The government has been put under intense pressure to assure South Africans that the roll-out of 5G will not pose health risks, such as increased cancer cases. Civil protests have erupted in many countries across the world against the fifth generation cellular network technology, as doctors and scientists have warned that it would substantially increase exposure to … [Read more...]
5G mast opposed in Ireland over health concerns
A local community in Enniscrone says it will fight plans to construct a 5G telecommunications mast at an ESB substation in the seaside village, citing health concerns. The proposed mast would be just metres from a residential area and also in close proximity to five housing estates, a creche and a nursing home. Locals say they feel deceived by … [Read more...]
Government sued for air pollution in Mpumalanga coal belt
South Africa’s government is being sued for failing to crack down on some of the world’s worst air pollution emitted by power plants operated by Eskom and refineries owned by Sasol. The case was filed in the Pretoria High Court by groundWork, an environmental-rights organisation, and the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, according to a statement sent by their … [Read more...]
Getting the youth ready to face environmental challenges
Delta Environmental Centre (DEC) trained 37 trainers in April after it was appointed one of the training service providers for the Mass Training programme (DMT) of the department of environmental affairs which is part of the department’s Environmental Protection and Infrastructure Programmes (EPIP). DEC will be responsible for Project Management and Training implementation … [Read more...]
Levels of uranium found in Gauteng hair samples
A novel new study using hair snipped from customers at barber shops across Gauteng has found how residents living in and near gold mining areas are exposed to elevated environmental levels of uranium, which eventually finds its way into their bodies. The study, Human Exposure to Uranium in South African Gold Mining Areas Using Barber-Based Hair Sampling, aimed to uncover … [Read more...]
Antarctic sea ice’s sudden decrease bad news for SA
After studying 40 years of satellite data, NASA climatologist Claire Parkinson has found that levels of Antarctic sea ice have plummeted dramatically since 2014, after years of steadily increasing. The implications for South Africa could be serious. The decrease in sea ice levels in the Arctic has become a symbolic representation of climate change over the last few years, … [Read more...]
Whatever happened to South Africa’s new Green Deal?
There is a question mark in the headline precisely because whatever new Green Deal there was in the making in South Africa has come to a standstill. Elements of it were contained in the National Growth Plan (NGP), the National Development Plan (NDP), the Green Fund run by the Development Bank of SA (DBSA) and an endless caravan of policy papers, conferences and jamborees on the … [Read more...]
Civil society denounces release of GM mosquitoes in West Africa
Civil society organisations from around the world have denounced the release of genetically modified (GM) “male-sterile” mosquitoes in Burkina Faso, a landlocked country in West Africa. The GM mosquitoes were released in the village of Bana on 1 July 2019 by the Target Malaria research consortium. The open release is intended to test the infrastructure and systems for future … [Read more...]
Farmers stand up against ‘wilful ignorance’ on climate
The last Australian elections may have left the impression with voters that farmers and rural people in general do not accept climate science because there was no seismic shift of seats. Yet this week the agricultural thinktank, the Australian Farm Institute, gathered farmers and their advocacy groups to talk about the impacts of global warming on the already risky business … [Read more...]
Adults owe teen climate activists the earth
We are handing our youth a climate-unstable world that could to be way more ugly, brutish, and short than the one Hobbes thought our hunter-gatherer ancestors evolved in. We owe it to the next generation to give them everything they need to prepare for it, writes Leonie Joubert on Youth Day. Read full article at Daily Maverick. … [Read more...]
Ramaphosa named in multi-billion-rand coal pollution court case
It has been 12 years since the South African government officially recognised the lethal levels of air pollution caused by the Eskom and Sasol plants on the Mpumalanga and east Gauteng Highveld. In that time, with international experts linking our national coal-fired pollution to thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of chronic illnesses a year — costing the economy in … [Read more...]
Environmental group enters legal fight over Cape Town’s bid to procure its own electricity
The Centre for Environmental Rights has applied to be a friend of the court in the case in which the City of Cape Town is seeking to be allowed to procure its own renewable energy without needing permission from the national energy minister. The matter is being heard in the high court in Pretoria. The organisation said on Tuesday that municipalities, which accounted for 40% … [Read more...]
African businesses urged to dive into Blue Economy
African businesses are being challenged to wake up to the economic, social and environmental power of the Blue Economy. Africa Blue Economy Forum (ABEF) comes to Tunis on June 25-26; Confirmed speakers include Government ministers and officials from Gabon, Ghana, Morocco, Somaliland, Tunisia and Seychelles; Aims to raise awareness of the economic, social and environmental … [Read more...]
