Onesmus Mwabonje

BACKGROUND Open burning of plastic waste has been established a major contributor of non-communicable disease (NCD) burden and environmental degradation. In Malang and Banyuwangi, Indonesia, the issue has led the PM2.5 levels exceed safety guidelines and in one tofu factory in Malang where plastic waste burned as fuel, dioxin levels in eggs were recorded as the second-highest in Asia. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Community and household Assistance for reducing plastic waste burning with Enhanced waste management (CARE) intervention in Malang, Indonesia. METHODS A controlled quasi-experimental study with mixed-methods approach will be conducted in six intervention villages in Malang and six control villages in Banyuwangi to evaluate the effectiveness of the CARE intervention. A minimum of 1374 households will be recuited and involved in the three components of the intervention: regulatory, infrastructural and behavioural measures. Difference-in-differenc (DiD) methods will be used to analyse the quantitave outcomes, while cost-consequence analysis (CCA will be used to evaluate economic aspects and thematic analysis will be used to assess qualitative outcomes. RESULTS A pilot assessment of air quality has been conducted in two intervention villages and the result indicated the sensor’s sensitivity in capturing relevant exposure variations in the village area. A total of 60 kader lingkungan have been recruited and will proceed to the training phase. CONCLUSIONS The CARE study is expected to generate critical evidence on the effectiveness, feasibility and sustainability of community-led initiative to reduce open plastic waste burning and related NCD risks in Indonesia and broader LMIC contexts. CLINICALTRIAL ISRCTN14580292 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN14580292)

Public Food Procurement Programs (PFPPs) are increasingly recognised for their potential to improve food security and dietary diversity, particularly among children vulnerable to malnutrition. In India, school feeding interventions, including the Poshan Shakti Nirman Programme, serve as important policy mechanisms to enhance both educational participation and child nutrition. This study applies life cycle assessment (LCA) within a farm-to-fork system boundary to evaluate the environmental impacts of student feeding programme supply chains in Sarguja, Chhattisgarh. The analysis focuses on meals delivered through Anganwadi Centres and Primary Schools and compares environmental performance before and after the introduction of locally produced vegetables from home-grown nutri-gardens designed to improve dietary diversity. Primary data were collected through 166 stakeholder interviews and supplemented, where necessary, with secondary data from regional and national databases and peer-reviewed literature. The results identify key environmental hotspots within the government-managed rice and legume supply chain. Lorry transport, particularly for rice distribution, was the principal contributor to Global Warming Potential and Fossil Fuel Potential, accounting for approximately 40% of total impacts. Rice cultivation also contributed substantially to Marine Eutrophication Potential, Freshwater Eutrophication Potential, and Water Consumption Potential, representing 40–50% of meal-related burdens. The inclusion of vegetables sourced either from markets or local nutri-gardens increased overall environmental impacts only marginally, by around 10%, reflecting relatively low-impact cultivation practices. These findings provide an empirical basis for targeted mitigation strategies and policy interventions aimed at improving the environmental sustainability of school feeding programmes while maintaining progress towards enhanced child nutrition and dietary diversity.

Purpose: Malang is an Indonesian District struggling with waste management: low collection rates, fly-tipping, and burning. This study conducts a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) on the end-of-life pathways of plastic waste (PW) in Malang. All the stages of the PW management system are covered, from PW generation and transportation to unregulated and regulated PW management strategies. Ultimately, the findings aim to support policymakers in understanding the environmental impact of PW management and how to mitigate it. Methods: Stakeholder interviews provided primary data, which informed the Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) across all stages of the PW management system in villages of Malang District. The data was then adapted into the functional unit (FU) of 1 kg of PW generated and statistically analysed to understand PW end-of-life trends. The LCA was conducted using the open-source software Activity Browser. In this case, the ReCiPe v1.03 midpoint impact categories considered were global warming, primary energy depletion, and particulate matter formation. The results of the analysed villages were compared with the national average. The PW from four villages (Bakalan, Krebet Senggrong, Krebet, and Tlogorejo) were modelled under three end-of-life scenarios i.e., landfilling, recycling, and incineration with energy recovery to inform intervention selection. Results and discussion: In the baseline scenarios of the villages, the highest impact in Global Warming Potential, Fossil Fuel Potential, and Particulate Matter Formation Potential (GWP100, FFP, and PMFP, respectively) was linked to higher rates of open burning (e.g., Krebet Senggrong where 35% of waste is open burned). Villages with the highest recycling rates however present lower GWP100 and FFP, such as the case of Bedali and Mangunrejo, where 16.6% and 14.3% of plastic is recycled, respectively. Low PMFP is tied to options such as landfilling, which occurred in Rekasan. The alternative intervention strategy with the lowest environmental impact is recycling (when considering avoided plastic production, GWP100 and FFP are negative). However, it is the alternative with the highest PMFP, even surpassing the baseline scenario. Conclusion: Open burning remains one of the most prevalent PW management strategies in Malang, which is not only detrimental to the environment but also proven to negatively impact human health, particularly respiratory health. It is essential not only to increase waste collection and treatment rates, but also to ensure that waste‑management practices meet environmental standards and minimise adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

