Recent changes made to the National Norms and Standards for Organic Waste Composting by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment will open the doors to many new organics waste composting facilities being able to open. The new norms no longer require Environmental Impact Assessments for composting facilities processing more than 10 tons of organic waste per … [Read more...]
Women in Lephalale tell of the harsh reality of living next to Medupi
While news of the ‘completion’ of the Medupi power station has been met with both celebration and scepticism, women in Lephalale (in Limpopo) and surrounds, however, are filled with dread of having a pollution-intensive coal-fired power station in their backyard and running at full capacity. In addition to the obvious carbon emissions, Medupi will also emit other dangerous and … [Read more...]
Researching climate change’s impact on pangolins
A little over five years ago, Dr Wendy Panaino, a researcher at Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, followed her passion and began the journey to investigate the potential impacts of climate change on the pangolins of Tswalu. Parts of Africa are predicted to get hotter and drier with climate change, yet little is known about how mammals might cope with these changes. The already hot … [Read more...]
Virtual fundraising marathon uplifts community
The Comrades Marathon Centenary Hope Challenge virtual event took place on the 13th of June 2021 following the cancellation of the road race due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the true spirit of Comrades, there was much camaraderie along the route as many runners took to the streets to commemorate the 100th running of the Comrades event. Bearing the campaign theme of … [Read more...]
Time to do waste in a whole different way
South Africans are no strangers to overcoming adversity and challenges, with the ability to rise from whatever is thrown their way, often becoming global role models. Just three years ago the nation was on the verge of the Day Zero water crisis, but through rapid interventions were able to change the way our resources were handled and make the most of a dire situation. What … [Read more...]
There is no vaccine for climate change
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...]
Helping nations gain steam on stronger climate goals
When the Conference of the Parties meets in Scotland this November for COP26 – assuming that they will, in some form or fashion – all eyes will be on the ambition levels of the revised national climate plans that are a part of the Paris Agreement. This meeting of the annual climate conference is where countries are being asked to bring forward ambitious 2030 emissions … [Read more...]
Perfect storm brews after more issues at Koeberg
The Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) says a combination of factors currently impacting the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (Koeberg), on top of Eskom’s inability to keep the power on, could result in the perfect storm for the country. SAFCEI’s Executive Director Francesca de Gasparis says, “It is disturbing that one of Koeberg’s two units has … [Read more...]
SA’s revised climate plans are not ambitious enough
Life After Coal Campaign partners Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), groundWork and Earthlife Africa, along with several civil society groups, have submitted comments on South Africa’s draft updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) – the commitment to tackle climate change under the Paris Agreement. In written arguments submitted on 30 April 2021, ahead of … [Read more...]
Environmental Rights and Remedies course seeks nominations
The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER)’s annual Environmental Rights and Remedies Course for environmental justice activists is a key component of CER’s activist support and training work. Developed from demand from other community partners for rights training and building on existing initiatives like groundWork’s Environmental Justice School, the Rights & Remedies … [Read more...]
Is the Liesbeek River valley under threat of ecocide?
World Environment Day is a day when we are supposed to encourage worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. But some tenacious folks from Change spent it raising funds to go to the High Court to get our authorities to take environmental and heritage protections seriously. The City of Cape Town loves to praise its own record on the environment. Examples … [Read more...]
Restoring natural landscapes through waste clean-ups
Since the start of the pandemic, South Africa has seen a significant increase in the volumes of medical waste and discarded personal protective equipment (PPE). While most parts of the country receive an adequate waste management service to discard medical waste and used PPE, some towns and communities are afflicted with piles of this waste stream from illegal dumping. “It … [Read more...]
Final nail in coffin for proposed Khanyisa station
The Pretoria High Court has declared that the environmental approval for the planned 600MW Khanyisa coal-fired power station has expired. Khanyisa would have been built on the outskirts of Emalahleni, already plagued by toxic air pollution. The court order is effectively the final nail in the coffin for the proposed coal plant - backed by Saudi company ACWA Power - which has … [Read more...]
