Pollution In Africa Research Articles

Levels and Classification of Microplastics and Their Impact on the Wellbeing of Selected Commercially Important Fish Species in Kisumu Bay, Lake Victoria.

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants of concern in aquatic ecosystems. Fish ingest MPs accidentally during normal feeding because they resemble prey or by ingesting prey that previously consumed them. Despite severe plastic pollution in Africa, some countries, including Kenya have implemented laws to curb this pollution menace. MPs have scantly been studied in African freshwaters. This study provides empirical data and describes the levels of MPs in four commercially important fish species in Lake Victoria. A total of 95 fish samples were collected from four sampling sites (inshore-offshore waters) between March and May 2022. Microscopy and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transformed Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy methods were used to identify MPs. In this study, 62 out of 95 (65.26%) of the gastrointestinal tracts of the sampled fish contained MPs. The four species showed different proportions of detected MPs among the sampled individuals: 75.00% (Clarias gariepinus), 75.00% (Synodontis victoriae), 71.43% (Lates niloticus), and 59.26% (Oreochromis niloticus). Polystyrene (PS) and poly (perfluorobutadiene) were the main plastic polymers in the fish samples. The condition factors estimated for O. niloticus, S. victoriae, and L. niloticus were > 1 and < 1 for C. gariepinus, respectively. Positive correlations were observed between microplastic numbers and fish length and microplastic numbers and fish weight. However, the low R2 values obtained implied no strong relationship exists between these parameters. These findings provide evidence of microplastic contamination in fish in Kisumu Bay.

East African Megacity Air Quality: Rationale and Framework for a Measurement and Modeling Program

Abstract Air pollution in Africa is a significant public health issue responsible for 1.1 million premature deaths annually. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of population growth and urbanization of any region in the world, with substantial potential for future emission growth and worsening air quality. Accurate and extensive observations of meteorology and atmospheric composition have underpinned successful air pollution mitigation strategies in the Global North, yet Africa in general and East Africa in particular remain among the most sparsely observed regions in the world. This paper is based on the discussion of these issues during two international workshops, one held virtually in the United States in July 2021 and one in Kigali, Rwanda, in January 2023. The workshops were designed to develop a measurement, capacity building, and collaboration strategy to improve air quality-relevant measurements, modeling, and data availability in East Africa. This paper frames the relevant scientific needs and describes the requirements for training and infrastructure development for an integrated observing and modeling strategy that includes partnerships between East African scientists and organizations and their counterparts in the developed world.

Groundwater vulnerability to pollution in Africa’s Sahel region

Protection of groundwater resources is essential to ensure quality and sustainable use. However, predicting vulnerability to anthropogenic pollution can be difficult where data are limited. This is particularly true in the Sahel region of Africa, which has a rapidly growing population and increasing water demands. Here we use groundwater measurements of tritium (3H) with machine learning to create an aquifer vulnerability map (of the western Sahel), which forms an important basis for sustainable groundwater management. Modelling shows that arid areas with greater precipitation seasonality, higher permeability and deeper wells or water table generally have older groundwater and less vulnerability to pollution. About half of the modelled area was classified as vulnerable. Groundwater vulnerability is based on recent recharge, implying a sensitivity also to a changing climate, for example, through altered precipitation or evapotranspiration. This study showcases the efficacy of using tritium to assess aquifer vulnerability and the value of tritium analyses in groundwater, particularly towards improving the spatial and temporal resolution.

Institutions' quality and environmental pollution in Africa

AbstractThis paper tests the pollution emissions and institutional quality nexus in Africa. Specifically, we analyze the effect of the political regime and the quality of political governance on CO2 emissions. To control for endogeneity, we apply the system generalized method of moments on a dynamic panel of African countries over the period 1996–2020. The key finding suggests that better institutions have a negative and significant effect on pollution in Africa. The findings also validate the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Moreover, the results support the pollution haven hypothesis. Finally, if digitalization significantly curbs pollution, then industrialization, natural resources, as well as the intensive use of energy, are considered as positive predictors. All the sensitivity and robustness tests globally validate the strength of the negative association between the good quality of institutions and the level of polluting emissions in Africa. The results call for some policy recommendations in environmental regulation for African economies.

