Leaders of the world’s major democracies are due to hold emergency talks this weekend on the wildfires engulfing the Amazon, as international efforts to force Brazil to change its deforestation policies gathered momentum. As heads of state and government were due to arrive at the G7 in Biarritz on Saturday, France and Ireland threatened to block the Mercosur free-trade … [Read more...]
Climate action workshop seeks to educate Cape Town’s youth
With less than a month to prepare for what may be the biggest global climate strike action to date – scheduled for Friday 20 September – 350 Africa and HoneyBush Communications will host its first-ever Youth Artivism Workshop, at Community House in Salt River on 24 August from 9am – 4pm. Through the workshop – which seeks to raise awareness about climate change among the … [Read more...]
Mpumalanga a hotspot for deadly sulphur dioxide emissions
NASA satellites have found the Kriel area in Mpumalanga to be a global hotspot for deadly sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions. A new study commissioned by Greenpeace India used NASA estimates of anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from hotspots around the world, based on data from the agency's satellites. The study found that Kriel in Mpumalanga, with its high … [Read more...]
Malaysia is fighting the climate crisis with green architecture
More than a third of all worldwide energy is consumed by buildings and construction, so a new generation of architects are designing structures that both respond to Malaysia’s climate whilst also being sympathetic to the global climate emergency. Award-winning Malaysian architect Eleena Jamil, who has utilised bamboo in her structures, explains the importance of embracing … [Read more...]
Coal power: 50% less jobs, 1000 times more destruction
As our new Minister of Mineral and Energy Resources fights to keep our economy in the dark ages, aided and abetted by a media sector credulous enough to repeat ‘clean coal’ rhetoric,* it’s worth trying to get a sense of the full damage being done. As a Minister, his duty is to a Constitution that aims to extend the human and socio-economic rights of all South Africans; but his … [Read more...]
Land reform process must take climate crisis into account
The evidence is clear: if we don’t factor land use considerations into near-term planning the land may well be of no use to anyone in the long term. With pressure building on politicians to make good on the largely unimplemented land reform process linked to the increasingly urgent need to address inequality and unemployment, the debate on expropriation without compensation … [Read more...]
Coal is unaffordable and deadly, and we don’t want it
South Africa must never build another coal-fired power station. Next month, on September 20, we will take to the streets to demand this. Across South Africa we will be joined by school children striking to prevent a future ruined by carbon emissions and a deepened climate crisis. “You’ll die of old age. We’ll die of climate change,” they will cry. We will be joined around … [Read more...]
African science for African sustainability
Africa’s story has for many years been recorded by those who did not speak her languages, know her legends or count their families among her people. Inasmuch as our past influences our future direction, the African story can too be easily delineated by experts who cannot fully understand the needs and peculiarities of communities on the continent. Africa requires … [Read more...]
The global rise of crucial eco-restoration camps
For millennia we humans roamed the vast lands of this planet Earth, foraging for foodstuffs, hunting animals to supplement our diet as necessary. We took what we could find, as needed, and our searches led us across the accessible landmasses. It is fascinating to think of the various landscapes that scores of successive generations saw - Earth in a state before any human … [Read more...]
This CO2-powered turbine can power a small town
A recently developed carbon dioxide powered turbine could produce super efficient energy – and it is remarkably small. Engineers from GE Global Research unveiled a turbine that could provide power for 10,000 homes. But what’s truly remarkable about this turbine is its potential to solve the world’s energy challenges. Typically, turbines weigh tons and use steam to … [Read more...]
Wildfires and heatwaves: how the Arctic is nearing a point of no return
Many of the globe’s far northern regions have been experiencing extreme weather events over the past two months. Plumes of smoke have been picked up by satellites from wildfires across Alaska and Siberia and Greenland has experienced rapid ice loss as usually frigid regions have experienced heatwaves and record temperatures. As the Arctic faces extreme weather events caused … [Read more...]
Climate change: narrating a history beyond the triumph of humanity
One reason why people find it difficult to think about climate change and the future may be their understanding of human history. The present day is believed to be the product of centuries of development. These developments have led to a globalised world of complex states, in which daily life for most people is highly urbanised, consumerist and competitive. By this account, … [Read more...]
18 months to restore nature’s equilibrium
Humanity has 12 years to dramatically rein in carbon emissions to prevent the worst effects of climate change, as outlined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) sobering report last year. But the real climate deadline is just 18 months from now. That is the assessment made by a number of climate scientists and world leaders, who point to 2020 as the … [Read more...]
