UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the world to raise its ambition in implementing the Paris climate agreement as the United States weighed pulling out of the landmark emissions-cutting deal. Making his first address on climate since taking the UN helm five months ago, Guterres said it was "absolutely essential" the world implements the 2015 agreement "with … [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...]
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...]
Cape Town goes green with a fleet of electric buses
The ever-expanding MyCiti buses are making another innovative introduction with the rolling out of the Mother City’s first-ever electric vehicles. Come June 2017, Cape Town will see a new fleet of eco-friendly buses navigating our roads, as the innovative and slick MyCiti bus service looks set to roll out 10 12-metre-long electric buses. Aside from an obvious reduction in … [Read more...]
It’s time for Eskom to lead the way in renewable energy
Eskom’s on-going scapegoating of renewable energy as the reason behind its financial woes shows a lack of vision, particularly in the light of the urgent need to develop new jobs beyond the coal industry. Instead, the utility should be leading the country into a greener, more equitable energy future which will help South Africa both create new, cleaner jobs and meet its … [Read more...]
The state of green business in 2017
In 2016, among the world's largest companies showed positive signals in sustainable business KPIs. The challenge of 2017? To identify business models that decouple growth from resource use and pollution, says Trucost CEO Richard Mattison. 2016 was undoubtedly a year of change. Aside from major political shifts, there were also significant shifts in climate action. The … [Read more...]
COP22 climate talks set 2018 deadline to agree rules
Nearly 200 nations agreed around midnight on Friday to work out the rules for a landmark 2015 global deal to tackle climate change within two years in a new sign of international support. At the end of two-week talks on global warming in Marrakesh, which were extended an extra day, many nations appealed to US President-elect Donald Trump, who has called climate change a … [Read more...]
City of Cape Town smokes out emissions culprits
Nearly 8,000 diesel vehicles were tested for dark smoke emissions in a 12-month period, with 68 failures and fines issued totalling just under R30,000, the City of Cape Town said on Saturday. The city was reasonably satisfied with efforts to tackle vehicles emitting dark smoke while using public roads, in contravention of the Air Quality Management by-law, mayoral committee … [Read more...]
Setting the bar for sustainability in hospitality
Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research, in collaboration with 11 international hotel companies, last week released the latest set of benchmarks measuring the sustainability level of a hotel. The publication of the index is part of an ongoing project to empower hotel owners, operators and buyers to check and understand water and electrity usage and carbon … [Read more...]
Climate change will wipe $2.5tn off global financial assets
Climate change could cut the value of the world’s financial assets by $2.5tn (£1.7tn), according to the first estimate from economic modelling. In the worst case scenarios, often used by regulators to check the financial health of companies and economies, the losses could soar to $24tn, or 17% of the world’s assets, and wreck the global economy. The research also showed … [Read more...]
Surge in renewable energy stalls world greenhouse gas emissions
Falling coal use in China and the US and a worldwide shift towards renewable energy have kept greenhouse gas emissions level for a second year running, one of the world’s leading energy analysts has said. Preliminary data for 2015 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector have levelled off at 32.1bn tonnes even as … [Read more...]
Nuclear goes ahead, despite omission from NDC
Nuclear was not part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC document)which our country submitted to COP21 ahead of the conference. Yet now we are going ahead with nuclear? Ahead of COP21 in Paris last year, civil society met with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to give input into the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for South Africa (INDC). … [Read more...]
Unfolding the gift of tomorrow: leaving a legacy
A daily diet of environmental news from across the planet might sound like quite a radical regime. Yet I firmly believe in the right to know how my species is changing the world into which I have delivered three children. It matters to me that they, and all vulnerable species, are comfortable and protected. Breaking down this home, our planet, is as good as a gang of people … [Read more...]
