Author Archives: Claire Cosgrove

About Claire Cosgrove

Dr Claire Cosgrove, Ph.D., is an independent Environmental Scientist and Educator. Looking to establish a consultancy company: “Cultural Awareness, Environmental Mindfulness”. Formerly a Professor of Environmental Sciences in the College of Engineering at AMA International University, Salmabad, Kingdom of Bahrain. Before moving to the Middle East in 2009, Dr Claire was a Research Scientist based in the USA at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville and at Georgia Institiute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr Cosgrove has lived and worked in a number of countries such as South Africa, USA, New Zealand and the Middle East. Her research work has covered air pollution, weather modification /cloud seeding, rainfall modelling and simulation and flood forecasting, to name a few areas of interest.

Starvation in Poor Countries – A Pandemic Deadlier than Covid-19

By | | , ,
1 Comment

The world has been propelled on a fast track journey of dealing with Covid-19 across the developed world where the pandemic has created chaos and mayhem of astounding proportions. The faint light that gave hope was the fact that this was happening in the developed regions of the globe where people do have access to health services, adequate housing, well stocked warehouses, communications networks, financial assets and funds (even if diminishing under economic stress), and so forth. Now Covid-19 has reached into the areas which the learned persons write of as informal settlements. The Onslaught on Vulnerable Masses Let us … Continue reading →

Impact of COVID-19 on Slums and Informal Settlements

By | | ,
4 Comments

An estimated one billion people across the globe live in slums or informal settlements. As much of the world is already braced and battling with coronavirus crisis, there are others perplexed as to how this one billion people can possibly deal with the current pandemic. The general recommendations to global population are to wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds, if sick to self-isolate, and when out and about to practice social distancing of keeping 2 meters away from other persons. Three simple directives or are they? How feasible are these recommendations for people living in informal … Continue reading →

Is Lockdown a Viable Option to Control the Coronavirus in Africa?

By | | ,
3 Comments

The African nations have had plenty of recent infectious disease outbreaks such as HIV and Ebola to learn ways of tackling an epidemic. Therefore, they might be better equipped in mental fortitude to handle the current coronavirus crisis. One significant factor that the African people are aware of is that the communities must be actively involved in responding to the virus outbreak. Some nuggets of truth already learnt from previous experience with infectious diseases is that the outbreaks can be released differently in different communities and environments. This is in part due to the social conditions of the people concerned. … Continue reading →

Impact of School Closure on Marginalized Children

By | | , ,
2 Comments

We are seeing schools close as a protective measure of reducing the potential exposure to the coronavirus across the globe. This is due to the fact that schools could be a major source of transmission from one child to another child within a classroom, from one classroom to the whole school, to within the families and the greater community. And all at a very speedy rate of transmission of Covid-19. The action of closing schools is an acceptable move in the more developed sectors of the global community as children tend to all have access to the internet, and in … Continue reading →

New and Larger Wave of Locusts Threaten East Africa and Beyond

By | | , ,
2 Comments

Before the current pandemic that the world is battling, East Africa and neighbouring regions of the globe experienced the biggest locust infestation in the past 70 years. That event was devastating. Then the Covid-19 pandemic started to move across the globe. And just as a viral plague can resurface if adequate measures are not taken and sustained for a long enough period of time to interrupt the spread of the virus, the locusts have returned. The locust plague has reappeared in East Africa and is said to be 20 times the strength of the earlier infestations. The Fight for Food … Continue reading →

How To Save The World From Plastic Pollution

By | | ,
2 Comments

There is not one solution, we all know that. But let’s take a look back in time for a possible solution to plastic pollution. In a past-era, we had a solution that worked. Why not try that option once again. The returnable, refillable container of last century that was a sure thing introduced by Coca Cola in the 1920’s. It ensured customer satisfaction and more importantly, customer loyalty. Coca Cola sold its desirable liquid in expensive bottles that the company needed to be returned for the next drink batch, and the batch after that, and the batch after that one, … Continue reading →

Desert Locusts Are Swarming With Greater Ferocity

By | | , , ,
1 Comment

The latest outbreak of locusts over eastern Africa has been ongoing since the beginning of this year. It is considered by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the UN as the worst outbreak of locusts in 70 years. The threat of the desert locust is extreme urgent as it’s a major threat to the food security in the region. Bearing in mind, that this region is extremely vulnerable to the predominant subsistence lifestyle. It also appears that new breeding may have occurred in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia which will intensify the infestation. The question that are foremost in minds … Continue reading →

Soil as the Foundation of a Healthy Earth

By | | , ,
2 Comments

A special day, a day to reflect on how critical and important the soil is for everyone on the planet. Soil is a life-giving and a life-sustaining component of all our environmental ecosystems. Yet most people look at soil with disgust, thinking it is just dirt, acting as if it’s the dirtiest component of the natural world.  I beg to differ and will set out information to inform our readers of just how crucial soil is to our very existence. Soil is so critical in our survival. It controls the food security of the planet. It ensures the sustainability of … Continue reading →

PPP = Permanent Plastic Problem

By | | ,
Leave a comment

The 3P’s of plastic – PPP – first is that the item or object is plastic. The second concern is that plastic is permanent. Not permanently in use, but after is use it has a very long life-span before it breaks down totally. And that leads to the third, and ultimate issue, that plastic becomes a problem. The issues around plastic are multi-facetted, complex and very diverse. It depends on the composition of the raw materials, how the materials are combined and made into the plastic product. Then it becomes an issue in how the product or object is disposed … Continue reading →

Is Kiribati The First To Go – How Climate Change Is Threatening Life On The Small Island Nations

By | | ,
Leave a comment

Life on an island in the South Pacific has long been considered an idyllic location. But that once reality is becoming a daunting nightmare for the people of Kiribati (pronounced Ke-ree-bas). This nation consists of three archipelagos in the centre of the Pacific Ocean. The total land mass is approximately 811km2 and is spread across 3.5 million km2  of ocean. Of the 33 island and atolls, two-thirds of these land masses are inhabited. The total population of 120,000 people predominantly live on the main island, Tarawa. With the growing trends in the changing global climate, this small Pacific community is … Continue reading →

Green Building Sector in the Middle East: Sustainability Perspectives

By | | , ,
3 Comments

Green buildings are no longer a marginal concept but are becoming the standard for sustainable building construction and modernization in the Middle East. Forward thinking organizations can realize the benefits of being environmentally aware of the impact of each and every action undertaken in the present world of development. It is no longer about the financial bottom line and whether we are eco-friendly, it is a fundamental component of sustainability. Institutes and organizations in the Middle East can embrace green building initiatives as a mandate, while educational institutes can embrace it as a good citizen initiative developing the minds of … Continue reading →

Renewable Energy in Bahrain – Perspectives

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Bahrain is making significant move towards being viable and sustainable in the renewable energy sector, according to the Sustainable Energy Unit Annual Report 2018 published on September 2nd, 2019. The nation is moving forward one eco-friendly step at a time. A significant step forward is the establishment of the net-metering system which is a part of the National Renewable Energy Action Plan. This action plan embraces renewable energy as a viable and essential component for generating energy in Bahrain to ensure a sustainable future in energy production. Net-metering System The net-metering system enables private individual households, companies and industry to install … Continue reading →