We Empower Challenge logo on purple background

On Wednesday 25th September 2024, the five 2024 WE Empower awardees will take part in the WE Empower SDG Challenge Pitch Night.  Hosted by fashion designer, author and philanthropist, Diane Von Fur

This study examines the surface mass balance (MB) of Phuche and Khardung glaciers in the cold-arid trans-Himalayan region from 2014 to 2017, highlighting the importance of understanding glacier-atmospheric interactions for future water resource management. The findings reveal that the Khardung glacier experienced significantly greater mass loss (3.7 times more than Phuche) due to climatic changes and topographical factors, underscoring the sensitivity of glacier dynamics to climate drivers in this region.
Elsevier,

Materials Today, Volume 78, September 2024

This article provides a comprehensive review of the recent advancements in 3D/4D printed materials for fog collection and solar vapor generation devices. It covers various aspects such as material properties, device engineering, printing technologies, practical challenges, and future prospects in the field of water harvesting systems.
Elsevier,

Water Treatment Using Engineered Carbon Nanotubes, Micro and Nano Technologies series, 2024, Pages 63-96

Aligns with Goals 12 and 13 by describing the role of carbon-based materials in water treatment, the challenges to progress, and the future of these carbon-based materials in this field.
Elsevier,

Technological Pathways for Africa' s Net-Zero Economy, Technology Solutions to Unlock Africa's Sustainable Future, 2025, Pages 217-235

This chapter advances Goal 13 by educating politicians, industry experts, and researchers on the significance of shifting toward sustainable energy solutions by offering a thorough examination of essential elements and discussing possible obstacles.

Focusing on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies, this piece underscores their significance in realizing sustainability and carbon neutrality goals, particularly within challenging sectors.

This study explores the social impact of recycling human hair, waste face masks, and RMG waste into composite fields, which will help to reduce environmental pollution and global warming, achieve sustainability, develop a circular economy, and deter climate change. In contrast to societal impacts, the scalability, cost-effectiveness, and long-term durability of composites will not be an issue since the cost of waste is tiny, composite's strengths are higher than some natural fiber-reinforced composites, and those wastes can also be used to fabricate hybrid composites as cheap constituents.

This study used the Energy Policy Simulator to project the health benefits of the US achieving its 2030 NDC greenhouse gas reduction targets by 205. Results indicate significant reductions in adverse health outcomes, uncluding thousands of avoided asthma attacks, heart attacks, hospitalizations, respiratory issues, lost workdays, and deaths - particularly among racial and ethnic minorities, who are expected to experience the largest relative health benefits.
In this study, the authors estimate the causal effect of air pollution on eye and ear health. They find that eye or ear disease possibility rises 1.48% for a 10 μg/m3 increase in four-week average PM2.5 concentration. The impacts can last about 28 weeks and will be insignificant afterward.
The article systematically reviews research linking climate change to food systems, nutrition, and health (FSNH) from 2018-2023. It identifies key research gaps and presents an Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) to visualize the current landscape. Most studies focus on climate impacts on crop and livestock production, while fewer address nutrition-related health and postharvest processes. Addressing these gap is critical for developing effective climate adaptation and mitigation strategies that promote both human and planetary health.

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