Ghana’s electricity sector faces persistent challenges of transmission losses, regional inequities, and limited renewable integration despite achieving a high national electricity access rate of 89%. While national-level energy models have provided valuable insights for Ghana, spatial bottle-necks and urban-rural disparities need to be further examined. This study develops a multi-regional optimisation energy system model that segments Ghana into four clusters (Coastal, Central, Northern, and Northern Remote) based on access rates, grid infrastructure, and current and potential power generation. The model integrates inter-regional transmission and distribution losses, government target for renewable energy integration, and urban-rural demand differences to simulate four scenarios from 2015 to 2070: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Transmission and Distribution Loss Target (TDL), Government Target (GT), and a combined pathway of GT and TDL (GT+T). Results show that long term power system planning dominated by conventional generation leads to high total system costs (USD 95 billion by 2070), largely driven by fossil fuel operating expenditures. In contrast, the combined implementation of grid efficiency improvements and renewable energy integration could reduce total system costs by up to 39%. Transmission system analysis shows that pathways without efficiency interventions place significant stress on central transmission corridors. Inter-regional electricity trade analysis in rural clusters further reveals that increased renewable deployment according to government target enables diverse supply sources, reduces reliance on long-distance transmission, and improves spatial equity in electricity access. This study demonstrates that integrating grid efficiency measures with renewable deployment represents the least-cost and most resilient pathway for Ghana’s long term power system development.

The transportation sector significantly contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions, with heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) and buses accounting for approximately a quarter of transportation emissions. This paper explores the life cycle assessment of these vehicle types, assessing their environmental impacts in Qatar during production, operation, and end-of-life stages leveraging a cradle-to-grave system boundary from the year 2022 until 2050. Additionally, the study investigates their potential roles in decarbonizing the transport sector through emerging technologies and policy interventions. The key findings highlight the importance of electrification, alternative fuels, and efficiency improvements in reducing emissions, emphasizing the critical role of HDVs and buses in achieving sustainable transport systems. The results indicate that transitioning from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) to battery electric vehicles (BEV) can lead to reductions in global warming potential (BEV HDVs and Buses reflecting 33.5% and 32.8% reduction) and particulate matter emissions (from 3.09E-04 kg PM _2.5 -eq/km in 2022 to 2.15E-04 kg PM _2.5 -eq/km in 2050 for HDVs). The decline in PM _2.5 emissions will improve urban air quality and reducing public health risks. However, the shift to BEVs increases mineral resource depletion due to battery production, necessitating improved recycling strategies and sustainable raw material sourcing. This study provides critical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders, highlighting the need for integrated approaches, including renewable energy investments, battery recycling initiatives, and electrification incentives. The transition to sustainable transportation is essential for achieving Qatar’s National Vision 2030, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and mitigating environmental impacts.

The cement industry contributes significantly to local economies by creating jobs and supporting industries such as healthcare, education and transportation. While cement contributes to development and economic growth, it also poses serious risks to the natural environment and human health. A systematic literature review based on a bibliometric analysis was conducted. The search focused on studies related to the cement and construction industries, circular economy, sustainability approaches, and impacts of cement and concrete. A refined key word search was used to select articles from the Scopus database. This resulted in a final selection of 197 documents that fit the inclusion criteria. While most of the circular economy research studies reviewed offered technical solutions such as optimizing efficient production processes or recycling materials, there were fewer studies that examined the socio-economic and governance dimensions of circular economy practices, hence the knowledge gap. To supplement this, case studies from cement companies globally were reviewed to provide practical solutions that can facilitate the transition to circular economy practices while ensuring social justice considerations for local communities. Reviewed studies found a positive association between presence of cement plants and economic growth of local communities but negative associations between exposure to cement plants, the natural environment and human health. This review highlights the significant need to integrate socio-economic and environmental dimensions into sustainability efforts and inform policymakers about these impacts to develop long-term sustainable practices. Achieving this balance is critical to maximizing benefits and minimizing harm in local communities affected by cement production.

