More than 100 of the world’s fastest growing cities are in Africa. So said Marlene Laros (main picture), lead author of the newly released “the State of African Cities” report by ICLEI, during the launch at the British High Commisioner’s residence in Bishops Court. Africa is also experiencing unprecedented population growth and massive poverty. Africa is predicted to have 3 … [Read more...]
Getting to grips with the shale gas industry
South Africa’s energy policy is going through a rethink in the highest corridors of power with the government declaring a waning interest in coal, and reconsidering its Integrated Resource Plan focus on nuclear and showing a keen focus on natural gas, including shale gas, and hydropower. The discovery and possible exploration development of shale gas in the Karoo is set to … [Read more...]
Russia-Ukraine crisis seeps into UN climate talks
Ukraine is no longer allowed to cooperate with Russia at the UN climate talks, ending one of the firmest bonds around the negotiating table. The crisis between the two former Soviet states broke out earlier this year, when Russia annexed Crimea in response to Ukraine’s decision to pursue a closer relationship with the EU. Since then, Ukrainian negotiators have been … [Read more...]
Fracking: a dead end for Britain
Large-scale fracking is a must for the UK economy, says a new report from the House of Lords. But it confuses opinion with fact, cherry-picks data, and six of its authors have a stake in the industry. The real solutions, writes Tony Bosworth, lie in energy efficiency and renewables. Thursday's report from the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee on shale gas was a … [Read more...]
French energy minister promises 100,000 green jobs
Segolene Royal, appointed French energy and environment minister this month, said she planned to create 100,000 jobs in the next three years with a drive for green growth. Royal told a news conference she wanted to accelerate investment in renewable energies like wind, solar, biomass and marine energy, as well as in insulation of buildings. In coming days, Royal will make … [Read more...]
Illegal miners: Poisoning is better than poverty
Flanked by fields of millet and groundnut, the northern Nigerian outpost of Bagega is so far out on the periphery of the global economy that when the financial crisis struck in 2008 few residents had any idea it was happening. And no one in a village without cars, electricity or tarred roads imagined it would end up indirectly poisoning hundreds of their children. "We knew … [Read more...]
Economic inequity will be the death of us
Civilization was pretty great while it lasted, wasn't it? Too bad it's not going to for much longer. According to a new study, we only have a few decades left before everything we know and hold dear collapses. The report, written by applied mathematician Safa Motesharrei of the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center along with a team of natural and social scientists, … [Read more...]
Global assessment of green growth best practices
The Green Growth Best Practice (GGBP) initiative has released a synthesis of key findings from its review of green growth approaches taken in different countries and regions around the world. This summary report, unveiled at the 1st Global Conference on Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) in Dubai, comes in advance of the release of the full report, which is to be … [Read more...]
Focusing on SA’s water sector skills challenges
According to the Department of Water Affairs , approximately 70% of the gross domestic product of South Africa is supported by water from the Limpopo, Inkomati, Pongola and Orange Rivers. These collectively drain two thirds of the land area. Judicious joint management of these rivers with the relevant neighbouring countries is therefore of paramount importance to South … [Read more...]
SAPIA raises concern about low power demand projections
According to the South Africa Independent Power Producers Association (Sapia), due caution should be exercised when pursuing a reduced energy intensity in an economy that requires further industrialisation and beneficiation, in parallel with increased investment in the knowledge and service aspects of a more developed economy. It says South Africa would do a terrible … [Read more...]
Interconnections imply enhanced systemic risks
“Our lives are changing at an unprecedented pace. Transformational shifts in our economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological systems offer unparalleled opportunities, but the interconnections among them also imply enhanced systemic risks. Stakeholders from across business, government and civil society face an evolving imperative in understanding and … [Read more...]
Climate change’s 7 deadly sinners
It's a chart that no one wants to top, but global warming's worst offenders, in absolute terms, are the US, China, Russia, Brazil, India, Germany and the UK. New calculations suggest that these nations are responsible for more than 60 per cent of the global warming between 1906 and 2005. Damon Matthews of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, and his colleagues … [Read more...]
Portable solar powered buildings coming to a township near you
Made by South African company Structure Now PTY Ltd, the first completed unit to roll off the production line was acquired by Investec and was donated to the Westbury Secondary School in Gauteng. The facility will serve as a teacher training development centre. The enquiries have not stopped since the official opening ceremony organized by The Investec Power and Infrastructure … [Read more...]
