself, instead of actions that aim to mitigate the effects after it has already plagued the region.

Pollution
Crisis
Water

Suggested Viewing

A River Reborn

As the Little Conemaugh River winds through the Allegheny Mountains of Pennsylvania, it forms the backbone of a region with a legacy of industrial might. And like a scribe, the river carries the weight of that history - mile after mile devoid of life, poisoned by toxic pollution from countless abandoned coal mines. Generations of residents and neighbors have turned their back on the river, believing the damage to be irreversible and scolding their children for playing in its orange waters. But a decade-long effort from a coalition of local groups has begun to reveal a different future for the Little Conemaugh and for other rivers in Pennsylvania and beyond that were written off as a casualty of the coal industry. A River Reborn tells the story of the rebirth of the Little Conemaugh, and what it says about our ability to fix what might have been lost forever.

Water
Pollution
Documentary

Ser Manguezal

Ser Manguezal, created by Eliseu Cavalcante, was inspired by Josué de Castro's book "Of Men and Crabs" from 1967. De Castro was a Brazilian geographer, physician, writer and activist against world hunger. In his book, Castro envisions men as crabs, learning to walk in the mangroves. This relationship between them seems to unify and blend all together making the human being part of that specific biome. This film is part of an ongoing project that examines those who depend on the mangrove ecosystem to survive, and the delicate relationship between humans and this particular ecosystem. It seeks to recognize the hard-working crab hunters of the mangroves and make their work more visible, and to bring awareness about the importance of mangroves to the environment. Worldwide, 3,400 square kilometers (1,300 square miles) of mangrove forests were lost between 2000 and 2016, or about 2% of the global mangrove area (NASA). About 62% of the losses were due to direct human causes such as agriculture and aquaculture. Mangrove degradation is greater than the average for tropical and subtropical forest loss.

Water
Conservation
Plants

LOUD

Catriona Armour's body art and a special appearance by Dana Lyons of "Cows with Guns" propel the musical narrative about noise pollution in, around, and above the Salish Sea of Washington State and British Columbia.

Music
Culture
Pollution

Reboot

Humans have exploited Earth to the point where it is no longer possible to live on it. Their only option is to relocate to Mars. When the last group of people has boarded the spaceship for the red planet, the Earth can finally breathe easy. Like an expressionist painting, Reboot depicts a world in which the absence of our species is the only chance nature has to recover its lushness and flourish once more.

Animation
Crisis
Cosmos

The Story of Plastic

A searing expose uncovering the ugly truth behind the global plastic pollution crisis. Striking footage shot over three continents illustrates the ongoing catastrophe: fields full of garbage, veritable mountains of trash; rivers and seas clogged with waste; and skies choked with poisons from plastic production and recycling processes with no end in sight. Original animations, interviews with experts and activists, and never-before-filmed scenes reveal the disastrous consequences of the plastic flood around the world – and the global movement rising up in response.

Chemicals
Pollution
Crisis

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.