Chris Bertish, internationally acclaimed speaker, author, big wave surfer, Guinness SUP World Record holder and conservationist, arrived safely at the Aloha Dock at the Hawaii Yacht Club in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 17, completing his historic 2,465-mile expedition to wingfoil across the Pacific Ocean for the TransPacific Wing Project. This endeavour is the world’s first … [Read more...]
Malawi receives US$14.2 million drought recovery insurance payout
In a ceremony presided over by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the African Risk Capacity Group, in the presence of Representatives of Partners organisations (Ambassador of Germany to Malawi), and of the UN system (WFP and UNDP country directors), delivered a symbolic US$14.2 million … [Read more...]
NERSA opposes decision to block Karpowership licenses
On Thursday 19 May, the same day that the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy laid out the department’s uninspiring budget for 2022/23, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) notified The Green Connection that it will oppose the NGO’s court application to review and set aside the decision to grant three electricity generation licenses to Karpowership … [Read more...]
SA youth say, “It is time to put Mother Earth on a carbon diet”
Barely two weeks after the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) visited KwaZulu-Natal to engage communities on climate change and the just transition, the province was hit with the worst floods we have ever seen. No longer merely environmental activist rhetoric, the floods are just more evidence that climate change is real and has devastating impacts, especially for … [Read more...]
Climate-resilient seeds for smallholder adaptation
Climate change is threatening food security in many tropical countries, where a large proportion of food is produced by vulnerable smallholder farmers. Interventions are available to offset many of the negative impacts of climate change on agriculture, and they can be tailored to local conditions often through relative modest investments. However, little quantitative … [Read more...]
Could Cape Town be underwater by 2032?
Imagine Travel in 2032: A world transformed where some of the most fascinating tourism bucket list spots are newly formed desert regions in the Vaal and mysterious attractions in the forgotten undersea cities of Venice and Cape Town, which is now partly in the Atlantic Ocean near Table Mountain Island. And for the most intrepid, adventure-seeking world traveller, extreme … [Read more...]
Oxfam cautions against mining in Lower Zambezi
Oxfam in Southern Africa has expressed concern over the ongoing and highly controversial Lower Zambezi National Park (LZNP) mining saga and cautions the Zambian government on the move to proceed with mining activity in the national park. On 31st January 2022, media reports cited the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment as having indicated that the embattled open-pit … [Read more...]
Thousands affected by Tropical Storm Ana in Mozambique
According to UN News, more than 45,000 people, including 23,000 women and children, are likely to need humanitarian aid, UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said on Thursday. UNICEF is deploying staff and preparing medical and nutrition supplies, water, sanitation and hygiene kits, as well as setting up temporary learning spaces to support children and their families. The agency … [Read more...]
60% of South Africans in denial about climate disaster
Epson has released the results of its global Climate Reality Barometer, which found that almost sixty percent (58.9%) of South Africans surveyed are optimistic that the country will avert a climate crisis in their lifetime. This reveals a potentially damaging gap between perceptions of climate change and people’s understanding of its catastrophic effects. The survey captured … [Read more...]
Accelerating climate-smart development in Africa
The London School of Economics and Political Science’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the University of Stirling and the African Conservation Development Group (ACDG) have partnered to launch forestLAB, a multi-disciplinary research hub that aims to find climate-smart solutions for sustainable development in Africa. The forestLAB … [Read more...]
The profound mental health implications of climate change
A new report by community psychology expert, Dr Garret Barnwell, shows that climate change harms are already negatively impacting our mental well-being and these effects will only accelerate in the future, placing today’s youth and future generations in harm’s way. The findings of the report, commissioned by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) for the African Climate … [Read more...]
Tipping points lead to drastic changes in ecosystems
The danger of irreversibility. This is the big message from Monday’s new IPCC report. We’re reaching irreversible tipping points that will lead to drastic changes in ecosystems with devastating effects for all life on this planet. This report is yet another wake up call and it is finally time for a different response. For some time now, many of us focused on solutions to the … [Read more...]
More decisive action needed on climate change
Responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent comments at the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda, Greenpeace Africa's Climate and Energy Campaign Manager Happy Khambule has said: "The President of South Africa and Chair of the African Union is peddling 20th century solutions to 21st century problems. The President missed an opportunity to rise to the challenges of … [Read more...]