There was good news and bad news for the world's coral reefs last week. The good news, announced 19 June, is that the global coral bleaching event that started in 2015 appears to be over, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Silver Spring, Maryland. The bad news, released 23 June, is that the 3 successive years of bleaching conditions … [Read more...]
China landslide: desperate search for survivors continues
Thousands of rescuers are searching through rubble to find 93 people missing after a landslide devastated their village in Sichuan province, southwestern China. Dozens of homes were buried when the landslide hit Xinmo village in Mao County, Aba Prefecture Saturday morning. According to the Mao County Government Press Office 10 bodies had been recovered since the beginning … [Read more...]
Once again, climate change cited as trigger for conflict
The national security establishment needs to prepare for a series of global crises sparked by climate change, a group of experts wrote in a report released today. The analysis by the Center for Climate and Security identifies 12 “epicenters” where climate change could stress global security, possibly igniting conflicts around the world. American diplomats and military … [Read more...]
Climate change evident in Cape storm and Knysna fires
The mother of all storms. The worst drought in a century. More intense fires than any in living memory. The hottest years on record. This is the new normal. South Africa’s climate is changing and with that comes extreme weather. Events such as crippling storms and droughts, which used to happen once a century, will happen every decade, or more frequently. We know this. There … [Read more...]
Taiwan to phase out nuclear power by 2025
The Cabinet reiterated Monday the government's resolve to move away from nuclear power, as it sought to reassure environmentalists who were protesting against the recent reactivation of a reactor at the country's second nuclear power plant. The government remains committed to the goal of decommissioning the three operational nuclear power plants as scheduled and making … [Read more...]
Trump poised to quit Paris climate deal
US President Donald Trump is poised to pull the country out of the Paris climate accord, US media report, quoting senior officials. The 2015 accord for the first time united most of the world in a single agreement to mitigate climate change. It was signed by 195 countries out of 197 in a UN group on climate change, with Syria and Nicaragua abstaining. In a tweet on … [Read more...]
Time to end our destructive obsession with economic growth
The idea that the economic “pie” can grow indefinitely is alluring. It means everybody can have a share without limiting anybody’s greed. Rampant inequality thus becomes socially acceptable because we hope the growth of the economy will eventually make everybody better off. The Conversation In my new book “Wellbeing Economy: Success in a World Without Growth” I point out … [Read more...]
Quick action vital for GHG emission reporting regulations
On 3 April 2017, the South African Minister of Environmental Affairs Ms Bomo Edith Edna Molewa gazetted the National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Reporting Regulations under the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act. According to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), the GHG Emission Reporting Regulations aim to introduce a single national reporting … [Read more...]
Climate change is already forcing U.S. communities to abandon their homes
Projections of climate-fuelled sea level rise show terrifying scenarios with major economic centers like New York and Miami losing much of their land to rising seas. But for some communities in the United States, losing land to climate change isn’t a future nightmare — it’s a present and daily struggle. According to new analysis from the Center for Progressive Reform, at … [Read more...]
Translating climate science to society through playing
Games are not just child’s play, and their value stems beyond a good laugh! Learning through play is a term used in education and psychology to describe how we can learn to make sense of the world around us. In essence, play can supercharge learning and therefore has the potential translate climate science to society. Simulation gaming (or modelling) is not a new concept, … [Read more...]
The Earth just reached a CO2 level not seen in 3 million years
Some records aren’t meant to be broken — but when it comes to climate change, humans still haven’t gotten the memo. Last fall, the Earth passed a major climate milestone when measurements taken at Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory showed that atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide had passed — potentially permanently — 400 parts per million. This week, measurements … [Read more...]
De Lille to address Cape Town drought intervention plans
The mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, will join a panel discussion on Tuesday to discuss the city's interventions in the metro's drought crisis. De Lille will address the Climate Change Coalition at Green Point Urban Park, and will also discuss the city's stance on climate change, and the risks associated as a water-scarce city. The event will take place at the … [Read more...]
First SA climate change ruling – minister guilty of not considering impact
In South Africa’s first climate change litigation the court’s key finding was that Earthlife Africa (ELA) was correct in claiming that the Minister should have considered the new power station’s climate change impacts before deciding whether to authorise it. On 8 March 2017, the North Gauteng High Court handed down a landmark ruling in Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s (ELA) … [Read more...]
