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Environmental News

NCPC-SA hosts green chemistry awareness workshop

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th April 2018 As part of a global initiative, the National Cleaner Production Centre of South Africa (NCPC-SA), in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation and the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, hosted a workshop on green chemistry, in... →

Glencore releases all-embracing 117-page sustainability report

By: Martin Creamer 16th April 2018 One of the strategic priorities of diversified mining and marketing company Glencore is to invest in community initiatives that deliver sustainable socioeconomic benefits, the London- and Johannesburg-listed company states in today’s 117-page Sustainability Report 2017, which emphasises the... →

Glencore's Anna Krutikov

Four South African cities strive to make all new buildings zero-carbon

By: Simone Liedtke 16th April 2018 Residents and businesses moving into new buildings in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Tshwane will soon enjoy lower energy bills, and will generate fewer greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, reducing their climate change impact. High-efficiency energy performance requirements are being developed... →

Regional workshop in support of fight against wildlife crime in Southern Africa

By: Rebecca Campbell 13th April 2018 The illegal trade in wildlife has become a major form of transnational organised crime that is damaging economies, undermining public safety and good governance in many regions around the world. And Southern Africa is no exception. “Criminals involved in wildlife crime are not involved only in... →

Security drones taking off, but SA restrictions limit adoption

By: Dylan Slater 13th April 2018 Drones, otherwise known as remotely piloted aircraft systems, continue to gain footholds in an increasing number of industries, with adoption rates in safety and security industry growing worldwide. In fact, safety and security drone sales totalled $145-million in 2016, according to a market... →

Pikitup spends over R12m on refurbishing its garden sites

By: Anine Kilian 12th April 2018 The City of Johannesburg’s waste management company Pikitup is spending more than R12-million on renovating and upgrading its garden sites in line with its strategic objective of encouraging recycling and diverting 97% of waste away from landfill sites. The entity is refurbishing and upgrading... →

‘High priority’ IRP update to be published soon

By: Terence Creamer 10th April 2018 Department of Energy (DoE) director-general Thabane Zulu says the updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is undergoing a final set of processes and consultations, as stipulated by Cabinet in December, before being published in the Government Gazette. Speaking at the Africa Power Roundtable in... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Department of Energy director-general Thabane Zulu

Mathe Group expands tyre recycling facility, despite Redisa demise

By: Irma Venter 9th April 2018 The Mathe Group’s Hammarsdale plant, in KwaZulu-Natal, has quadrupled employment and more than doubled output since coming on stream in 2016, says the tyre recycler. Dr Mehran Zarrebini, head of British investment group PFE International, which is one of the major shareholders in the Mathe Group,... →

Environmental Affairs Committee welcomes signing of IPP contracts

By: Simone Liedtke 9th April 2018 The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs on Monday welcomed the signing, last week, of 27 contracts by Energy Minister Jeff Radebe with independent power producers (IPPs). This, the committee averred, indicates South Africa’s commitment to reducing its greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions... →

Why April rainfall is key to stave off Cape Town's Day Zero

By: News24Wire 9th April 2018 In three weeks’ time experts will be able to say with some certainty whether Cape Town is likely to get enough rain this year to avoid a Day Zero scenario in 2019. After three dry years and months of severe water restrictions, everyone in the drought-stricken area wants to know whether we will... →

Spar Eastern Cape declares war on plastic bags

By: Simone Liedtke 6th April 2018 Spar Eastern Cape (EC) has declared a war on plastic bags as part of the retailer’s efforts to help protect the environment. Spar EC plans to launch an initiative that urges customers to consider alternative grocery packaging options. →

Spar Eastern Cape plans to launch an initiative that urges customers to consider alternative grocery packaging options

Darling Brew becomes Africa’s first carbon-neutral brewery

By: Simone Liedtke 5th April 2018 Western Cape-based craft brewery Darling Brew has been named Africa’s first carbon-neutral brewery and is expected to offset a total of 687.96 t of carbon dioxide over the next year. This, the brewery explained, will be equivalent to having eliminated the same amount of carbon from the... →

Darling Brew Outside View

School children recycle waste for food

By: News24Wire 4th April 2018 In Colchester, primary school pupils recycle plastic bottles and tins in exchange for school stationery, clothing and food. Thamara Gqogqani, a Grade 7 pupil, says she is always on the lookout for empty plastic bottles and metal tins, which she stores at her home. "This is helping my family very... →

