<
https://theconversation.com/households-are-burning-plastic-waste-as-fuel-for-cooking-and-heating-in-slums-the-world-over-250265>
"Poor people in vast city slums across the Global South are burning plastic to
cook their food, warm their homes and boil water for hot showers.
Waste plastic is plentiful and highly flammable. So it’s not surprising people
in developing countries, mainly in Africa, Asia and Latin America, are putting
it to use – especially as wood is increasingly scarce.
But burning plastic is hazardous, as it releases toxins into the surrounding
air – and possibly into the food on the stove.
We wanted to draw attention to this growing problem, which has received little
attention to date despite the many potential harms.
In our new “perspective” paper, published in
Nature Cities, we explain why so
many communities are using plastic as an energy source.
We then explore further research needed and recommend ways for policymakers to
tackle the issue."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
