Ethiopia plans to plant 800 million trees in one day as part of ecosystem restoration initiative

The President of the Abrantes Administration stated that works carried out on a section of the Ribeira de Alcolobre river between Abrantes and Constância were performed without obtaining a license from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA) and without prior notification to the municipalities.

In statements made to Lusa, Manuel Jorge Valamatos noted that the administration had been warned about 'interference with a high degree of impact and a very significant visual effect.' He immediately contacted APA, which informed the municipality that there was no licensing process for such work.

The interference affected a section of approximately 300 meters of the Ribeira de Alcolobre river, located downstream from the EN118 highway, between the Tramagal area in the municipality of Abrantes and Santa Margarida da Coutada in the municipality of Constância, Santarém district. Work was carried out to clear silt, reinforce 'protective mounds,' and almost completely remove existing vegetation from the banks.

Autorades, surprised by the 'scale and nature of the interference,' deemed it excessive and passed the final assessment to the environmental authority. The landscape change, visible from EN118, surprised residents and drivers who suddenly encountered a deep transformation of this water artery section, sparking active discussions on social media about the impact of the interference on the environment and its legal status.

The municipalities of Constância and Junta de Freguesia Santa Margarida da Coutada, contacted by Lusa, stated that they were unaware of the work being carried out. The President of the Tramagal Parish Council specified that the interference is related to the establishment of an intensive olive grove on recently acquired agricultural property, but admitted that he was not aware of the legal status of the work done on the river.

The issue was raised today at the meeting of the Abrantes executive committee after a PSD deputy, João Morgado, questioned the Administration President about the legal basis for the interference and the municipality's position on environmental protection. In response, Manuel Jorge Valamatos clarified that there is a process related to creating the olive grove agricultural production on the property, 'which has nothing to do with these works carried out on this waterway,' adding that neither the Abrantes nor Constância administrations, nor APA itself, had prior information about this interference.

Autorades also reported that APA planned to conduct an on-site inspection that day, which took place. The Vice-President of the Administration, João Gomes, who oversees the environmental sector, stated that the information received from the environmental agency indicates the drafting of violation protocols and the requirement for a waterway restoration program. João Gomes reminded that any intervention in water flows requires licensing from APA, and considered that the work performed 'was not simple clearing,' as it damaged the floodplain gallery, the river surroundings, and part of the pedestrian route and existing navigational signage.

When asked about the possibility of an environmental crime, he refrained from drawing conclusions, insisting that such an assessment must be made by competent authorities, but warned about the damage caused by the interference. He stated: 'There is one thing we cannot turn back now: the damage has been done,' and now considers it necessary to ensure the ecological restoration of this river section.

APA, which Lusa contacted, has not yet responded to questions regarding the legal formalization of the interference, possible inspections, and measures for environmental recovery. An official source from Urbigav, the investor sponsor related to the creation of the olive grove on the property, declined to comment, stating only that 'now is not the right time for comments.'

As part of achieving a significant milestone in the field of clean energy, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has collectively produced over 1000 billion units of nuclear electricity.

NPCIL reported on Tuesday that since the commercial operation began, its nuclear power plants have collectively generated over 1000 billion units of clean electricity, which has prevented more than 860 million tons of CO2 equivalent from entering the environment.

The company noted that this achievement demonstrates NPCIL's firm commitment to providing safe, reliable, and sustainable nuclear energy, thereby strengthening India's energy security and supporting the country's transition to clean energy and achieving climate goals.

To illustrate the scale of carbon emissions prevented, it was pointed out that a typical passenger car emits about 4.6 metric tons of CO2 annually. Thus, preventing 860 million tons is equivalent to taking approximately 187 million gasoline-powered cars out of service for an entire year. Furthermore, 860 million tons is approximately equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of a major industrial country such as Germany or Japan.

The government has developed a roadmap to achieve a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW over the next two decades by 2047, as announced in the Nuclear Energy Mission in the Budget 2025-26. This will increase the share of reliable, low-carbon baseload nuclear energy in the country's energy balance and help achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2070.

The current nuclear power capacity of 8.78 GW is projected to reach about 22 GW by 2031-32 due to the gradual completion of projects at various stages of implementation. An additional 32 GW of nuclear capacity is planned to be built after 2032 under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

These new capacities will include indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and Light Water Reactors (LWRs) scheduled for construction by 2047, which will increase NPCIL's nuclear capacity to 54 GW. The remaining 46 GW, including reactors of various technologies, is expected to be implemented by other state-owned enterprises, the private sector, and joint ventures under various business models. Thanks to the government's adoption of the SHANTI Act (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025) last year, the new law provides the legal framework for this expansion of 46 GW.

A change in how early living beings consumed and digested food may have been crucial in the transformation of Earth's oceans approximately 540 million years ago. A new scientific analysis points out that the increase in both the quantity and variety of excrement generated during the Cambrian Period contributed to the distribution of nutrients in deep marine waters, which in turn stimulated the emergence of progressively more complex ecosystems.

Scientists have named this event the 'Cambrian fecal revolution.' This theory adds a new element to the understanding of the so-called Cambrian explosion, a period marked by the rapid diversification of marine life and the appearance of many of the main animal groups existing today.

How excrement modified the oceans

As animals evolved more elaborate digestive systems and began seeking diverse food sources, they started generating larger and more heterogeneous waste. These waste products acted as small packages of organic material that gradually sank through the water column, transporting nutrients and food from the surface to deeper areas of the ocean. This mechanism amplified the availability of resources for organisms located far from sunlight, promoting the development of new habitats.

Russell Bicknell, a researcher at Flinders University (Australia) and co-author of the study, clarified that 'this increased the amount of accessible food and also helped supply vital nutrients to the deeper regions of the ocean, creating new niches for life.'

Fossils indicate a more complex diet

The scientific review analyzed data collected from over 35 paleontological sites scattered globally. Among the discoveries were coprolites—fossilized feces—that showed varied sizes, from tiny particles to specimens measuring several centimeters. Some of these fossils contained shells and fragments of other animals, suggesting that feeding interactions were already quite diverse during the Cambrian. Scientists also detected signs of predation and preserved prey remains within the digestive tracts of other fossils.

According to Bicknell, this type of evidence constitutes one of the most robust demonstrations that animal digestion and feeding became more refined during that period. Additionally, the fossils show that certain primitive arthropods developed specialized digestive structures capable of processing a wider range of food types.

Carbon and nutrient transport

With the presence of larger waste, an increasing amount of organic matter was able to reach the ocean floor, accelerating the movement of carbon and nutrients between the surface, deep waters, and the seabed. However, researchers emphasize that this process alone does not explain the Cambrian explosion. Additional factors, such as increased oxygen levels, environmental changes, and intensified predation, also played significant roles in the rapid diversification of life.

Nevertheless, the study proposes that nutrient transport via feces was a relevant component in this process. Bicknell stated: 'This offers us another point of view to consider. We can interpret the acceleration of this matter transport via excrement as an important driving force.'

The authors concluded that this mechanism persists to this day, contributing to the maintenance of contemporary marine ecosystems, where feces, organic debris, and other particles continue to distribute food and nutrients throughout the ocean. The researcher concluded by stating that 'it was the beginning of modern marine ecosystems.' The study was published in the scientific journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution.