One of the best motivating forces for recycling plastic waste comes from the income opportunities that it creates. This is why South Africa has such a large sector of informal waste pickers – citizens that collect plastic recyclables from landfills and other waste streams and sell them to recycling companies for a profit. Waste management is an important part of society. … [Read more...]
Soweto recycling entrepreneur cleans up with equipment boost
With a desire to clean up Soweto, educate the community and combat the problem of overfull landfills, waste management company Pendowave founder and MD Gordon Nkuta has built a thriving recycling business and has now earned the support of one of the world’s largest polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic converters. Nkuta started his buy-back centre in Diepkloof Zone 6 in … [Read more...]
Global climate strike: if a kid says help, you help
One year ago, Greta Thunberg began her “school strike for the climate’’. Her argument was that if the world’s adults weren’t willing to prepare the planet for her generation, they had no right to demand that her generation spend their youth preparing for the future. Kids across the planet saw the logic. Since then the biggest days of youth-led action have seen 1.4 million … [Read more...]
Mali’s efforts to improve access to renewable energy gets a boost
The World Bank’s board of executive directors approved a $22.7 million financing to support Mali’s efforts to promote the deployment of renewable energy in rural areas. The financing package is composed of a $20 million equivalent credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and a $2.7 million grant from the Japan Policy and Human Resources Development … [Read more...]
Pope to oil execs: we can’t wait to fight climate change
Speaking to oil company executives, Pope Francis on Friday said that climate change “threatens the very future” of humanity, adding that the “doomsday predictions” can no longer be met with disdain. “Time is running out!” Francis said. “Deliberations must go beyond mere exploration of what can be done, and concentrate on what needs to be done. We do not have the luxury of … [Read more...]
5 ‘green’ taxes that are hitting South Africans in the pocket
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has released a graph showing all of the additional environmental taxes that South Africans are currently paying. The organisation said that these taxes have contributed a total of R103. 61 billion, but have not been clearly linked to real changes in behaviour. “It would be disastrous if an issue as critical as climate change was … [Read more...]
Without climate action, economic growth ‘will be reversed’
Without rapid transformation of global economies to largely eliminate climate-changing emissions, countries face economic decline as the costs of wilder weather and other threats soar, British economist Nicholas Stern warned on Wednesday. “There is no high-carbon growth story in anything like the medium or long term,” he told business and government officials at an … [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...]
PET plastic bottles crest SA’s recycling wave
As the global movement away from single-use plastics gathers momentum, South Africa continues to make significant strides in its PET plastic recycling efforts. According to the latest statistics released by national industry body PET Recycling Company (PETCO), 98 649 tonnes of post-consumer PET plastic bottles were recycled last year alone, saving 612 000 cubic metres of … [Read more...]
Take the climate solutions quiz
To reduce our impact on the climate and avert disaster, it’s going to take more than switching to high-efficiency light bulbs. But the most effective ways that individuals, policymakers and businesses can reduce our carbon footprint might surprise you. Let’s see how much you know about what can be done to fight climate change. Take the climate solutions quiz at CNN. … [Read more...]
Standard Bank tables first SA shareholder resolution on climate risk
Standard Bank’s Notice of Annual General Meeting, released on 17 April 2019, includes a resolution proposed by shareholders that would require the bank to prepare a report on its exposure to climate risk in its lending, financing and investment activities. This is the first time that a South African company has tabled a shareholder resolution on any climate-related issue. … [Read more...]
Global funding helps Cape Town school go solar
Solar micro-leasing marketplace Sun Exchange announced on Wednesday that it would be a key partner in providing solar power for several Western Cape Education Department schools, starting with Protea Heights Academy in Cape Town. Sun Exchange enables schools and businesses to have solar power installed with no upfront or ongoing operational costs. With immediate savings on … [Read more...]
Empowering entrepreneurs by strengthening rural skills
Certain communities in South Africa are more marginalized, with little or no opportunity or clear pathways for economic progress. It is in these under-resourced areas where unemployment is the most acute. Education levels are low, and job opportunities and livelihood creation are scarce which further exacerbates the dependence on social grants. WILDLANDS, through a programme … [Read more...]
