On July 22, 2020 Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams gazetted a new policy on the development of communications networks in South Africa. The motivation for promoting 5G electronic communications networks ‘was for the creation of a digital economy and society’, she said at the time. Activists have criticized the draft policy, that will … [Read more...]
EU Sustainable Taxonomy must be rooted in climate science
The global climate strikes have consistently made a simple demand: listen to the science. We agree. Just as experts and evidence have been key assets in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, so too must they, and not sectoral interests, determine our policies to fight the climate crisis. WWF Central and Eastern Europe, along with a coalition of NGOs, think-tanks, experts and … [Read more...]
Rushing rollout of untested technology very risky
The South African Government is rolling out 5G across our country without our consent. This technology has never been tested so in effect, you and your loved ones are guinea pigs. Why is this a problem? Because there is more than enough evidence on existing 4G and lower generation technologies to warrant a thorough examination of the potential dangers. The South African … [Read more...]
The effect of wireless technology on health
Digital and wireless devices have provided many benefits. However, we are now realizing that the rapid adoption of this novel technology has not been accompanied by adequate regulation, monitoring or safety precautions. Widespread use of digital media and near constant exposure to wireless devices has caused increasing concern among scientists, health care professionals, … [Read more...]
Green New Deal can stimulate economic recovery and create jobs
While lockdown inadvertently helped to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it is critically important that sustainability of the environment is at the heart of post-Covid-19 recovery efforts. This is according to the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). “This is where the much-talked about Green New Deal (GND) becomes crucial and while it’s no panacea … [Read more...]
Profiting from health and ecological crises in Africa
The ACB has shared a research paper about the wave of ‘Trojan horse’ second-generation genetic engineering strategies targeted at, inter alia, malaria in Africa, at a time when the COVID-19 crisis is fracturing the myth that global health expertise is the domain of North America and Europe. Global health can no longer be defined by Western nations, as the world watches with … [Read more...]
World Environment Day calls for an end to nature’s destruction
One million plant and animal species risk extinction, largely due to human activities. These are issues the world cannot lose sight of even as we tackle the coronavirus pandemic and the ongoing climate crisis. The theme for World Environment Day, 5 June 2020, is biodiversity — a call to action to combat the accelerating species loss and degradation of the natural … [Read more...]
Does 5G mean the final knockout for the bees?
The great success in Bavaria, Germany, of the referendum "Save the bees!" shows that the saving of the bees and nature is a big concern for many citizens. Populations of flying insects have declined shockingly by 75 to 80 percent since 1989. The goal of the bill is to counter the loss of species, especially the decline of bees, bumblebees and butterflies, by adjusting … [Read more...]
Ecological reflections on the coronavirus
The coronavirus health crisis is connected to the emergency of extinction, the disappearance of species and the climate emergency. All emergencies are rooted in a mechanistic, militaristic, anthropocentric world view of humans as separate from, and superior to other beings who we can own, manipulate and control. It is also rooted in an economic model based on the illusion … [Read more...]
We have no reason to believe 5G is safe
The telecommunications industry and their experts have accused many scientists who have researched the effects of cell phone radiation of "fear mongering" over the advent of wireless technology's 5G. Since much of the scientists' research is publicly-funded, they believe it is their ethical responsibility to inform the public about what the peer-reviewed scientific literature … [Read more...]
Can coronavirus save the African pangolins?
Wildlife conservationists and enthusiasts around the world have been celebrating an apparent silver lining in the latest coronavirus epidemic since the Xinhua News Agency in China reported earlier this month that researchers had found a 99% genetic match between a virus found in pangolins and the new human coronavirus. The hope of this finding is that humans, frightened of … [Read more...]
Survey reveals common concern of global scientists
The greatest threat to humanity hides in the potential cascading of impacts of five highly-related, highly-likely risks - a collision that can amplify these effects catastrophically, according to a new survey of 222 leading scientists from 52 countries. Conducted by international sustainability research network Future Earth, the survey identifies five global risks - failure … [Read more...]
Global day of protest planned against 5G rollout
While the media’s attention with regard to environmental issues has been captured by climate change, fracking, and plastics in the ocean, the 5G Space Appeal has been has been quietly making its way around the world. Signed by 4,800 scientists, 2,800 medical doctors, 770 beekeepers, 2,000 environmental organizations, and 180,000 others from 202 countries and territories, … [Read more...]