Overview of PCB Pollution in Africa: E-Waste and Insights from International Pellet Watch

Overview of PCB Pollution in Africa: E-Waste and Insights from International Pellet Watch

Microplastic pollution in Africa: an overview of abundance in aquatic organisms, freshwater and marine water environments and analytical methods for reporting

PurposeCurrent evidence indicates that humans and animals are at increased risk of multiple health challenges due to microplastic (MP) profusion. However, mitigation is constrained by inadequate scientific data, further aggravated by the lack of evidence in many African countries. This review therefore synthesized evidence on the current extent of MP pollution in Africa and the analytical techniques for reporting.Design/methodology/approachA literature search was undertaken in research databases. Medical subject headings (MeSH) terms and keywords were used in the literature search. The authors found 38 studies from 10 countries that met the inclusion criteria.FindingsMarine organisms had MPs prevalence ranging from 19% to 100%, whereas sediments and water samples had between 77 and 100%. The most common and dominant polymers included polypropylene and polyethylene.Practical implicationsThis review shows that most studies still use methods that are prone to human errors. Therefore, the concentration of MPs is likely underestimated, even though the authors’ prevalence evaluations show MPs are still largely pervasive across multiple environmental matrices. Also, the study reveals significant spatial disparity in MP research across the African continent, showing the need for further research in other African countries.Originality/valueEven though some reviews have assessed MPs pollution in Africa, they have not evaluated sample prevalence, which is necessary to understand not only concentration but pervasiveness across the continent. Secondly, this study delves deeper into various methods of sampling, extraction and analysis of MPs, as well as limitations and relevant recommendations.

Spotlight on air pollution in Africa

Spotlight on air pollution in Africa

Heterogeneous assessment of urbanisation, energy consumption and environmental pollution in Africa: the role of regulatory quality

Heterogeneous assessment of urbanisation, energy consumption and environmental pollution in Africa: the role of regulatory quality

Spatial analysis of carbon emission effect of financial development in Africa: The role of energy and socioeconomic factors

The need to mitigate global warming has led policymakers and other stakeholders to see further understanding of the driving forces behind CO2 emissions. Financial development has been identified among the most influential factors. However, its importance has not been well explored in developing countries, especially in Africa. Several studies have explored the CO2 emissions-effects of financial development in Africa but focused on the temporal aspect and overlooked the spatial dependence which has the potential to influence the estimated marginal effects. In so doing, they consider each country as an island which tends to suggest that there are no spatial spillover effects that could originate from countries’ proximity. In this study, such an inaccurate assumption is relaxed by deploying a spatial Durbin model to explore the spatial dependence in the financial development-CO2 emissions nexus for 52 African countries between 1995 and 2017. Our results reveal a significant positive direct effect (0.020) on financial development in a given country and a significant positive indirect effect (0.074). Thus, our estimated marginal effects show a positive and significant total effect (0.095), indicating that a 1% increase in financial development will result in a net increase of CO2 emissions of about 0.095%. This finding implies that financial development contributes negatively to the surge of CO2 emissions in Africa. While the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is validated in the continent, renewable energy utilization is found to posit significant environmental effects. This finding is crucial to policymakers as it stands as a reminder about the role of the neighbourhood in designing and implementing environmentally friendly policies that aim at reducing pollution in Africa.

Water quality characteristics of Lake Tanganyika in Burundi and Lake Victoria in Uganda

Abstract Water is necessary for all biological life and industrial, municipal, agricultural, and residential processes. It is challenging to imagine living without water. Unfortunately, human and natural activities are causing the sources of useable water to become contaminated. Despite having enormous and unique natural water resources, Africa has experienced unprecedented environmental pollution because of the abuse of these resources. Additionally, population increase and urbanization brought by technological advancements have significantly worsened water pollution in Africa. The significant causes of pollution for surface waterways are untreated effluents released into the environment by humans and machines. It is still being determined if the emission goals set by several African countries for surface water discharge have been fulfilled. Wells and boreholes are essential sources of drinking water for Africans. However, because of their location in sterile areas, the natural water quality of these groundwater sources could be better. The primary sources of water pollution in Africa include agricultural activities, mining, roadside discharges, trash from companies and workshops, landfills, and e-waste. Oil leaks are a severe problem in oil-rich African countries. Lake Tanganyika is East Africa's most significant freshwater reservoir, while Lake Victoria is the second-deepest lake in the world.

Informal E-waste recycling practices and environmental pollution in Africa: What is the way forward?

