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Environmental News

Climate risk and vulnerability atlas to be launched

By: Carla Thomaz 22nd January 2010 A new atlas of local risk and vulnerability in the context of global environmental change will be launched early next year in electronic, as well as in a hard-copy format, in South Africa. →

SA’s first green-fuel mother station operational

By: Carla Thomaz 22nd January 2010 South Africa's first green-fuel mother station came into operation, in December 2009, in preparation for the showcasing of the green transport-technology options during the 2010 FIFA World cup. →

$4,6bn in efficiency savings guarantees

By: Carla Thomaz 22nd January 2010 Global building efficiency and power solutions company Johnson Controls has provided more than $4,6-billion in energy- and water-efficiency saving guarantees to facility customers, helping them to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by ten-million tons since 2000. →

Southern Africa to feel greater effects of climate change, says enviro organisation

By: Carla Thomaz 22nd January 2010 South African emissions are expected to peak between 2020 and 2025 and then need to decline or the impacts of climate change, which are catastrophic, will escalate if urgent action is not taken, says environmental organisation Earthlife Africa. →

Tackling climate change on a local level

By: Carla Thomaz 22nd January 2010 Ground engineering and environmental consultancy group Golder Associates is working with a number of public and private sector organisations to tackle issues related to climate change and the potential effects that it could have on their plans and operations. →

Copenhagen prevarication could lead to low-carbon timidity

By: Brindaveni Naidoo 22nd January 2010 The two-week United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference known as COP-15, which ended last year, failed to secure a formal agreement by the world's largest emitters to reduce carbon emission levels. Instead, the conference negotiators presented a 12 paragraph interim... →

ICT could aid in planet's big carbon-reduction drive – study

By: Jacqueline Holman 22nd January 2010 International information technology research firm has announced that information and communication technologies (ICT) can be used to curb almost 5,8-million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2020. →

The World Cup’s 2,7 MT carbon footprint and what's being done about it

By: Christy van der Merwe 22nd January 2010 With an estimated carbon footprint of 2 753 250t of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2-e), the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa will have the largest carbon footprint of any major international sporting event, and will need major interventions to achieve the ambition of making it an event with a... →

New waste management plan for plastics industry

By: Eleanor Seggie 22nd January 2010 One of the challenges currently facing the plastics industry is developing a new waste management plan, which is concerned with how best to avoid landfilling and also with carbon and water footprints, says Plastics Federation of South Africa (PFSA) executive director David Hughes. The National... →

SA aims to complete climate change policy by year-end

By: Christy van der Merwe 21st January 2010 South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs on Thursday expressed a "firm intent" to complete the country's national climate change policy white paper by the end of 2010. Environmental Affairs deputy director general Joanne Yawitch explained to Engineering News Online that the department... →

Sonjica to attend climate meeting in India

By: Christy van der Merwe 15th January 2010 South Africa’s Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica would meet fellow Ministers from Brazil, India and China in New Delhi, India on January 24, to discuss pledges for action against climate change. The so-called Basic (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) countries played... →

Innovating with industrial waste

By: Schalk Burger 15th January 2010 Industrial waste, specifically the waste containing oil or oil distillates, must be disposed of properly because it is considered hazardous. Oil recycling company Oil Separation Solutions (OSS) believes that it can turn waste oil or used oil, as well as sludge, solids and contaminated soils... →

Long road ahead after disappointing Copenhagen Accord

By: Christy van der Merwe 15th January 2010 The three-page long ‘Copenhagen Accord’ was the document that emerged from the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) at Copenhagen in December, where it was hoped the 193 participating country members would be able to construct an ambitious global climate change deal. →

Issue of environmental border trade measures raised at Copenhagen

By: Christy van der Merwe 5th January 2010 During the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, several delegations specifically raised the issue of border measures as a means of encouraging compliance with emissions targets, said the The World Trade Organisation (WTO) after the conference ended, and added that this was an issue,... →

Climate change agreement 'disappointing' – Sonjica

By: Sapa 22nd December 2009 The agreement to which South Africa was a signatory at the climate change talks in Copenhagen last week is “not acceptable”, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Tuesday. “For us it's not acceptable, it's definitely not acceptable, it's disappointing,” the minister... →

Rich world needs 'ambition' in climate change – Zuma

By: Sapa 18th December 2009 The developing world was justified in raising its level of emissions while rich countries should commit to "ambitious" reductions, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday. "As they justifiably pursue their own development paths, it is expected that developing countries' emissions will increase,"... →

Standard Bank in carbon emission reductions deal

By: Sapa 17th December 2009 Standard Bank and China's Guodian Power have signed a carbon emission reductions purchase agreement, the parties said on Thursday. In terms of the agreement, Standard Bank will purchase the carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reductions generated by Guodian Power's three newly-built hydropower plants... →

Danes, South Africans team up to develop Eastern Cape wind farm

By: Christy van der Merwe 11th December 2009 A memorandum of understanding has been signed at Wittekleibosch in the Eastern Cape between partners hoping to develop the Tsitsikamma Community Wind Farm (TCWF) project, which aims at generating 40 MW of wind power by 2013, and will be worth about R1-billion. The TCWF consortium consists of a... →

Framework released for FIFA World Cup greening

By: Christy van der Merwe 11th December 2009 South Africa’s FIFA 2010 World Cup organising committee (OC), together with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the event host cities, have launched the national ‘greening 2010’ framework, which aims at reducing the environmental footprint of the sporting spectacular. →

