Against massive protest from activists, scientists, fisheries and the international community, the Norwegian government is moving forward with the planned opening of Arctic waters to deep sea mining. Frode Pleym, Head of Greenpeace Norway, said: “This is a disaster for the ocean, and shameful for Norway. The Norwegian government is not only ignoring hundreds of concerned … [Read more...]
Powering up climate solutions with renewables
South African eco-justice activists joined the global movement Power Up for Climate Solutions to kick off a month (from 3 November to 9 December) of environmental and climate action in the lead up to COP28 outside Parliament on Friday. The Green Connection, African Climate Alliance, Extinction Rebellion, 350.org, and Project 90 by 2030 joined others around the world in a … [Read more...]
Civil society welcomes progress on the Climate Change Bill
The Life after Coal campaign welcomes the passing of the Climate Change Bill in the National Assembly, paving the way for it to go to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence. Once agreed to there, it can be signed into law by the President and become the country’s first Climate Change Act. This long-awaited legislation governs South Africa’s climate action and … [Read more...]
Fishers disappointed with DWOB oil and gas approval
The Green Connection and affected small-scale fishers say they are disappointed (but not surprised) with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE) approval of TotalEnergies’ Deep Western Orange Basin (DWOB) Oil and Gas drilling application on the West Coast. The Green Connection says it will appeal the decision. The Green Connection’s Community Outreach … [Read more...]
Government secrecy over coal plant decommissioning report
Civil society is concerned about National Treasury’s delay in releasing crucial information relevant to the future of coal-fired power plants in South Africa. Treasury announced in February this year that it had commissioned an independent review of Eskom’s 14 coal-fired power plants and that the review would be concluded by mid-2023. However, it has still not released … [Read more...]
Biden administration announces $82 million for right whale conservation
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has announced USD 82 million (EUR 77 million) for North Atlantic right whale conservation and recovery efforts. Of the total, USD 36 million (EUR 34 million) will be used for monitoring and modeling, roughly half of which will be dedicated to passive acoustic monitoring along the U.S.East Coast. An additional USD 20 million … [Read more...]
Civil society urges phase-out of dangerous pesticides
373 civil society and Indigenous Peoples organizations from 74 countries urged leaders at a historic global conference to act with urgency to phase out Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs). This particular group of pesticides cause the most severe harm to human health and the environment and are considered too dangerous for use. The petition letter to governments and other … [Read more...]
The ‘no-nonsense’ Climate Ambition Summit
The race to protect the planet is about to accelerate, as world leaders, business giants, and experts gather to attend the Climate Ambition Summit on Wednesday. Almost all indicators are off-track or heading in the wrong direction. Extreme weather events are displacing millions of people, the world is heating up, and out-of-control wildfires continue to cause death and … [Read more...]
Climate justice resistance against oil and gas corporations
From 13 - 14 September 2023, government officials and corporate representatives are gathering at the Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Cape Town. The conference is a carbon criminal gathering meant to accelerate the destruction of the planet and all life forms through the increased emission of greenhouse gases. One of the objectives of the conference is to expand oil … [Read more...]
New guides to tackle climate change adaptation
The Initiative for Climate Action Transparency (ICAT) has launched three new guides targeted at climate change decision makers leading adaptation policies and projects. By using the new guides, decision makers could effectively assess climate change adaptation project proposals, enhance measurement and evaluation (M&E) frameworks for adaptation activities to encompass … [Read more...]
Coastal communities are all-in to protect our oceans
As an eco-justice organisation that works with coastal communities to help them better protect the natural resources they depend on – as part of its Who Stole Our Oceans campaign – for The Green Connection and the small-scale fishers working with them, every day is Oceans Day. After 31 years of claiming to pay homage to this precious resource, decision-makers the world over, … [Read more...]
Ecocide bill submitted to congress in Brazil
The Brazilian political party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL) will today (June 5th) submit a new Ecocide Bill to the Brazilian Congress. The proposed ecocide law seeks to criminalise “performing illegal or wanton acts with the knowledge that they generate a substantial probability of serious and widespread or long-term damage to the environment.” The wording of the … [Read more...]
SAFCEI responds to government plans for new nuclear
Reacting to the news from parliament this week that government plans, once again, to procure new nuclear, the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) says that decision-making from the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) is moving South Africa in the wrong direction. According to the multi-faith environmental justice organisation, … [Read more...]