Globally, e-waste is the fastest growing and most valuable waste-stream. While countries worldwide are increasingly acknowledging the e-waste problem and introducing policies and regulations that deal with e-waste, large quantities of e-waste still go undocumented. Much of these global e-wastes are accumulating in open-dumpsites and landfills in African-countries where they are recycled informally resulting in significant environmental and public-health concerns. Although, there is a plethora of studies on e-waste management and disposal, only a few-studies have focused on African-countries who are major recipients of e-waste. Moreover, despite the attempts to mitigate the problem of e-waste in African-countries, e-waste has remained a major-concern and there are currently very limited workable solutions. This study examines informal e-waste recycling, environmental pollution and the extent of environmental and health impacts in major countries of concern including Ghana, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya and South Africa. The global e-waste Waste Atlas Report, 2020 identified these countries as major recipients of e-waste. To achieve the aims of this research, previous studies from 2005 to 2022 are collected from various databases and analyzed. Accordingly, this study focuses on environmental pollution and public-health impacts resulting from e-waste dumping and informal recycling practices, illegal transboundary shipment of e-waste to the selected countries, and the interventions of governments and international organizations in reducing the impact of e-waste pollution and informal recycling practices in Africa. Based on the outcomes of this study, practical approaches on the way-forward are recommended. The findings of this study contribute to a growing-body of research on informal e-waste recycling practices in Africa to document that individuals working within e-waste sites and residents in nearby communities are exposed to a number of toxic-substances, some at potentially concerning levels.

Spatial distribution of non-point source pollution from total nitrogen and total phosphorous in the African city of Mwanza (Tanzania)

Rapid urbanization has caused widespread environmental pollution in Africa, restricting sustainable development programs. Today, non-point source pollution has become a major threat to many African cities. In this study, we have classified urban land use followed by the identification of urban functional areas based on multi-source data. We have then evaluated non-point source pollution based on nitrogen and phosphorus loads at a spatial scale in Mwanza city (Tanzania). We have estimated the spatial distribution of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads at a scale of 1 square kilometer grid. The results show that ① the built-up area of the city was identified as 28.9 km2, accounting for 6.8% of the total area of the city. The area of informal settlements was 56.9 km2, accounting for 13.4% of the total area of the city. About 90.38% of 2.41×105 kg of the total TN load and 87.23% of 4.00×104 kg of the total TP load in the city were derived from the informal settlements alone in 2020. ② The average load intensities of TN and TP in Mwanza city were 6.90 kg·hm-2·yr-1 and 1.14 kg·hm-2·yr-1, respectively. The average TN and TP intensities in Mwanza city were slightly higher than the average TN and TP load intensities in the Lake Victoria basin. However, given the high population density of the Mwanza city area, the average TN and TP intensities were found to be consistent. ③ The TN and TP pollution loads were relatively concentrated in the inner urban area, including the lower reaches of the Mirongo River basin, the eastern side of the Nyamagana Peninsula, and the lakeside area extending north and south from the peninsula, and gradually decreased toward the city’s outskirts. We propose that the identified riparian areas in our study should be prioritized as potentially key construction zones for pollution treatment plant facilities and urban renewal pilot programs for restraining the widespread informal settlements. This study contributes to the development of an innovative urban non-point source pollution control measure, which may be applicable to low-income countries in Africa and elsewhere.

An empirical assessment of the tripartite nexus between environmental pollution, economic growth, and agricultural production in Sub-Saharan African countries.

A lot of attention has been paid to environmental pollution worldwide, due to the increase in anthropogenic activities. Massive investment in non-renewable energy options raises questions regarding environmental sustainability and how to maximize food and non-food output while still preserving a healthy ecosystem. To this end, the present study explores the three-way nexus between economic growth, CO2 emission, and agriculture-value added will accounting for other control variables across a balanced panel of selected African economies from 1997 to 2020. Panel econometrics method of the generalized method of moments (two-step difference GMM) is used to obtain a robust result. From the present study, the environmental pollution model shows that economic growth significantly contributes to environmental pollution in Africa. Additionally, the food price index, capital, and FDI promote pollution, while agricultural production and labor decrease pollution. In the case of the economic growth model, the findings reveal that environmental pollution supports the growth-led pollution hypothesis. Also, the food price index and capital ameliorate economic growth, while foreign direct investments decrease economic growth. Finally, the agricultural production model indicates that economic growth increases agricultural production when the interaction term between GDPC and FDI is included in the model. In summary, the combination of explanatory variables, environmental pollution, capital, and foreign direct investment decreases agricultural production. On the contrary, the food price index and labor promote agricultural production in Africa. Furthermore, the study provides a lot of policies for authorities and stakeholders in Sub-Saharan African countries and other developing economies.

