Scientists have discovered a previously unknown "impulsive sound" – dubbed the “gunshot” by researchers – that has never been recorded before. The study documented 600 whale calls over 11 days at the Vema Seamount in the Atlantic Ocean, 1,000km off the coast of South Africa. The research was conducted during a Greenpeace International expedition to the region and led by the … [Read more...]
Stop the imminent seismic survey off the Western Cape coast
Civil society movement We Are South Africans has begun the process to seek an interdict to stop Australian company Seismic Searcher from its 2D/3D seismic survey, planned to commence off the Western Cape coast on 15 January. A Reconnaissance Permit in terms of Section 74 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (No. 28 of 2002) was granted by the Petroleum … [Read more...]
Harnessing technology to combat shark trafficking
Recognising the challenges faced by law enforcement officials, WILDOCEANS (a programme of the WILDTRUST) through their ‘Shark & Ray Protection Project’ (underwritten by the Shark Attack Campaign), the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and TRAFFIC have put together a series of training sessions that will assist customs and law enforcement … [Read more...]
World “far short” of Paris climate deal goals, says UN
This Friday the UN’s climate body (UNFCCC) will release an assessment of the 48 national emission reduction plans submitted by the end of 2020. The plans account for 75 parties to the UN, as the EU27 is counted as one bloc, and cover an estimated 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While most countries have incrementally increased ambition, the combined impact puts them … [Read more...]
Acclaim for first vegan and plant powered show
South Africa’s much anticipated inaugural Festive Vegan and Plant Powered Show (FVPPS) took place online at the weekend and proved to be hugely successful. More than 1000 people took part in the six-hour event which featured cooking demonstrations from top local and international chefs, expert health and wellness speakers and a virtual shopping mall. Speaking from his … [Read more...]
South Africans plan mass global demonstration
The immense socio-economic impact under one of the world’s most extreme lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in South Africans uniting for their voices to be heard under a grassroots movement called Move One Million. The movement, launched in July 2020, has garnered interest from half a million South Africans to date and organisers are using a combination of … [Read more...]
Blue Sky Awards launched in SA for young researchers
The local leg of the Blue Sky Young Researchers Innovation Award has been launched by the Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA). The 2020-2021 round is the third edition of this award, organised by the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), to which PAMSA belongs. It invites young students and researchers in wood and fibre-based … [Read more...]
Collapse of civilisation likely according to climate scientists
Australia’s top climate scientist says “we are already deep into the trajectory towards collapse” of civilisation, which may now be inevitable because 9 of the 15 known global climate tipping points that regulate the state of the planet have been activated. Australian National University emeritus professor Will Steffen (pictured) told Voice of Action that there was already a … [Read more...]
Climate change review: humbling lessons from Australia
Australia, like South Africa in the last week and so many other regions across the globe before, has instituted strict lockdown measures to combat the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). Though this is not the first large scale crisis the country has been faced with since the start of the year, as just a few short months ago Australia was still making international headlines … [Read more...]
Wave of protest against rapid 5G rollout coming
So far, groups in the following countries have announced that they are organizing events on 25 January, 2020 as part of the Global Day of Protest against 5G: Australia Austria Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark France Germany Ireland Italy Japan Netherlands New Zealand Norway Poland Portugal Romania Serbia South … [Read more...]
Working together to prevent raptor electrocution
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) recently helped to make history in Australia when Constant Hoogstad, Senior Manager: Industry Partnerships, travelled to Tasmania to facilitate the formalisation of a partnership between Raptor Refuge, a local raptor rehabilitation centre, and Tasmania’s electricity company, TasNetworks. The Eskom/EWT strategic partnership is an example of … [Read more...]
South Africa: home to the world’s most endangered seahorse
The Knysna seahorse is only found in a small section of South Africa and is one of only two seahorse species in the world currently listed as endangered. Locals need to act quickly to save the remaining specimens. Many divers, particularly photographers, have a bucket list of all the species they want to see before age catches up with them and diving is no longer an option. … [Read more...]
What are directors’ duties in respect to climate change?
Directors need to factor climate change into their governance deliberations about strategy, risk management, products and services. So said Sue Lund, member of the Institute of Directors in SA (IODSA) at a recent discussion on directors’ duty of care for the current and long-term sustainability of their organisations – which should translate into measures that both mitigate … [Read more...]
