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The Congo Basin is the world's largest tropical carbon store; its forest stretches across almost the entire African continent and covers an area larger than India. Despite its immense importance, very little is known about it.

Currently, a group of nearly 200 scientists comprising the Congo Basin Scientific Commission is making efforts to change this situation. The Commission presented its first report in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, in May, aiming to attract funding to train 1,000 PhD candidates over the next decade.

Experts note that expanding research is critically important for understanding and protecting this vast territory, which dictates the weather conditions of an entire continent, is home to one-fifth of the world's species, and absorbs as much CO2 as Germany emits annually. The forest is threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as logging, mining, and the demand for charcoal used by growing populations for cooking.

Commission Special Envoy Lee White, a zoologist born in the UK and formerly Minister of Environment of Gabon, stated: 'We need investment in better understanding the Congo Basin and in creating a generation of Congo Basin scientists who will protect this ecosystem. I am convinced that if we lose the Congo Basin, Africa will become uninhabitable.'

These efforts echo the work conducted by Brazilian researchers over the past three decades in the Amazon Basin, significantly increasing knowledge of tropical forests. Surveys show that about 120 scientists from Congo Basin countries publish on issues related to this forest, which is a small fraction of the thousands of Amazonian researchers.

White noted: 'It is quite disheartening. That is why we know much more about the Amazon than we do about the Congo Basin.' The Commission is appealing to potential funding sources such as the African Development Bank and the Hassoplatner Foundation, established by co-founder of German software giant SAP SE, to support this initiative, which White estimates will cost tens of millions of dollars. Currently, the UK government has provided 9 million pounds sterling ($12.1 million), enough to fund up to 30 master's and about 15 doctoral degrees.

Universities in Congo Basin countries often suffer from resource shortages, and local scientists have limited career opportunities. Bila-Isia Inogwabini, a professor of biodiversity at the Catholic University of Congo in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, said: 'When people get doctorates in the Congo Basin, they move to ministries doing administrative work; they leave the scientific field. Or they go to the Western world, where they are offered better jobs. Many people I worked with in the UK consider me crazy for coming back.'

White and scientists like Inogwabini believe it is necessary to establish partnerships between wealthier universities in Europe and the US and institutions in the Congo Basin, which stretches from Cross River in Nigeria to the Rift Valley in East Africa. Commission scientists teach at universities in Cameroon and Gabon, as well as in the US, the UK, and the European Union.

Support from the Brazilian government was vital for a similar initiative in the Amazon, which launched its own scientific commission in 2019, according to Emma Torres, Strategic Coordinator of the Amazon Scientific Commission. She emphasized that the continuity of such support across different political cycles played a key role.

Central Africa is home to some of the poorest countries in the world, which limits state support for scientists and generates stigmatization, despite significant achievements in nature conservation. White stated: 'There is a negative perception that this is the heart of darkness in the Congo Basin, and that little can be achieved. I obviously disagree with this. If you look at the results of the Congo Basin in terms of creating new protected areas and so on, they are probably leading the world in progress.'

This stigma has also affected the careers of scientists from this region. Lydie-Stella Kutika, a soil scientist from the Republic of the Congo and one of the three co-chairs of the scientific commission, shared: 'I received my doctorate on the Amazonian Brazilian ecosystem. So it's quite funny. I saw the Amazon forest before I saw the forest ecosystem in the Congo Basin.'

The President of Uzbekistan signed a resolution dedicated to measures aimed at improving the efficiency of hazardous waste management. The goal of this document is to strengthen the system for handling hazardous waste and enhance environmental control.

According to the new document, starting from January 1, 2027, legal entities that possess hazardous waste are obliged to develop annual plans for managing this waste. These plans must be based on the results of environmental expertise and approved by the territorial divisions of the Waste Management and Circular Economy Development Agency.

The annual plans must include measures aimed at reducing the volume of generated hazardous waste and increasing the share of recyclable or safely disposed of waste. They must also guarantee the transfer of hazardous waste to specialized organizations that have permits for processing, neutralizing, utilizing, or landfilling such waste, as well as possessing the necessary infrastructure and a positive conclusion from the environmental expertise.

The resolution provides for the free transfer of all special facilities and open sites intended for storing decommissioned hazardous waste to the agency. Funds required for environmental restoration at these sites will also be transferred.

Furthermore, starting from October 1, 2026, organizations generating hazardous waste will be required to prepare statistical reports based on the calendar year.

If your refrigerator has started to heat up more than before, or if your monthly electricity bill is increasing, the reason might not only be the aging of the appliance itself. Often, it is a small detail that people tend to ignore. The fact is that dust, dirt, and cobwebs accumulate over time on the condenser coils located at the back of the refrigerator. This hinders the removal of heat from inside the refrigerator, forcing the compressor to work under increased load.

Increased load on the refrigerator directly affects your expenses because the appliance begins to consume more electricity, and cooling deteriorates. Furthermore, the machine can overheat, and if this condition is ignored for a long time, the service life of the refrigerator is shortened. However, solving this problem turned out to be quite simple: it is enough to spend 10–15 minutes cleaning the coils to improve cooling and reduce energy consumption.

Why is it necessary to clean refrigerator coils?

The main function of the coils is to dissipate heat from inside the refrigerator. But over time, dust, dirt, and hair settle on them. People regularly clean the interior and exterior of the refrigerator but often forget about the coils. The accumulation of these particles prevents free heat dissipation, which forces the compressor to run longer and increases electricity consumption. This also puts additional strain on the refrigerator itself.

How to determine the location of the coils?

It is important to understand that the coils are not located in the same place in all refrigerators. Therefore, before starting the work, you need to find their exact location.

Precautions before starting the cleaning

If the coils are located at the back, you should start by removing the bottom rear panel, which will require unscrewing screws. These screws must be carefully set aside in an accessible place.

1. Initial vacuum cleaning: Use a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment to gently remove dust from the coils. It is important not to rub too hard with the brush to avoid damaging the coils.
2. Removing ingrained dirt: If dirt is stuck, you can use a soft brush or a vent brush. This will help remove debris trapped between the coils.
3. Simultaneous cleaning: While brushing, keep the vacuum cleaner running to prevent the re-spreading of lifted dust in the surrounding area.

Tools that will facilitate the process

When cleaning, it is useful to have certain tools handy that allow easy access to the small parts of the coils.

If the coils are located at the front, they may be behind the lower front panel of many modern models. In this case, you need to remove this lower panel and clean using a vacuum cleaner and a brush, preferably using a small handheld vacuum for this task.

Before reinstalling the panels, do not forget that the panel covering the coils also accumulates a lot of dust and pet hair. Therefore, the panel should be thoroughly cleaned. If it is simply placed dirty, dust will quickly settle on the coils again. It is also recommended to clean the floor under and behind the refrigerator if you moved it.

How often to clean?

According to experts, refrigerator coils should be cleaned at least once or twice a year. If there are pets in the house or if the room is dusty, it is better to perform the procedure every three to six months.