Climate scientists have begun talking about a strategic ‘managed retreat’ as a response to climate change. This retreat they say is not an admission of defeat, but rather entails “a coordinated movement of people and buildings away from risks, which, in the context of climate change, are approaching from numerous fronts, including sea level rise, flooding, extreme heat, … [Read more...]
Methane emissions urgently need to be reduced
A Global Methane Assessment released today by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) shows that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade. Such reductions would avoid nearly 0.3°C of global warming by 2045 and would be consistent with keeping the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal to limit … [Read more...]
Join the climate action journey this Earth Day
Capetonians are familiar with the impacts of climate change due to the drought and the recent Table Mountain fire. In both instances, residents, businesses, organisations and government have worked together to make a difference. In the face of increasing climatic shocks and stresses, this is the kind of collaborative action that we need to become a more resilient … [Read more...]
EU Commission includes fossil fuels in green taxonomy proposal
For the last year, Central and Eastern European governments have been pressuring the EU to include less restrictive criteria for biomass energy production and to recognise natural gas as a transition fuel towards climate neutrality. They may have realised their ambitions with the current draft of the EU Sustainable Taxonomy proposal. Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) will be … [Read more...]
Paper Recycling 101 for Global Recycling Day
One of the planet’s most pressing problems is the incorrect disposal of waste. About 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated annually, according to the World Bank, with conservative estimates being that at least 33% of that isn’t managed in an environmentally safe manner. With the majority of municipal solid waste coming from homes, Global Recycling Day on … [Read more...]
Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission appointed
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed members of the inaugural Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission (P4C) with effect from 17 December 2020. The establishment of the Commission emanates from the Presidential Jobs Summit held in October 2018 when social partners agreed that a statutory body be formed to coordinate and oversee the just transition towards a … [Read more...]
Cape Town’s pollen level spike cause for concern
This year saw some of the highest recorded pollen counts in history, which had cities from Europe to the US covered in clouds of pollen as a result of global warming. A spike in South Africa's pollen production has also been flagged by local scientists who are calling for an urgent expansion of the country's pollen monitoring programme. Prof Jonny Peter, Head of the … [Read more...]
HBO documentary focuses on solutions to environmental crisis
Ice On Fire, a new HBO documentary focusing on solutions to our escalating environmental crisis, is now streaming first on Showmax in South Africa, just months after its world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. The documentary has a 90% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and “should be essential viewing for anyone who plans to carry on living on the planet,” to quote … [Read more...]
Natural methane release leads to increased atmospheric warming
The World Business Academy has released a 31-page whitepaper addressing a global phenomenon it calls the “Methane Accelerator”: cumulative emissions from massive deposits of methane gas, sequestered for millennia in permafrost, glaciers and marine sediment, but which are now being released due to warmer atmospheric and ocean temperatures. For at least 100 years after it is … [Read more...]
Encouraging young women to make their mark in energy
It is crucial that young women be inspired to enter the energy and science sectors at an early age, while still in primary school, because often by the time they reach high school their attention is drawn to the commercial sector, says Dr Thembakazi Mali, Interim CEO for the SA National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI), who adds that while there is an increase in the … [Read more...]
The denim industry’s dirty little secret
Pollution from the world’s largest denim companies like Wrangler, Tommy Hilfiger, and Calvin Klein is contributing to the terrible air quality that’s killing 4,400 people every single day in China, SumOfUs reports. And worst yet, these companies won’t reveal how much toxic carbon they’re spewing into the atmosphere from burning coal — one of the key contributors to both … [Read more...]
Getting to grips with climate feedbacks
From catastrophic chain-reactions which could push us into dangerous climate change, to cooling effects which balance out global warming, climate feedbacks are an important area of research for scientists. This happens when a change in our climate causes an impact which changes our climate further - a knock-on effect which feeds back into our climate. There are two kinds … [Read more...]
Automation to cut 20 million vehicles from roads by 2025
New concepts in personal transport built on digital technologies could reduce the amount of cars needed on urban roads globally by up to 20 million vehicles per year in 2025, offering huge sustainability benefits and an improved experience for travellers. These are some of the key findings of new research published recently by BT and Frost & Sullivan. The research, … [Read more...]
