“This year has been a complete right-off for climate action and a massive knock for the people, especially the youth, of this country! We are in a race against time to keep temperatures well-below 2 degrees or stabilise at 1.5°C degrees, and as it stands, current levels of warming has already resulted in human rights’ violations.” So said Earthlife Africa Johannesburg … [Read more...]
Pesticide spray drift in South Africa
The widespread use of pesticides in agriculture is a serious source of pollution in our country. Not only are farm workers and nearby rural communities suffering severe health issues, due to direct exposure through spray drift, but these agrochemicals contaminate our soil, waterways and underground water. While the Pest Management Act has provisions relating to the impact of … [Read more...]
Clarity needed on safety of ‘plugged’ deep sea oil well
Following the announcement, last week, by oil and gas giant Total that it has “demobilised its Deepsea Stavanger drill rig along with all support vessels, after concluding its drilling activities on the exploration well Luiperd-1X in Block 11B/12B on 23 November 2020”, the Green Connection’s Neville Van Rooy says he is concerned about who will be held responsible for any … [Read more...]
Major climate impacts destroy another coal power plant
Major climate impacts and exorbitant costs have sounded the death knell for one of the last new proposed coal-fired power stations in South Africa: Thabametsi in water-scarce Limpopo. Last week, environmental justice groups Earthlife Africa and groundWork, who have been challenging the Thabametsi power station in court since 2016, secured agreement from both Thabametsi and … [Read more...]
Inga 3 project going ahead amid COVID-19 pandemic
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) concluded a week-long conference in June earlier this year on the beleaguered Grand Inga Dam Project, where South Africa restated its commitment to purchase 5000MW of electricity from the proposed project, and the SA Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy is reported to be pressing ahead with their plans to procure power from the … [Read more...]
R100 000 water enterprise win brings hope to Limpopo families
An R100 000 prize for a non-profit organisation’s excellent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) methods has made a world of difference to rural Limpopo households battling to survive the ravages of drought and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Association for Water and Rural Development (AWARD), which supports sustainable water resources and communities in the water catchment areas … [Read more...]
Financing the future we want
With the climate crisis threatening over half of the global GDP, there can be no business-as-usual when the world begins to plan for a recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, we have a unique opportunity to change our relationship with nature by shifting our development pathway to one that is equitable and sustainable. Development Finance Institutions may be the … [Read more...]
Imagining a just recovery in South Africa
For many climate justice advocates, the trajectory of the Covid-19 pandemic is unsurprising, as it mirrors the very systems and structures that underpin the climate crisis. A new report by the Institute for Economic Justice, 350Africa and the Climate Justice Coalition attempts to show the way to a Just Recovery. The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered the lives of the … [Read more...]
Calling on banks to stop funding East African oil pipeline
Standard Bank, Africa’s biggest lender, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) of Japan are reportedly about to finance a 1,443-kilometer crude oil pipeline through Uganda and Tanzania. If built, the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) would be the longest heated crude oil pipeline in the world. Extinction Rebellion SA condemns the pipeline project and will take … [Read more...]
Plans for logging in Ebo Forest denounced by civil society
Greenpeace Africa and local communities denounce a decision by the Government of Cameroon to open up 68,385 hectares of pristine rainforest to logging. The fate of a 65,007 ha zone of Ebo, also threatened with logging, remains unclear and must also be spared from chainsaws. The 14 July decree to log a zone about half the size of London blatantly ignores requests by local … [Read more...]
Reopening local tourism to secure employment for many
Under lockdown level 3, many sectors have been allowed to trade or operate to some degree. However, the tourism and leisure sectors have remained closed for months, impacting on thousands of jobs and the finances and well-being of millions of South Africans. Reopening local tourism may contribute to securing employment for many, which would act as a lifeboat for vulnerable … [Read more...]
SA’s waste reclaimers tell of their lockdown relief
Informal waste reclaimers have spoken of the dire straits they are facing after being forced to stay home as non-essential workers during the Covid-19 national lockdown, leaving their families unsure of where their next meal will come from. In response, the country’s packaging sector has rallied to their aid, raising funds for the donation and distribution of electronic … [Read more...]
Nature must be protected to reduce the risk of future pandemics
There is a single species that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic - us. As with the climate and biodiversity crises, recent pandemics are a direct consequence of human activity – particularly our global financial and economic systems, based on a limited paradigm that prizes economic growth at any cost. We have a small window of opportunity, in overcoming the challenges of … [Read more...]
