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...]
Let’s raise our voices and demand a just recovery for all
In July, the people that control the budgets of the world’s 20 richest countries – Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors – will meet to discuss how they will spend public money. In the midst of a global health pandemic, where people have lost so much, will they opt for a ‘business as usual recovery’ and bail out industries that drive climate crisis and inequality – or … [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...]
Levels of uranium found in Gauteng hair samples
A novel new study using hair snipped from customers at barber shops across Gauteng has found how residents living in and near gold mining areas are exposed to elevated environmental levels of uranium, which eventually finds its way into their bodies. The study, Human Exposure to Uranium in South African Gold Mining Areas Using Barber-Based Hair Sampling, aimed to uncover … [Read more...]
What does Sydney’s climate emergency mean in practice?
The City of Sydney has became the second state capital in Australia (after Hobart a week earlier) to officially declare a climate emergency. With climate change considered a threat to human life, Sydney councillors unanimously supported a motion put forward by Lord Mayor Clover Moore to mobilise city resources to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the impact of future … [Read more...]
New conference seeks ways to make roads safer for wildlife
It is likely that many drivers have, at some point, accidentally hit an animal on the road. The consequences? Not only an injured or dead animal, but probably an insurance claim, or a visit to the emergency room for various injuries. At the inaugural African Conference for Linear Infrastructure and Ecology (ACLIE) 2019, which was held this past week in the iconic Kruger … [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...]
Japanese government stops testing pesticides on dogs
The Japanese government has announced that it will no longer conduct year-long poisoning tests for pesticides on dogs. The one-year program was developed in order to test the toxicity of agrochemicals. According to Humane Society International (HSI), the tests subjugate groups of beagles to daily doses of pesticides in order to gauge the toxicity to humans. Dogs involved are … [Read more...]
Chevron attacked for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest
A prominent Canadian Indigenous leader and lawyer, Grand Chief Wilton Littlechild, has issued a blistering critique of Chevron in a United Nations speech for poisoning ancestral lands in the Amazon rainforest and engaging in “countless violations” of Indigenous peoples’ rights related to the dumping of billions of gallons of oil waste in Ecuador. The speech by Chief … [Read more...]
Fire and fury: Canada ablaze amid record heatwave
With temperatures toppling 100-year-old records, British Columbia’s raging wildfires have already set the record for the most acres burned. And it’s only mid-August. Meanwhile, the Northwest Territories have been experiencing their own Arctic heatwave, and equally devastating wildfires. One blogger pointed out that on Monday, the intense fires “rapidly expanded to consume a … [Read more...]
Biggest petition for bees EVER!
Bees are facing a giant global crisis that threatens our food supply. Now Canada is considering a game-changing ban on one of the worst bee-killing chemicals. But Big Ag is fighting back, and it’s up to us to stop them. Imidacloprid is a terrifying chemical used on much of the world's fruits and vegetables -- and it's threatening our web of life from bees to insects. Now … [Read more...]
SA sends 300 firefighters to help battle Canadian blaze
Canada is hammered by excessive fires and our skilled firefighters are helping. South Africa has answered the call and is providing aid to Canada. 300 of their firefighters have come to help with the Fort McMurray Beast, landing at Edmonton International Airport a week ago. Anyone who’s ever flown between Canada and South Africa knows that you’re pretty much semi-conscious … [Read more...]
Thousands evacuated as Canadian wildfire spreads South
The wildfires raging through the Canadian province of Alberta have grown into a behemoth blaze that has consumed an area bigger than New York City. They have now scorched 85,000 hectares — 328 square miles — Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said Thursday. By comparison, all five boroughs of New York City add up to 304.6 square miles. Notley warned that the 49 fires, which … [Read more...]
