The Habibat Project Newsletter: Environment & Climate

Why Ghana Needs Grassroots Regulation to Combat Galamsey

The Habibat Project — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 14:07:00 GMT

Photo: A Galamsey worker manually digging for gold. Credit: Kawtey, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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Illegal and poorly regulated small-scale gold mining, known locally as “Galamsey,” continues to inflict severe environmental damage across Ghana. In the Ashanti, Western, Eastern, and Central regions, opera…

GEF-9: How Nigeria is Preparing for the New Funding Cycle

The Habibat Project — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:15:00 GMT

Photo: Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, delivering a speech at the Eighth Global Environment Facility Assembly in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Credit: Amir Sadiq

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Following the conclusion of the Eighth Global Environment Facility (GEF) Assembly on June 5, Nigeria is seeking to align its GEF-9 project …

Urgent Intervention Required for Women Fishers and Mangrove-Coastal Ecosystems in Mauritius

The Habibat Project — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:45:17 GMT

Photo: The lead researcher, Raphael, collecting notes on mangroves from a southeast coastal inhabitant. Credit: Raphael Merven

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In Mauritius, an Indian Ocean Island off the eastern coast of Africa, stewards and users of the coast are expected to experience environmental and socio-economic insecurity if their …

In Bagamoyo, Women Pioneer Seaweed Farming to Protect Coastal Ecosystems

The Habibat Project — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 17:20:05 GMT

Photo: Zuhura Ahmad (wearing a blue hijab in the middle) leading women in Bagamoyo to plant seaweeds. Credit: Zuhura Ahmad/She Shapes Nature

Oceans account for 71% of the world’s surface but are slapped with a myriad of challenges, including microplastic and mercury pollution, climate change, ocean acidification, loss of coral reefs, and overfishing. The…

Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Threaten Nepal's Himalayan Communities

Mukesh Pokhrel — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 10:02:17 GMT

Photo: Mount Makalu & other mountains in the Himalayan range, and a glacial lake, photographed during a Kongma La Pass trek. Credit: Rajesh Thapaliya, Kathmandu/Wiki Commons

As temperatures continually rise due to climate change, the Himalayan region is facing increasing environmental risks. In Nepal, the Himalayas are warming faster than other areas in …

“No to Food. Yes to Microplastics.” Arctic Wildlife Forced to Welcome Environmental Pollution

The Habibat Project — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 13:40:25 GMT

Photo: Melanie Bergmann records Arctic Ocean plastic pollution between deployments on Polarstern icebreaker. August 31, 2017, Arctic Ocean. Credit: Alfred Wegener Institute / Esther Horvath

While people often think that there isn't enough happening in the Arctic to be affected by the frequent anthropogenic activities that go on in the rest of the world, …

What may we learn from Qatar’s policy focus on sustainability via its National Vision 2030?

The Habibat Project — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 13:12:58 GMT

Professor Damilola Olawuyi, College of Law, Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar. Credit: UNESCO Chair on Environmental Law and Sustainable Development, HBKU.

Qatar is known for its oil and gas exploration and adventures which have made it the richest state in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. It is a small state in terms of size and …

By renting out fiberglass canoes to locals, Madagascar’s trees survive brutal axing

The Habibat Project — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 18:46:44 GMT

Lily-Arison Rene de Roland. Photo credit: John C. Mittermeier/National Geographic

Madagascar is known for its distinct and endemic biodiversity, but the Indian Ocean African island has been facing arduous challenges threatening the smooth functioning of its ecosystem. The US International Development agency, USAID, describes the present threats to Madaga…