Nigerian government invites tenders for environmental remediation project

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th April 2018 The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is seeking to appoint environmental remedial contractors for phase one of its Remediation of Hydrocarbon Impacted sites in Ogoni project. →

DEA indicates 2018 fire season readiness

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd April 2018 The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) on Tuesday said its Working on Fire team was ready for the upcoming winter fire season, which usually starts early in June and ends in November. →

Photo by Creamer Media
Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa

Proper dredging, correct dredge depths critical

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 30th March 2018 It is imperative that harbours are properly dredged and channels are kept open to facilitate smooth port operations, says global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright director and transport head Andrew Robinson. “Dredging is a much more complicated process than many people realise and the fact that a... →

ANDREW ROBINSON Dredging is a continuous process as channels and quaysides must be dredged constantly so that vessels can get in and out of harbours

Space essential for meeting South Africa’s economic and social development goals

By: Rebecca Campbell 30th March 2018 In August last year, the US-based Space Foundation reported that the worldwide space economy had been worth $329-billion in 2016, up from $323-billion in 2015. The Foundation noted that the rise had been due to the increase in commercial space activities (there had been tiny declines in... →

Renewability driving forest and paper industry

By: Victor Moolman 30th March 2018 Renewable commercial forests that supply the pulp, paper and board industry with wood fibre provide key environmental services and conserve our indigenous forests, says Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (Pamsa) executive director Jane Molony. “Commercially grown trees have helped to... →

Lack of carton collection reduces recycling processes

By: Victor Moolman 30th March 2018 Although paper and plastics packaging company Mpact has been processing liquid packaging successfully, not enough cartons are being collected to use for recycling. “Consumers don’t realise that liquid packaging, such as juice and milk cartons, are actually recyclable. We need to put in an effort... →

Africa struggles to meet energy demand and reduce carbon emissions

By: Simone Liedtke 28th March 2018 The global energy sector is faced with the dual challenge of meeting growing energy demand, while simultaneously needing to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the energy system, says MIT Energy Initiative director Robert Armstrong. Speaking at the twenty-first Power and Electricity World... →

Regional wildlife crime workshop highlights threat, promotes cooperation

By: Rebecca Campbell 27th March 2018 The illegal trade in wildlife has become a major form of transnational organised crime that is damaging economies, undermining public safety and good governance in many regions around the world. And Southern Africa is no exception. “Criminals involved in wildlife crime are not involved only in... →

Photo by Endangered Wildlife Trust
Endangered Wildlife Trust Programme Manager: Wildlife and Trade Programme Ashleigh Dore

South Africans saved 410 MW during Earth Hour - Eskom

By: African News Agency 26th March 2018 South Africans joined the rest of the world when they switched off their lights for Earth Hour from 20:30 to 21:30 on Saturday night and together they saved 410 MW, Eskom has announced. Earth Hour is a global call for the protection of the planet and for people to take a stand against climate... →

DEA orders halt to seabird handling as avian flu is detected

By: Marleny Arnoldi 23rd March 2018 The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) said on Friday that it was dealing with the H5N8 strain of the avian influenza (bird flu) that has been detected in several seabird species, including Swift Terns, African Penguins and Cape Gannets on the country’s coastline. →

PETCo, partners relieve pressure on Western Cape recycling capacity

By: Simone Liedtke 20th March 2018 Owing to an all-time-high demand for plastic bottles in the Western Cape region, the province’s recycling capacity is at maximum production and unable to process the additional influx of bottles. In an attempt to overcome this challenge and to prevent additional bottles being sent to landfill... →

Climate change could force millions to migrate within countries by 2050, warns World Bank

By: Simone Liedtke 19th March 2018 Unless urgent climate and development action is taken globally and nationally, just over 143-million people could be forced to move within their own countries to escape the slow-onset impacts of climate change by 2050, a new World Bank report 'Groundswell - Preparing for Internal Climate... →

Photo by Reuters
Climate change is becoming a more urgent economic, social and existential threat to countries and their people

AfDB teams up with international organisation to drive solar development in Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 19th March 2018 The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed a joint declaration with the International Solar Alliance (ISA) to promote the development of solar energy in Africa. The joint declaration recognises the bank's leadership in working with several parties, including governments, the private sector... →