Continuous incorporation of rice straw has caused significant CH₄ emissions from the paddy field production system in East China. Anaerobic digestion (AD) of the rice straw has been considered as a promising approach that could not only mitigate the land-based CH₄ emissions, but also generate low-carbon electricity and high-quality organic fertilizer. However, this approach, in many circumstances, is unable to be cost-competitive with other straw treatment processes or power sources. To understand the potential incentives that recently launched carbon trading schemes, the China Carbon Emission Trade Exchange (CCETE) and Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER), could bring to the rice straw utilization value chain, we conducted a cradle-to-factory gate life cycle assessment and economic analysis of a small-scale AD system with rice straw as the main feedstock in East China. The results indicate that, depending on the choice of allocation method, the climate change impact of the bioenergy generated through the studied small-scale AD system is 0.21 to 0.28 kg CO₂eq./kWh, and the digester fertilizer produced is 6.88 to 22.09 kg CO₂eq./kg N. The economic analysis validates the financial sustainability of such small-scale AD projects with rice straw feedstock under carbon trading mechanisms. The climate mitigation potential could be achieved at the marginal reduction cost of 13.98 to −53.02 USD/t CO₂eq. in different carbon price scenarios.

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is produced through energy-intensive processes and contributes to approximately 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions. As one of the most consumed materials after water, cement's environmental impact is substantial. Decarbonizing emissions in the intensive processes of cement production requires a sustainable supply of low-carbon resources. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of agricultural waste ashes as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to reduce the carbon footprint of OPC. In Africa, where agricultural waste is abundant, these residues could offer a sustainable solution for cement manufacturing. This study employed a multi-criteria decision analysis methodology to identify and select relevant literature for analysis. The review reveals that incorporating agricultural-based SCMs, such as rice husk ash, coffee husk ash, sugarcane bagasse ash, and palm oil fuel ash, into cement production can significantly reduce clinker requirements, thereby lowering carbon dioxide emissions while maintaining performance standards of OPC. The review found that locally sourced waste materials can reduce the carbon footprint of cement by up to 40%. Transitioning from a clinker-dependent sector to a bio-based one presents several opportunities as well as challenges for the African cement industry, but it is critical for reducing carbon emissions and improving sustainability. This approach not only decreases emissions but also supports sustainable construction, aligning with global climate goals and sustainable development goals (SDGs) 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 13 (climate action). Adopting green cement could revolutionize the African cement industry, promoting resource efficiency and sustainable development across the continent.

Developing nations encounter significant challenges in accessing the necessary finance to meet climate goals. The emerging ‘Data-to-Deal’ approach is a collaborative effort by 60 specialists, which aims to address this by providing a flexible framework of options, tailored to individual country circumstances, aiming to enhance core functions and capabilities; it serves as a basis for concrete action, informing capacity building, technical assistance, and research. This paper argues for the mainstreaming of a holistic approach to accessing climate finance by outlining the components of the Data-to- Deal pipeline and showing the effectiveness of Data-to-Deal through the demonstration of its successful implementation in Costa Rica.

KCERT 2050 is a modelling tool designed to assist in the identification and evaluation of synergies and trade-offs within sectoral decarbonization pathways for Kenya. KCERT 2050 is positioned as a user-friendly and dynamic tool that bridges complex energy systems and emissions models with integrated impact assessment tools, aimed at aiding decision making towards carbon neutrality in both public and private sectors. The tool considers greenhouse gas emissions from various economic sectors and is validated through a collaborative process involving experts from diverse backgrounds. This study uses KCERT 2050 to examine the prospects of achieving a net−zero emissions pathway by 2050. In the baseline scenario, a significant emission trajectory is observed, with the transport sector emerging as the largest contributor. Transitioning to the net−zero pathway reveals substantial reductions across key sectors, such as transport, industry, and land use, driven by strategies including electrification, waste reduction, and afforestation. The sensitivity analysis underscores the potential for emission mitigation through various levers, including land use optimization and the adoption of cleaner transportation modes. In conclusion, our findings emphasize the potential and feasibility of Kenya’s ambitious net−zero emissions target. To attain this goal, it is imperative to prioritize sustainable land use and innovative waste management strategies.