In a ceremony presided over by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Risk Capacity Group, in the presence of Representatives of Partners organisations (Ambassador of Germany to Malawi), and of the UN system (WFP and UNDP country directors), delivered a symbolic US$14.2 million … [Read more...]
Number of wildfires to rise by 50% by 2100
Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with a global increase of extreme fires of up to 14 per cent by 2030, 30 per cent by the end of 2050 and 50 per cent by the end of the century, according to a new report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal. The paper calls for a radical change in government … [Read more...]
Communities call out questionable oil and gas projects
It has been two years since The Green Connection, under its Who Stole Our Oceans campaign, started working with coastal communities whose livelihoods are being threatened by offshore oil and gas projects. The initiative is focused on protecting the oceans, particularly through opposing offshore oil and gas. In addition, and critical to the campaign, is empowering coastal … [Read more...]
Mining threatens fisheries in the West Coast
Coastal mining along the West Coast is expanding at an alarming rate, increasingly threatening the environment and livelihoods of small-scale fisheries and coastal communities. Currently there are many different companies that have applied for or been allocated permits and right for oil and gas exploration as well as prospecting or mining on coastal land, the beaches, in the … [Read more...]
Big Tobacco, clean up your mess!
Protect our Next advocacy organisations have launched a campaign calling for Big Tobacco to clean up its mess called ‘Susa Udoti Wakho - #yourbuttsstink.’ The 2022 World Health Organisation (WHO) theme - “Tobacco: Threat to our environment” - focuses on the damaging impact tobacco has on the planet throughout its lifecycle, including deforestation, erosion, water pollution … [Read more...]
Developing a sustainable venison sector in Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations says that wild meat possesses several added advantages over domesticated species in terms of range usage, physiological and ecological adaptations to the African environment, disease tolerance and productivity, crediting it among the healthiest meats available. This year as part of the annual Taste of Game campaign, … [Read more...]
Communities speak out against Wild Coast seismic surveys
In the run-up to next week’s highly contentious court hearings to stop Shell’s seismic surveys and any further bids to explore the Wild Coast for offshore oil and gas, communities in the Eastern Cape are speaking out against traditional leaders who, at the end of April, following secret meetings with Minister Gwede Mantashe (in February 2022), agreed to support oil and gas … [Read more...]
Protecting SA’s oceans from offshore oil and gas
Yesterday, The Green Connection launched its public awareness and information sharing campaign – which is part of a bigger initiative, called Who Stole Our Oceans – in a bid to stop further government investment in fossil fuels, particularly offshore oil, and gas. According to The Green Connection’s Strategic Lead Liziwe McDaid, the goal of the public campaign is to … [Read more...]
Public invited to comment on Bellville’s future
The Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP) urges local residents, businesses, and investors to comment on the City of Cape Town’s draft local spatial development framework (LSDF) for the Bellville Central Business District (CBD). The draft LSDF proposes the City’s vision for the regeneration of the Bellville CBD, the second metropolitan node of the Mother City. Bellville CBD … [Read more...]
NERSA opposes decision to block Karpowership licenses
On Thursday 19 May, the same day that the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy laid out the department’s uninspiring budget for 2022/23, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) notified The Green Connection that it will oppose the NGO’s court application to review and set aside the decision to grant three electricity generation licenses to Karpowership … [Read more...]
SA youth say, “It is time to put Mother Earth on a carbon diet”
Barely two weeks after the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) visited KwaZulu-Natal to engage communities on climate change and the just transition, the province was hit with the worst floods we have ever seen. No longer merely environmental activist rhetoric, the floods are just more evidence that climate change is real and has devastating impacts, especially for … [Read more...]
Climate-resilient seeds for smallholder adaptation
Climate change is threatening food security in many tropical countries, where a large proportion of food is produced by vulnerable smallholder farmers. Interventions are available to offset many of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, and they can be tailored to local conditions often through relative modest investments. However, little quantitative … [Read more...]
Nuclear energy is not affordable or safe
It has been five years since the High court ruling (on 26 April 2017) that exposed the severity of state corruption and halted government’s “illegal and unconstitutional” R1-trillion nuclear energy deal with Russia. This collective action, which gave Freedom Month a whole new meaning to all those involved, was a national effort by many civil society organisations, academics … [Read more...]
