300 organizations from 69 countries have launched a Rivers for Climate Global Declaration calling on governments and leaders attending COP26 to protect river ecosystems and stop using scarce climate funds to finance false climate solutions such as hydropower. Representing the views of civil society, peoples movements, Indigenous Peoples’ organizations, scientists, and … [Read more...]
Concern grows over mega-polluting MMSEZ project
As the world prepares for COP26 (starting on 31 October 2021 in Glasgow Scotland), a small community in the far north of Limpopo province grow increasingly concerned about the potentially devastating impacts of the proposed Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) mega-project. The women of the Mulambwane Community – about one hundred of whom held a peaceful … [Read more...]
Predicting our future climate to conserve SA’s rich biome
Ancient pollen grains found in sediment cores dating back thousands of years are helping scientists to shed light on the earth’s past and future climates. Dr Lynne Quick, a palynologist at Nelson Mandela University, who is currently working on the development of new paleoenvironmental records in Southern Africa says there’s much more to pesky pollen and fungal spores that … [Read more...]
Faith communities call for climate justice
It is two weeks before the international climate change meeting, COP26, and faith communities around the world are demanding “compassionate, loving, and just” climate commitments by governments and financial institutions. People of faith have become increasingly impatient that governments, corporations, and financial institutions have not addressed the climate crisis despite … [Read more...]
Accelerating climate-smart development in Africa
The London School of Economics and Political Science’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the University of Stirling and the African Conservation Development Group (ACDG) have partnered to launch forestLAB, a multi-disciplinary research hub that aims to find climate-smart solutions for sustainable development in Africa. The forestLAB … [Read more...]
Change needed as climate disasters threaten Africa
With COP26 around the corner, our focus should be on the devastating impact of climate change as we mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction today, observed annually to raise awareness about disaster reduction risk. That’s the word from Lesley Ndlovu, CEO African Risk Capacity (ARC) Limited, a specialist insurance company that provides parametric coverage to … [Read more...]
Discovering your personal power during a climate emergency
COP26 is a pivotal point in the future of our planet and its inhabitants, and most of us don't have a seat at the table. Do you feel frustrated and powerless when you read the headlines about the climate crisis and the lead up to COP26? Do you trust our governments to make the right decisions? Discovering your Personal Power during a Climate Emergency will reconnect … [Read more...]
Investors pushing the drive to net zero
Ninety One has published the second edition of the Planetary Pulse survey, Investing for a Carbon Free World: What Investors Want. The survey of more than 6000 individual investors across ten markets (UK, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, US, and Canada) found that investors are ready to support the drive to net zero, with half stating that … [Read more...]
Climbing the ladder of awareness
When it comes to our understanding of the unfolding global crisis, each of us seems to fit somewhere along a continuum of awareness that can be roughly divided into five stages: 1. Dead asleep At this stage there seem to be no fundamental problems, just some shortcomings in human organization, behaviour and morality that can be fixed with the proper attention to … [Read more...]
When will Africa embrace ecological agriculture?
As COVID-19 threatens farming communities across Africa already struggling with climate change, the continent is at a crossroads. Will its people and their governments continue trying to replicate industrial farming models promoted by developed countries? Or will they move boldly into the uncertain future, embracing ecological agriculture? It is time to choose. Africa is … [Read more...]
How to reduce your digital impact on the environment
Whether you’re sending an email, searching the internet or even just storing your messages, it may all seem perfectly harmless, but the environmental consequences are real. What is digital pollution and how can we reduce our impact? Digital pollution is the pollution created by the use of electronic devices and by web browsing in particular. This pollution largely emanates … [Read more...]
Equipping African decision makers with biodiversity data
It is easy to go through each day without ever comprehending the stability of the ground we walk on, the quality of the air we breathe or the state of the soil that nourishes our next meal. The assumption of nature’s endless abundance and the carefree attitude many carry about the environment makes the need to equip African governments, businesses and policymakers with … [Read more...]
Africa’s largest plastics recycler switches to solar energy
A new state-of-the-art 1.3MWp solar power plant will power green recycling for the African continent. Extrupet is one of the largest and most advanced recyclers of plastics on the African continent and recycles more than 4 million PET bottles every day at their Wadeville facility. With the switch to renewable energy, Extrupet has become one of the first companies in the … [Read more...]