Does natural resource rent and consumption interplay worsen Africa's pollution? Heterogeneous panel approach with cross-sectional dependence

It analyses the link between resource rent and consumption patterns on Africa's pollution covering 1990 to 2019. Selecting 31 nations, the study takes cognizance of cross-sectional dependence, necessitating the adoption of Augmented Mean Group (AMG). The robustness of estimates is affirmed using the Common Correlated Effect Mean Group (CCEMG) technique. The result is in three folds. (i) Consumption has a causal effect on pollution; natural resource rent unidirectionally causes consumption, while a feedback effect exists between natural resources and pollution. (ii) Natural resources rent heightens pollution in Africa. (iii) Consumption positively and insignificantly increases pollution the region's pollution. (iv) Lastly, the interplay between consumption and natural resource rent worsens Africa's pollution, meaning that the region has not utilized the enormous foreign exchange from natural resources to aid an eco-friendly consumption pattern. Hence, the study throws into the limelight some pollution control policies centering around using resource wealth to enhance green consumption in Africa.

Temperature modifies the association between air pollution and respiratory disease hospital admissions in an industrial area of South Africa: The Vaal Triangle Air Pollution Priority Area

Background: Epidemiological studies reported independent effects of air pollution and temperature on health, yet these twoexposures are often treated as separate risk factors. Few studies investigated temperature effect modification on the health effects ofair pollution in Africa and none examined the effects of black carbon on respiratory disease (RD) hospitalisations. The aim of this studywas to determine whether the association between RD hospitalisations and air pollution in the Vaal Triangle Air Pollution Priority Areawas modified by apparent temperature (Tapp) during January 2013 to February 2020. Methods: RD admission data (ICD10 J00-J99) were obtained from two hospitals located in Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. AmbientPM10, PM2.5, BC, NO2, SO2 and O3, temperature and relative humidity data were obtained from six monitoring stations. A case-crossover epidemiological study design was applied. Lag0-1 was investigated, i.e. the average air pollutant level on the day and the day before hospitalisation. Models were adjusted for public holidays and Tapp. Effect modification was investigated by stratifying days into low, moderate and high Tapp days. Susceptibility by age and sex was investigated. Results: Of the 43 386 hospital admissions, 50.9% (n=22 092) were women and 51.4% (n=22 304) were 0-14-year olds. Air pollutantsexceeded the daily WHO air quality guidelines generally on more than 50% of the days. In general, moderate Tapp worsened the effects of PM2.5, PM10, SO2 and BC, whilst the effects of NO2 and O3 were most pronounced on days with high Tapp. The elderly and females were more vulnerable to air pollution, especially on days with moderate Tapp. Conclusions: These results indicate that the risk of RD hospitalisation due to ambient air pollution exposure is different on low,moderate and high Tapp days in Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging.

Heterogeneous effects of renewable energy and structural change on environmental pollution in Africa: Do natural resources and environmental technologies reduce pressure on the environment?

The global economy today faces the most devastating effects of global warming than what is evident in the pre-industrial age. Consequently, governments across the globe are making diligent efforts towards halting this undesirable menace through many avenues in which structural change stands out. Hence, this study examines the impacts of structural change, natural resource dependence, environmental technology, and renewable energy in selected five top carbon-emitting African countries, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria, and South Africa, from 1990 to 2019. The study employs second-generation estimators comprising cross-sectional auto regressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL), common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG), augmented mean group (AMG), and quantile regression (QR). The choice of the second-generation estimators was motivated by the presence of cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity in the model leading to the adoption of the Westerlund cointegration test for the long-run evaluation. The empirical results based on CS-ARDL are presented thus. The indicators of structural change significantly reduce carbon emissions. Similarly, environmental technology and renewable energy mitigate the surge in carbon emissions. In contrast, natural resource dependence induces a substantial increase in carbon emissions. Besides, the findings are robust based on the outcomes reported from common correlated mean group (CCEMG), augmented mean group (AMG), and QR tests. Moreover, the causality from the Dumitrescu Hurlin test provides empirically backed the nexus based on unidirectional and bidirectional causalities. Promoting service-led structural change, environmental technology practices, and investment in renewable energy are among the prominent policy insights.

Sectoral value chains and environmental pollution in Africa: can development policies target digitalization and structural transformation to enhance environmental governance?

