Harare – As Zimbabwe plunges into its worst economic crisis in a decade, gas lines are snaking for hours, prices are spiking and residents goggle as the new government insists that the country – somehow – has risen to middle-income status.
After ousting the repressive Robert Mugabe almost a year ago following more than three decades in power, and peacefully electing President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July, many hoped the country would emerge from turmoil and return to prosperity.
Instead, it appears to be imploding in the days since the new finance minister announced a "stabilization program."
Over the weekend long lines for fuel reappeared, sometimes stretching for several kilometers.
Anxious residents rushed to stores, where prices skyrocketed for dwindling stock and shop workers began removing price stickers.
People have started joining any line in sight.
The important thing is to get in the queue, there might be something there," said Yvet Mlambo, a resident of the capital, Harare.
Even beer is rationed, to some outrage.
But the new currency shortage has forced most people to use a surrogate currency called bond notes, bank cards and mobile money, all of which are devaluing quickly against the U.S. dollar on the black market.
But Zimbabweans have reacted angrily to one of the new measures, a tax on transactions conducted with mobile money and bank cards.

You may think you’re ingesting a safe, clean product, but you’re really putting synthetic microfibers into your body.
It is one thing to hear about plastic pollution in oceans, lakes, and waterways; it’s altogether another to learn that plastic is in the food, seasonings, and beverages we’re consuming.
The researchers analyzed 159 samples of tap water sourced from 14 countries, 12 brands of beer brewed using water from the Great Lakes, and 12 brands of commercial sea salt, purchased in the U.S. but produced internationally.
Tap water was found to have the highest level of plastic contamination (81 percent of the samples contained debris), mostly in the form of microfibers.
Plastic debris was found in all 12 brands of beer that were tested.
This study is important because it addresses a data gap in the research on plastic fibers.
Most research to date has been done on beads and fragments, but this study has revealed that fibers need far more attention, especially now that they are in our food.
From the study’s introduction: "Plastics are hydrophobic and have been known to adsorb chemicals from the environment… some of which are known reproductive toxicants and carcinogens.
Tap water and salt, in particular, are part of a normal, healthy diet, and cannot be eliminated from one’s diet in an attempt to reduce plastic exposure.
Beer, on the other hand, can be reduced, although many would argue this negatively affects quality of life!

Letter: New Belgium supports Clean Water Rule.
Healthy waterways are an important part of our local communities, and we need clean water to make great beer.
That’s why we’re joining 47 other craft breweries to oppose President Trump’s plans to weaken our nation’s clean water protections.
The Clean Water Rule clarifies which waterways are guaranteed protection under federal law.
The rule made clear that smaller upstream waterways are protected from pollution under the law whenever they have connections to larger downstream waterways.
For New Belgium, that means more dependable access to the most important ingredient in our beer: clean water.
This rule was sorely needed.
That risk is bad for the craft brewing industry.
Beer consists of more than 90 percent water, so New Belgium and other brewers rely on the safeguards that protect this critical resource.
So we’re submitting a letter to the Trump administration, together with dozens of our craft brewing colleagues around the country, calling on federal agencies to maintain or strengthen the Clean Water Rule – not weaken it.

As part of what is being called the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge, more than 30 Arizona breweries have agreed to make beer this summer with water from a portable system that treats wastewater.
The water system, which is being hauled around the state by a semi-truck, made a stop July 3 at Rio de Flag Wastewater Treatment Plant in Flagstaff.
"For Flagstaff it gives us one more tool in our toolbox for future water supplies should the community elect to go that route," said Brad Hill, utilities director with the city.
Water microbiologist Channah Rock, who is leading public outreach for the brewing challenge, says the truck’s statewide tour marks the first time wastewater is being treated for reuse as drinking water in the state of Arizona.
The AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge comes at a time when state environmental regulators are nearing completion of interim rules that will allow utilities to treat reclaimed wastewater for reuse as drinking water.
Inside the shipping container, treated wastewater in Flagstaff went through several steps including ultra-filtration to block bacteria and other small organisms; reverse osmosis to dissolve things like salts, minerals and pharmaceuticals; and ultraviolet disinfection with advanced oxidation to break down the DNA of bacteria and viruses.
The initial run-through of the advanced treatment process will be a big step for Flagstaff’s utilities department as it evaluates the potable reuse of treated wastewater as part of the city’s long-term water supply plan.
The Pure Water Brew truck will return to Flagstaff in August when the tests are done.
Never miss a local story.
Sign up today for a 30 day free trial of unlimited digital access.

Water, barley, hops, and yeast. To many beer purists, these are the four ingredients, and the only four, that are allowed in beer. Most brewers are a bit more open-minded about what goes into their beers, of course. But climate change might soon make those four ingredients too expensive to drink. NASA’s projections for the future include warmer winters, more intense hurricanes, droughts, and more importantly, vast shifts in the crops we grow, the resources we have at our disposal, and how we’ll…

Carlsberg set to achieve zero carbon emissions at breweries.
Following champion of the environment Emmanuel Macron’s advice to ‘make our planet great again’, beer giant Carlsberg has committed to eliminating carbon emissions and halving water usage at its breweries by 2030.
Part of its new sustainability programme, ‘Together Towards Zero’, the step includes the exclusive use of renewable electricity at its breweries by 2022.
Developed in partnership with global experts using a science-based approach, the Together Towards Zero programme is aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, setting out to deliver emissions reductions beyond those set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Working with experts from WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature), the brand has identified breweries situated in areas with a high risk of water scarcity and developed targets to support the ambition.
New targets include halving brewery water usage by 203o and improving water management in high-risk areas around selected breweries.
Other targets include offering 100% distribution of alcohol-free beer by 2022 to expand consumer choice.
‘Global challenges such as climate change and water scarcity require strong collective action, and with Together Towards Zero we’re setting new industry standards for science-based and partnership-driven sustainability as part of our Sail’22 strategy,’ said Cees ‘t Hart, CEO of the Carlsberg Group.
‘Carlsberg’s ambitions go above and beyond the levels of carbon reduction that science tells us are necessary to keep global warming below 2°C.
‘Carlsberg has taken a genuine leadership position on some of the most critical environmental issues the world currently faces, by developing an ambitious long-term business strategy that focuses on delivering a sustainable future.’

Analysis: Heineken brews up a better report.
Sustainability pervades the Dutch brewer’s first integrated report from cover to cover but it could use its global presence to be a greater advocate for action to tackle climate change, says Peter Statham Fierce competition among brewers has transformed the global beer market.
And it’s serious about sustainability.
For the first time, Heineken has integrated sustainability information in its annual report and no longer publishes a separate sustainability report.
In contrast to some attempts to integrate reporting, Heineken does a good job, including sustainability references almost from cover to cover.
And the brewer has saved €13.5m (£11.5m) through water efficiency projects since 2009, a clear business benefit.
‘Without water Heineken wouldn’t exist’ The Sustainability Review, a section within the report, provides an overview of progress against Brewing a Better World, Heineken’s sustainability strategy, consisting of six areas: water, CO2, sourcing, responsible consumption, health and safety, and communities.
Perhaps it’s time for absolute water targets, or, even better, science-based water targets that will contribute to avoiding a global water crisis.
Heineken ‘should raise its voice’ Considering the potential impact of climate change and water scarcity on Heineken’s business, I’d like to see more about how it’s using its influence, and presence in 190 countries, to advocate for climate action while it is “brewing a better world”.
pete.statham@contexteurope.com See also: Heineken shows its bottle on climate Heineken sustainability report beer Integrated reporting SDGs water management