SA’s atmospheric emissions regulations to be overhauled

By: Jacqueline Holman 11th December 2009 South Africa’s Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act (Appa) would soon be repealed and be replaced by new and tougher legislation, known as the National Environment Management (NEM) Air Quality Act (Aqa). Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) deputy director for atmospheric norms and... →

Cement industry mulling over  waste-to-energy alternatives

By: Jacqueline Holman 11th December 2009 The use of waste or alternative fuels and resources (AFRs) is a possible substitute for traditional fuel, such as coal, in the cement industry. The practice of burning waste in cement kilns has been taking place in Europe for 35 years. →

Accountants call for global standard on climate reporting

By: Creamer Media Reporter 9th December 2009 As the United Nations Climate Change Conference continues in Copenhagen, accounting bodies around the world agreed that a single set of global reporting standards on climate change was needed. Thirteen accounting bodies, including the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica), as... →

Legal expert says draft climate proposal not unusual as ‘leaked text’ sparks anger

By: Christy van der Merwe 9th December 2009 Various news reports from the second day of the 192-nation climate change conference of the parties (COP) taking place in Copenhagen were focused on the “leaked Danish texts”, which were made public by the UK’s Guardian website on Tuesday. The text was a draft proposal for the final political... →

SA announces emissions target as climate talks start

By: Christy van der Merwe 7th December 2009 While South Africa would continue to increase its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions until 2020, it would do so at a lesser rate - provided financial, technological, and capacity building assistance was forthcoming from developed nations, said the Presidency as the international climate change talks... →

Climate talks to get under way in Copenhagen next week

By: Christy van der Merwe 4th December 2009 Two weeks of intense negotiation will begin in Copenhagen on Monday, as governments seek to thrash out the details and come to agreement on an equitable and fair global climate change deal. South Africa would be represented at the conference by a delegation led by President Jacob Zuma, and... →

Efforts to mitigate  environmental impacts  continue

By: Schalk Burger 4th December 2009 Every effort has been made to reduce the negative environmental impact of the new airport at La Mercy, says Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) spokesperson Colin Naidoo. Acsa policies try to deal with aircraft noise, bird management, storm-water runoff, air quality and occupational health and... →

Consistency, cost and carbon emerge as key themes for  global power vendor

By: Jacqueline Holman 4th December 2009 Power generation equipment company Hitachi focuses on increasing energy reliability and savings for power utilities, such as State-power utility Eskom. These challenges are directly related to carbon dioxide (CO2) and cost reductions, states Hitachi Japan senior project manager Motonari Haraguchi. →

Zuma to attend Copenhagen climate talks

By: Christy van der Merwe 3rd December 2009 South African President Jacob Zuma would head to Copenhagen to attend the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which would start on December 7. Zuma joined the growing list of leaders in attendance at COP15. US President Barack Obama... →

SA meets with Brazil, China and India ahead of Copenhagen talks

By: Christy van der Merwe 1st December 2009 South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs on Tuesday stated that the meeting of the Group of 77 (G77) countries, held in Beijing in China last week, represented a “sound starting point” for a coordinated approach of the countries at the forthcoming global climate change negotiations in... →

French finance institution gives SA carbon capture a boost

By: Chanel de Bruyn 27th November 2009 Carbon capture and storage (CCS) would become a strategic issue for the world in the future, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) CEO Jean-Michel Severino said on Friday, when the development finance institution (DFI) committed a €142 000, or R1,57-million, grant to support the development of... →

SA launches ‘greening' strategy for 2010 World Cup

By: Christy van der Merwe 26th November 2009 South Africa's FIFA 2010 World Cup organising committee (OC), together with the Department of Environmental Affairs and the event host cities, on Thursday launched the national ‘greening 2010' framework, which aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the sporting spectacular.... →

R25m Western Cape CDM project officially launched

By: Esmarie Iannucci 25th November 2009 Water and Environmental Affairs Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi has launched a R25-million clean development mechanism (CDM) project in Cape Town, aimed at job creation and training, as well as energy efficiency adaptation. The Kuyasa project – the first of its kind in South Africa – aimed... →

SA to have dedicated environmental courts next year – Sonjica

By: Esmarie Iannucci 25th November 2009 Dedicated courts to deal specifically with infringements against the South African environmental policies, were likely to become effective within the next six months, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said on Wednesday. Speaking at the launch of the National Compliance and... →

Copenhagen climate talks checklist released

By: Creamer Media Reporter 25th November 2009 The international Climate Action Network has released a report outlining what would be needed for a successful climate deal, and covers mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology, and the legal architecture aspects of a potential agreement. The check list is titled 'Fair, Ambitious and Binding... →

Sasol's emissions fell in 2009 in line with the economy

By: Creamer Media Reporter 20th November 2009 JSE-listed energy and chemicals producer Sasol decreased its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 71,3-million tons in 2009 as compared with 73,6-million tons in 2008, the company revealed in its 2009 sustainable development report, which was released on Friday. However, it said that its... →

Companies partner to launch office automation carbon offset programme

By: Jacqueline Holman 20th November 2009 Turnkey environmental sustainability solutions company impactCoice and office automation solutions company Itec Central have partnered to launch a verifiable and guaranteed carbon offset programme, which is a first in the office automation industry. →

Alternative waste disposal management methods  could be answer to landfill challenge

By: Jacqueline Holman 20th November 2009 Landfill site space in South Africa is running out and alternative waste disposal methods will need to be adopted, says business research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan environment and building technology research analyst Derrick Chikanga. →

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