As the countdown begins to Shell’s seismic survey off the east coast of South Africa, conservationists are up in arms and are trying to beat the clock in efforts to stop Shell from following through with this operation. Shell announced their plans to commence seismic surveys along the Eastern Cape's Wild Coast, an area renowned for its high marine biodiversity, in just less … [Read more...]
South Africa’s first climate finance deal is a promising start
Climate and environmental justice groups cautiously welcome the $8.5 billion partnership announced at COP26, but demand transparency about the scope and conditions, and accountability by lenders, beneficiaries and the South African government. The partnership between the governments of South Africa, the US, the UK, France, Germany and the EU will mobilise $8.5 billion (R131 … [Read more...]
Safeguarding biodiversity essential to prevent next pandemic
While the world’s attention is focused on controlling COVID-19, evidence points at the biodiversity crisis as a leading factor in its emergence. At first glance, the two issues might seem unrelated, but disease outbreaks and degraded ecosystems are deeply connected. Frédéric Baudron, systems agronomist at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and … [Read more...]
Large-scale home cooling initiative commences across SA
Having been awarded a $100 000 grant by the international Million Cool Roofs Challenge last year to deploy solar-reflective roof coatings, the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) is now underway rolling out this low-tech cooling solution to communities across the country. This initiative is driven by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) with … [Read more...]
The link between overpopulation and the environment
As we prepare to mark World Population Day, 11 July, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), champion of conservation in Africa, draws attention to the link between human population and the environment. The global human population is now more than 7.5 billion people. The United Nations estimates that this number will be nearly 9.8 billion by 2050 – this is 30% higher than it is … [Read more...]
How hard is climate change affecting the world’s poorest nations?
When Nicholas Herold was hunting for data on how much climate change was affecting the world's poorest nations, he was surprised when he couldn't find answers in the published research. "Everyone's spoken for years about how poor countries are going to suffer more – or are suffering more – and I couldn't find one figure actually showing this," the research fellow at the … [Read more...]
Future path towards sustainable cooking in the global south
The role of renewable electricity for the cooking sector in the Global South has been widely underestimated. As the costs of Renewable Energy technologies continue to decline, cleaner and more modern technologies represent an entirely new pathway towards sustainable cooking in developing countries. These are the findings of the new report ‘Beyond Fire’ launched by the … [Read more...]
Can African women change the energy business in Africa?
“Over 645 million Africans do not have energy. The un-normal has become normal,” said Geraldine Joslyn Fraser-Moleketi (pictured, right), who was Minister for the Public Service from 1999 to 2008 at the Africa Energy Indaba held recently in Johannesburg. “Right now we need to light up Africa,” she said. “We should be building up an integral part of the workforce through our … [Read more...]
Fighting for gender equality and climate justice in Bangladesh
Women suffer more than men due to climate change in Bangladesh. Thanks to socio-cultural factors they are more vulnerable and not looked after by their government. Dr Sharmind Neelormi is one of the best known Bangladeshi experts working on gender justice and climate change. She has taught Economics at Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Bangladesh since 1994, with a focus on … [Read more...]
Is South Africa fudging its INDC figures?
WWF South Africa is concerned by the vague and defensive position taken by the SA government in its latest climate change statement of intent (its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution – INDC to the 21st United Nations climate change negotiations conference). There is much room for improvement, and there is still time to do this before the INDC goes to the … [Read more...]
These are the countries most at risk from climate change
Climate change can affect countries and regions in terms of economic and environmental impact. Standard & Poor's has assessed the effects of climate change on a country's economy by evaluating the percentage of population living in coastal areas, the percentage of agriculture that makes up a country's gross domestic product and the vulnerability index developed by the … [Read more...]
Social cost of carbon six times higher than thought
The economic damage inflicted by climate change could be six times worse than previously thought, US scientists have warned. The US government takes climate policy decisions on the basis that emitting one tonne of carbon dioxide incurs US$37 of social costs. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers from Stanford University reached a figure of US$220 a … [Read more...]
Adaptation is the only fair way to tackle climate change
As COP20 concludes, climate consultant Mike Edwards argues that delegates need to consider the need for ‘adaptation’ as well as ‘mitigation’. In early November 2013, I was in San Francisco teaching a cohort of business graduates a course I had cheerily titled: 'Global Crises'. As it was early in the course, I was setting the scene with an introduction to climate … [Read more...]
