Climate change will breed financial crises and plummeting living standards unless leading states force companies to be transparent about their true carbon emissions, governor of the Bank of England (BoE) Mark Carney has said. Speaking at a conference hosted by Lloyd’s of London on Tuesday, Carney warned insurers are heavily exposed to risks posed by climate change. He argued … [Read more...]
Don’t get lost in a sea of climate information
There was a gathering of the Climate Knowledge Brokers Group to road-test the forthcoming ‘Manifesto’ on climate knowledge. Read the highlights of the event and get a preview of the themes of the Manifesto – which will be launched on 17 September. The Climate Knowledge Brokers Group (CKB) is a network of organisations and professionals focused on improving the quality and … [Read more...]
Opposition grows to South Africa’s $100 billion nuclear plan
South Africa’s plans to build new nuclear plants costing as much as $100 billion are encountering mounting opposition from within the government and ruling party over the project’s affordability. While Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson insists contracts to build new reactors will be awarded by the end of March, the ruling African National Congress and National Treasury … [Read more...]
The bio-fuel start-up that sells cooking gas by the rucksack
Inside a large ramshackle shed a struck match is held to the end of a metal pipe, and a faint blue flame springs into life. Zenebech Alemayehu smiles, puts her finger tips to her lips, then towards the flame, a symbolic kiss for her new biogas business. A single mother with a nine-year-old son to look after, Ms Zenebech, 32, recently bought an Ethiopian franchise from a … [Read more...]
US companies pledge $140 billion to slash carbon emissions
The Obama Administration has rallied some of the largest companies in the nation to commit billions of dollars to slash their environmental footprints to help combat climate change, in an effort to gain momentum before the Paris climate talks in December. Today, the White House launched the “American Business Act on Climate Pledge,” with 13 U.S. businesses—Alcoa, Apple, Bank … [Read more...]
Experts flay Nigeria’s dalliance with coal
Nigeria’s decision to adopt coal as alternative source of generating electricity has attracted several reactions among industry players over the long term health and environmental effects on host communities. The stakeholders who gathered on Tuesday in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, to brainstorm the preferred energy mix for the country raised worrisome questions, particularly … [Read more...]
Wild Coast doc to give special community screenings
What are the prospects - pros and cons to the local community - of titanium excavation along the pristine Wild Coast? Award-winning South African film maker Ryley Grunenwald’s The Shore Break is an environmental documentary, political thriller, family feud story, and classic David and Goliath tale. Filmed in Pondoland in the Eastern Cape, it follows pro- and anti-mining … [Read more...]
Oklahoma earthquakes caused by wastewater disposal
Scientists say they have uncovered the root cause of Oklahoma's recent onslaught of seismic activity: the oil and gas industry’s disposal of billions of barrels of water underground. Now, as the public absorbs this information, Oklahoma’s regulatory bodies are keeping a watchful eye on these disposal wells and planning their next moves. On Tuesday, the Oklahoma Geological … [Read more...]
Concerns abound over amended Fuleni coal mine application
Is it a good idea to develop an anthracite coal mine right on the boundary of the world-renowned Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park? WESSA is deeply concerned about the renewed attempt by Ibutho Coal to do so. The proposed Fuleni mine has the potential to severely and irreversibly impact this flagship nature reserve as well as the communities of the Fuleni-Umhlana area. WESSA … [Read more...]
Are we learning from the fires?
As the fire from Stellenbosch jumps across the Helderberg mountains and spreads down onto the Lourensford estate, Somerset West, everyone’s talking arson. That might be one of the reasons, though I think there is an obvious contributor that is conveniently left out of the discussion: climate change. We know that changing land uses and patterns of dryer and hotter climate has … [Read more...]
Solving climate problems and beyond by looking at core issues
The core drivers of climate change cause other problems too. The good news is, for every problem there’s a group of people who would benefit from solving it. From the first exploratory survey for fossil fuels until the end of the century, when today’s greenhouse gas emissions will still be influencing our planet, the fossil-fuel economy causes harm. Climate advocates have … [Read more...]
SONA: response to environmental commitments
WWF's Salim Fakir asked the Presidency to rethink the so called need for nuclear power in his response to President Jacob Zuma’s 2015 State of the Nation address. He commented on the address in terms of environmental matters: Fakir, Head of WWF’s Living Planet Unit, commended the focus on the energy crisis and the need for both short-term and long-term energy planning. … [Read more...]
New eco Rainbow Warrior in Cape Town for renewable power
Greenpeace’s iconic ship - the Rainbow Warrior – has arrived in Cape Town for a month long tour of the South African coastline, as part of a Greenpeace campaign to highlight the fact that renewable energy investments are the solution to the current electricity crisis. The environmentally friendly ship will dock at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront in South Africa from the 9th – … [Read more...]