Association urges producers to meet standards

By: Simone Liedtke 16th March 2018 There is a strong need for all bottled, or packaged, water producers to comply with stringent legislation and meet globally benchmarked standards to prevent gross disservice to the bottled water industry and the consumer, says South African National Bottled Water Association CEO Charlotte Metcalf. →

CHARLOTTE METCALF The quality of municipal water in South Africa is high, but it does vary daily

Economy faces paralysis if govt does not act urgently on water crisis – report

By: News24Wire 15th March 2018 If the government fails to respond to the country's critical water situation, South Africans could face a situation similar to the energy crisis that nearly paralysed the economy, according to a Water Research Commission report. "To avoid a state of national panic, similar to that which occurred... →

Energy-intensive firms say carbon tax wrong tool for reducing power emissions

By: Terence Creamer 14th March 2018 The Industry Task Team on Climate Change (ITTCC), which includes many of South Africa’s largest mining and industrial companies, says the proposed carbon tax will have no material impact on reducing carbon emissions from the electricity sector, which is responsible for around half of the... →

New energy, environment partnership to further continental economy

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 12th March 2018 A new Energy and Environment Partnership (EEP) trust fund, covering Southern and East Africa was launched on Monday, with a combined commitment of €25-million from Finland and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF). The EEP is a multidonor fund providing early-stage grant and catalytic financing to... →

Scientists call for greater action on climate change

By: Megan van Wyngaardt 12th March 2018 The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) has joined the global science community in calling on the Commonwealth Heads of Government to use the best available science to guide action on climate change. The call forms part of a Consensus Statement on Climate Change, launched on Monday by 22... →

UCT academic joins UN special envoy to discuss Cape Town’s water future

By: Marleny Arnoldi 9th March 2018 University of Cape Town (UCT) academic and Future Water Institute lead researcher Dr Kevin Winter was part of a team of experts that joined United Nations (UN) climate action special envoy Mike Bloomberg – founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and three-term mayor of New York – on a tour of the... →

Photo by Reuters
Climate and weather variability has raised new uncertainties

Energy company launches new product, expands operation

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 9th March 2018 Independent energy company SA Oil made its new brand of fuel, Accelerate Special Gasoline, available to the market last month. This follows the response to a product trial, which ran between 2016 and 2017, where it was made available in limited quantities and “enthusiastically accepted among... →

GARY PULLEN SA Oil is entering the agricultural market, with a client-centric service offering

Spending on innovation in industry inadequate

By: Jessica Oosthuizen 9th March 2018 The private sector is not investing enough money and resources in innovation in the chemicals and petrochemicals industry, says thermoplastic products supplier Astore Keymak business development director Malindi Nkambule. “One of the greatest challenges facing the industry is the lack of product... →

MALINDI NKAMBULE The chemicals and petrochemicals industry is in a fairly good state in relation to the challenges being faced

New targets for sustainable aviation fuels

By: Rebecca Campbell 9th March 2018 The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the representative body for the global airline industry, has announced a target of having one billion passengers fly in aircraft powered by a mixture of jet fuel and sustainable aviation fuel by 2025 – seven years from now. This objective was... →

CSIR makes progress on first African climate change model

By: Natasha Odendaal 9th March 2018 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is making progress in developing the first Africa-based earth system model to provide reliable projections of the potential impact of climate change on the continent. The model will provide input into the coupled model intercomparison... →

CSIR natural resources and environment executive director May Hermanus and CSIR principal researcher Dr Rebecca Garland discuss the new Africa-developed earth system model.

Mondi joins WWF’s climate saving business leadership programme

By: Marleny Arnoldi 7th March 2018 Global packaging and paper group Mondi has adopted 2050 science-based targets to help limit the rise in global temperature to under 2 ˚C above pre-industrial levels by joining nature conservation organisation, the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF’s) climate leadership programme for businesses –... →

Mondi's uncoated fine paper plant

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Africa Council For Scientific And Industrial Research Environment Industrial MSW Resources Surface Systems Waste Waste Management Water Cleaning Packaging The State University Of New York Western Cape Eskom Middelpunt Wetlands Trust Storage Coal Energy Gas Health Power Botswana Business Financial Gas-to-power Manufacturing Nuclear PROJECT ... more

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