Month: May 2018

Posted on

Rice becomes less nutritious as CO2 levels rise

A research project by the University of Tokyo has revealed that certain strains of rice have become less nutritious resulting from increased CO2 levels. This is extremely problematic in countries with large rice consumption and low GDP. This may result in malnutrition in the most vulnerable parts of the world. 

However, Its not all doom and gloom. Certain breeds of rice have shown no loss in nutrition and they can be studied and enhanced to improve food security in our changing climate.

Here is an article related to the study

C. Zhu, K. Kobayashi, I. Loladze, J. Zhu, Q. Jiang, X. Xu, G. Liu, S. Seneweera, K. L. Ebi, A. Drewnowski, N. Fukagawa, L. H. Ziska, Carbon dioxide (CO2) levels this century will alter the protein, micronutrients, and vitamin content of rice grains with potential health consequences for the poorest rice dependent countries. Sci. Adv. 4, eaaq1012 (2018).

Posted on

Engineers from the Malaysia branch of Nottingham University have developed new processes to minimise waste from the palm oil industry.

Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, which is used in countless household products and foodstuffs. The country’s 400 odd mills produce massive amounts of waste including kernels and husks from pressed fruits, discarded branches and wastewater known as Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME).

However, Students from Nottingham University claim to have developed a method of palm oil production with zero waste.

Click here to read more. 

Posted on

Two-thirds of all air pollution deaths occur in Asia

The Asian Review published an article on the grim realities of air pollution in Asia, highlighting that two-thirds of all air pollution deaths occur in Asia. From first-hand experience you can see the precautions that many take to avoid the potential dangers, wearing masks on the street, keeping windows closed at all times and limiting time spent outside. The WHO claims that 9/10 people on earth breathe polluted air at one time or another.

The article attributes the increase of air pollution to increased urbanization in the region. It also mentions the burning of peatland and forest to make way for lucrative oil palm plantations which results in a choking haze that lingers over cities for weeks.

For those interested, here is the article. 

Posted on

Hanoi Air Pollution

Hey guys, here is a really interesting article from two days ago about air pollution in Hanoi during Q1 of 2018. PM2.5 levels are 6x the safe level set by the WHO. Interestingly, of locals surveyed nobody seemed to blame the agricultural sector for any of the smog that left their city with only 38 days of clean air last year. Hanoi now suffers from almost the same level of air pollution as China’s smog ridden capital, Beijing.

Anyway, here is a link to the article.

 

Posted on

Arrival in Hanoi

Hi all,

So I departed Dublin Airport early on Wednesday morning. After numerous transfers and many airplane movies I arrived into Hanoi on Friday afternoon. The heat and humidity is definitely something I will have to get used to. One of the first things I noticed even from the plane was the Haze that covers Hanoi and its surrounding areas. It was interesting to see first hand what I will be spending the next few months studying.

As I expected. The city center is a mass of mopeds, business, food and humanity.. especially mopeds. Before I arrived I had convinced myself I would hire a moped to get around but now I think I might have to rethink that decision! We seem to have found a nice apartment which is close to CIAT and close to the city center.

Today is my first day in the office and I have been set up with a desk. I met with Luis Molina who showed me around and we had a brief meeting about the project. Pablo, my supervisor over here, is away for a few days so I believe that when he gets back I will have a clearer idea of what our plans are over the course of the project. For the moment I will do some more research relating to my literature review.

Other than that, I am eager to get settled in and learn about the culture of Vietnam.

Bye for now,

Éanna