ABSTRACT Enhancing the environmental governance in developing countries is now part of development plans in mitigating climate change effects on economies. This study analyses the effect of the sectoral value chains participation on environmental pollution and assesses whether digitalization and structural transformation can be used as key instruments in improving environmental quality in Africa. We use second-generation panel data for 40 African countries from 1990 to 2019. The results show that deepening the agriculture, industry and services sectors’ value chains participation increases the environmental pollution in Africa. We find that the U-inverted hypothesis between value chain participation and environmental pollution is verified in all considered sectors. This result implies that the environmental governance in Africa should consider the specificity of each sector of the economy. Moreover, digitalization and structural transformation enhance the environmental quality in sectoral value chain participation in Africa since they significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Fossil fuel energy consumption is a driver of CO2 emissions, while renewable energy consumption reduces environmental pollution in Africa. These findings have important policy implications in terms of the environmental governance in sectoral value chain participation for climate change mitigation in developing countries, including Africa.

Global value chains participation and structural transformation in Africa: Are we advocating environmental protection?

The environmental policy in Global Value Chains (GVCs) participation and structural transformation of African countries has been hardly investigated. The study analyzes the effect of GVCs participation on the structural transformation of African economies. It also examines the effect of structural transformation on environmental pollution and assesses whether African countries are advocating the environmental issues while seeking structural transformation through GVCs participation. We used second-generation panel data for 41 African countries from 1990 to 2018 and found that GVCs participation, digitalization, and renewable energy are key determinants of structural transformation in Africa. The results revealed that GVCs participation is subject to environmental pollution and the U-inverted hypothesis between GDP and CO2 emissions is verified. Moreover, we find that the moderating effect of the structural transformation on the effect of GVCs participation on environmental pollution in Africa is negative. This result suggests that pursuing the structural transformation in African economies can play a key role in reducing environmental pollution which is highly correlated with GVCs participation. Findings show that the use of renewable energy can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. The results are robust whether we consider the backward or forward linkages. These results have important policy implications in terms of upgrading opportunities to reduce emissions and promote green development for the structural transformation of African countries throughout GVCs participation.

The impact of the Compact with Africa initiative on foreign direct investments and environmental pollution

PurposeThis study is motivated by the Compact with Africa (CWA) initiative to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) in Africa. However, FDI is argued to be one of the primary causes of environmental pollution (CO2 emissions). In that regard, this study estimates the impact of the CWA initiative on FDI and environmental pollution.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized the difference-in-difference (DID) and triple difference (DDD) estimation strategies to examine the causal impact of the CWA initiative on FDI and environmental pollution from 2005 to 2019. The study selected nine CWA countries and nine non-CWA countries as treatment and control samples.FindingsThe authors found that the CWA initiative positively promotes FDI in the participant countries compared to non-participant countries. The CWA initiative also promoted environmental pollution in the CWA countries compared to non-CWA countries. Furthermore, the DDD estimates show that the effect of the CWA initiative on environmental pollution is through FDI.Practical implicationsThe authors recommend policies to attract environmentally friendly FDI for both Compact and non-Compact economies.Originality/valueThe study is the first to provide empirical evidence on the CWA initiative on FDI and environmental pollution in Africa. The study used a quasi-experimental method on the relationship between FDI and environmental pollution in Africa.

ICT-trade and pollution in Africa: Do governance and regulation matter?

ICT has become a significant factor in the transition towards a low-carbon society in the modern era of increased digitalisation and clamour for environmental sustainability. Considering the significance of this digital transition in pollution abatement, we investigate the moderating effects of effective governance and regulation on the relationship between ICT-trade and pollution for 31 African countries from 2000 to 2020 by employing dynamic heterogeneous panel models robust to cross-sectional dependence. The empirical result suggests that, without adjustment for cross-sectional dependence, ICT-trade increases short and long-run pollution. Also, effective governance enhances pollution over the short and long run, while regulation lowers environmental pollution in the short term but increases long-run pollution. Further, government effectiveness moderates the effect of ICT-trade on pollution in the short and long run, whereas regulation only moderates the effect of ICT-trade on pollution in the long run. Conversely, having adjusted for cross-sectional dependence, ICT-trade, effective governance and regulation substantially lower pollution. Further, effective governance and regulation play essential roles in fostering the effects of ICT-trade on environmental pollution. Therefore, we recommend sensitivity to ICT-trade and fostering government effectiveness and regulation to curtail the adverse impact of ICT-trade on the environment.