Around the world, climate change, violence and poverty are forcing people from their homes. The UN’s refugee agency estimated that by mid-2022, there were 103 million people displaced from their homes, compared to 90 million at the end of 2021. People who are displaced are increasingly moving to urban areas, but many still end up […]

According to Patrick Hanson, the CEO of Luxaviation, a Luxembourg-based luxury airline firm, having pets can be just as polluting as travelling by private jet. In defence of his own industry, he declared recently that one of his company’s customers produces around 2.1 tonnes of CO₂ each year, roughly the same emissions as three pet […]

Suited executives with money bulging from their pockets poured oil over an iceberg in Kalk Bay on Monday while holding signs stating “profit before planet”, and “finders keepers”. A sign on the iceberg read: “Antarctica for peace and science”. The executives and the model iceberg were part of a performance by activist group Extinction Rebellion […]

One major challenge is the worsening power cuts, which heavily impact the energy-dependent agricultural sector. South Africa’s agriculture has had great consecutive seasons since 2019/20. The sector’s gross value added grew by 14.9% in 2020, 8.8% in 2021 and modestly by 0.3% in 2022 . This was primarily supported by favourable weather conditions. The current […]

The consistent rain is expected to continue in some parts of the Western Cape during the cold winter season. This will help in balancing and increasing dam water levels in the province. ALSO READ: Western Cape dam water levels, improved figures from last week Unlike other provinces, the Western Cape is blessed with some rain during this […]

The Free State has recorded one of the worst decrease in dam water levels this past week. However, there is hope because rain is expected. ALSO READ: Free State Weather: COLD but sunny day expected Dam water levels have been increasing throughout several provinces in the country and the Free State has been one of those […]

The Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill currently being considered by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Mineral Resources and Energy is fatally flawed and should be rejected by South Africans. The bill will create a separation of the regulation of the upstream petroleum industry from the regulation of the mining industry, with the former regulated by […]

Forestry, Fisheries and Environment Minister Barbara Creecy in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will today host World Environment Day (WED) 2023 in Cape Town. The WED 2023 will be commemorated under the theme: “Beat Plastic Pollution” with a strong focus on eliminating all forms of waste/pollution, particularly plastic. In a statement on […]

The fish market of Keratsini is abuzz in the early morning, with truck loads of aquatic creatures, but bottles, boots, plastic pipes and fishing nets pollute the catch. The fish market of Keratsini, west of Athens, is abuzz in the early morning, with trawlers disgorging crates of sardines and anchovies as trucks await nearby to […]

As the Western Cape heads further into winter, the official dam level stats in the province have started to rise in recent weeks. ALSO READ | Limpopo farmer empowers SA’s youth to succeed in agriculture The six major dams in the province – the Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenberg Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek – are now cumulatively […]

The global recycling capacity is unable to keep up with the relentless cycle of resource extraction, production, and waste generation. Recycling was once considered the obvious solution to the excessive amount of new (or virgin) plastic produced each year. This is no longer realistic. Global recycling capacity simply cannot keep up with the taking, making […]

SUSTAINABLE AIR TRAVEL It’s big news indeed for Africa, as one African airline has become the very first in Africa to complete a sustainable long-haul flight. Taking part in the Sustainable Flight Challenge, Kenya Airways has become the first carrier in Africa to operate a highly sustainable commercial long-haul flight using Eni’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), […]

A recent study has revealed that we are closer to a mass extinction of Earth’s wildlife than we think. Human destruction of global wildlife is occurring at an alarming rate. This is according to a new study published in the journal Biological Reviews last week. ALSO READ: Africa’s biodiversity: We can’t protect what we don’t know THE […]

As the Western Cape heads into winter, the official dam level stats in the province have started to rise in recent weeks. However, the six major dams in the province – the Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenberg Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voëlvlei and Wemmershoek – are cumulatively down on a similar period last year. The good news is that […]

Shanghai on Monday recorded its hottest May day in 100 years, the city’s meteorological service announced, shattering the previous high by a full degree. ALSO READ: President Ramaphosa congratulates Turkey’s Erdogan on election win “At 13:09, the temperature at Xujiahui station hit 36.1 degrees Celsius, breaking a 100-year-old record for the highest temperature in May,” a post on the service’s official […]

The Free State has recorded an improved increase in dam water levels this past week, thanks to the slight rains. However, a rainy winter season is expected. ALSO READ: Stage 4 and 5 load shedding to be implemented this week Dam water levels have been increasing throughout several provinces in the country and the Free […]

Article originally published on GroundUp By Ashraf Hendricks Citizen scientists trained through a University of the Western Cape project are helping to train school children to monitor their environment. Data collected on river water quality is shared with an international programme. Plans are for the project to expand to other provinces. More than 200 schoolchildren in Limpopo have […]

A slight rainy period is expected in some parts of the Western Cape during the cold winter season ahead. This will at least keep balance or an increase in the dam water levels of the province. ALSO READ: Western Cape: Warning issued for DISRUPTIVE rain and FLOODS Unlike other provinces, the Western Cape might be blessed […]

More than 200 schoolchildren in Limpopo have been trained to capture precious data about water quality from boreholes and rivers near their schools in a project linked to the United Nations and run by the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Citizen scientists trained through a University of the Western Cape project are helping to […]

Pirates Surf Lifesaving Club star Tatum Botha will participate in the 2023 Ardagh Glass Packaging World Oceans Day Swim at the Durban Beach Club on 10 June, supporting a cause near and dear to her heart. The 19-year-old is one of the top surf lifesavers in the country and has made a strong mark at a national […]

For a long time, there has been grave concern among conservationists over declining standards in South Africa’s provincial nature reserves. Now a recent report by the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) says many provincial reserves are in a shocking state, compromising the long-term survival of wildlife and ecosystems. If biodiversity is to be conserved, it will require […]

Excavation for a vast open-cast copper mine in the heart of the Lower Zambezi National Park has begun. The bulldozers’ move into Zambia’s pristine wildlife sanctuary and famous tourist attraction follows a decade-long fight by activists trying to stop the mining. The move follows an about-turn by Zambia’s government environmental agency and by President Hakainda […]

The Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen, on Tuesday, 16 May, spoke at a Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) event hosted by GreenCape and the City’s Sustainable Energy Markets Department. ALSO READ | City of Cape Town will donate to NSRI annually to assist with towing of marine life Councillor Van Reenen discussed the City’s plans to […]

As the Western Cape heads into winter, the official dam level stats in the province have started to thankfully rise in recent weeks. ALSO READ | Eastern Cape dam water levels update However, the six major dams in the province – the Berg River, Steenbras Lower, Steenberg Upper, Theewaterskloof, Voelvlei and Wemmershoek – are cumulatively down on a […]

New parents want to do what’s best for their baby and the planet when it comes to the all-important nappy change. Around the world, another 45 babies are born every ten seconds. Each of these babies will require nappies that need to be changed frequently. So it’s understandable that new parents want to do what’s […]