News Snippets

Eskom aims to have 925 000 SWHs installed by 2013 - Engineering News

Obama sets 2035 clean electricity target - Engineering News. Obama classifies "nuclear, 'clean coal', and natural gas" as "clean energy".

SA construction firms starting to focus on green practices - Engineering News

Zuma to set the scene for Durban climate meeting at WEF - Engineering News

SA economy perfectly placed to deal with climate change challenges - This Engineering News article has an error in it's title. After reading the article, I concluded that the SA economy is perfectly placed to deal with climate change challenges. The question is are our leaders?

Bushmen's legal fight for right to water

"On January 17th, Botswana’s Court of Appeal will begin a hearing to decide whether Kalahari Bushmen living on their ancestral lands have the right to water.

The Bushmen, who returned to their lands in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve after a previous court victory, are appealing against a 2010 High Court ruling that denied their right to access a well in the reserve they had used for decades." Times Live

Celebrities voice opposition to forests privatisation

"Several public figures, including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Dame Judi Dench, have urged the government not to sell off England's forests." BBC News

Nuclear-free energy-mix scenario to be published in Feb, DoE confirms

"The South African Department of Energy’s (DoE’s) exercise to model an energy-mix scenario that entirely excludes nuclear should be complete by the middle of February, deputy director-general for electricity, nuclear and clean energy Ompi Aphane tells Engineering News Online.

The results will be published as part of the release of the final integrated resource plan (IRP) document and the outcome “will be taken into consideration in the determination of the risk-adjusted plan”." Engineering News

Enlarged Bric bloc to prioritise energy security, says India

This is an interesting article which speaks of India's growing energy requirements and what they plan to do. More interestingly, it speaks of South Africa's inclusion in BRIC ("the BRIC countries" or known as the "Big Four") is a grouping acronym that refers to the countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China that are deemed to all be at a similar stage of newly advanced economic development." Wikipedia) [Now BRICS]. Read more about BRIC here (Wikipedia)- refer subheading 'BRICS Term: South Africa's Inclusion' and 'Criticism'. The Engineering News article can be read here.

Neotel says fibre-optic project meets environmental requirements

"Telecommunications provider Neotel has stated that it complied with necessary environmental legislation requirements when conducting infrastructure roll-out projects, and has ensured that its subcontractors also comply with environmental authorisations." Engineering News

SA should realistically manage Durban climate meeting expectations

"The eyes of the world would look upon Durban in December, when South Africa hosts the global climate change negotiations, but the country would need to realistically manage expectations regarding what could emerge from the conference." Engineering News

US Ex-Im Bank urged to deny funding to Kusile power project

"An environmental group is urging a US government-funded bank to deny finance to South Africa’s coal-fired Kusile power-station project, Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinal reports." Engineering News

Air Pollution

As a resident of Cape Town, it has become increasingly disturbing to me to witness the extent of the air pollution hanging over our beautiful city on windless days. The problem is more apparent in winter when there is less wind. Friends living in Johannesburg who visited recently even noticed it but commented that it was not nearly as bad as Johannesburg.

This Urbansprout article informs us of the 'state of the air' in Hong Kong. Air Pollution is such a big problem there that warnings are issued! Read more, here on Urbansprout

When will we start taking the problem seriously in South Africa? Are we going to wait until we also have to wear masks? China is currently the leader in renewable energy investment/development. You can see they have had a wake up call and are now aggressively pursuing alternatives to fossil fuels.

Eskom and Neotel found guilty of environmental noncompliance

"The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the Green Scorpions, found that Eskom and Neotel were guilty of non-compliance at certain of their projects in Limpopo, as the EMI continued its national environmental law compliance inspections." More here, on Engineering News

Re-gear science and technology to tackle climate change – King

"Science and technology will have to be re-geared to meet global challenges, and this would require overcoming a technological and institutional inertia which existed, said former scientific adviser to the British government, Sir David King." Engineering News

SA saves 1 800 MW through energy efficient lighting – Eskom

"South Africa has saved 1 800 MW of electricity – enough to power a city the size of Durban – through retrofitting power-guzzling incandescent bulbs with energy savers, power utility Eskom said on Monday." Engineering News

UK Eco trial collapses

"The trial of six green campaigners, accused of trying to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar, one of Britain's biggest power stations, collapsed yesterday amid claims that an undercover policeman offered to give evidence on their behalf." Legalbrief

SA scientists seek backers for trash-to-energy innovation

"Scientists and engineers at the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg, have developed a hybrid energy solution, based on the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) chemical process, which could be deployed at municipal rubbish dumps to produce both electricity and transport fuels from fresh garbage." Read more here, on Engineering News

DEA to host provincial climate policy workshops

"Provincial public consultation workshops will be hosted on South Africa’s draft National Climate Change Response Green Paper, which was released in November, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) announced at the weekend.

The workshops, which would kick off in the Western Cape on January 17 and conclude in Gauteng on February 4, formed part of a public participation process that would help inform the final policy, which was anticipated by mid-2011." Engineering News

SA lawmakers seek public input on climate change policy

"South Africa’s Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs has called for public input on the country’s draft climate change policy, currently still a Green Paper, ahead of Parliamentary hearings into the proposed policy in February or early March 2011." Read more here, on Engineering News.

Green Trends for 2011

Urban Sprout reviews JWT's trendwatching report: 100 Things to Watch in 2011. On the top of Urban Sprout's list is Biomimicry. Read more here, on Urban Sprout.

Children's rights argument to bolster environmental case

This Legalbrief article reports: "The rights of children to cultural identity is one of the arguments that will be used in an expanded legal battle to save the Mapungubwe region from mining.

This marks the first time an environmental case seeks to protect the rights of children under Section 24 of the Constitution, says a report in The Citizen. The University of Pretoria's Centre for Child Law (CCL) has made an application to intervene as amicus curiae in the interdict application which has resulted from the granting of mining rights to Limpopo Coal in Mapungubwe. The CCL is arguing the coal mining operations in Mapungubwe, with the resulting environmental impacts, would infringe on future generations' rights to experience the region's cultural and natural wealth. They are arguing that the right to preservation of the environment is inextricably linked with children's rights to cultural identity, the protection and preservation of African culture and respect for the natural environment - both in international and regional law." Source: Legalbrief/The Citizen