Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 23 February 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Marine Wildlife Management Programme operated by the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has successfully rescued two Cape fur seals entangled in ropes and plastic. Ayanda Cimani, who was recognised as the most successful disentangle of last year completing 29 rescues, together with Martine Viljoen spearheaded the life-saving mission. The foundation emphasises the need for increased awareness of marine pollution, saying seals often become entangled in discarded fishing gear, posing a significant threat to their well-being. 

# A study by the Center for Global Development predicts that climate change will slash Africa’s Gross Domestic Product by 7.1-percent. The study is titled The Socioeconomic Impact of Climate Change in Developing Countries in The Next Decades. It forecasts that climate change will drive 200 million Africans into severe hunger. The author of the study from the University of the Witwatersrand, Philip Kofi Adomthe, says the developing world will bear the brunt of climate change’s impact, with significant economic losses expected until 2050.

# And finally: Natural disasters could cost the Australian state of New South Wales 172.5-billion-rand by 2060 if the effects of climate change and population growth are not mitigated. This is according to the New South Wales Reconstruction Authority. The state has in recent years experienced floods, heatwaves and wildfires. The state has today released its first-ever disaster mitigation plan. The authority says climate change is increasing the severity and frequency of natural hazards and increased development in these areas means more people are exposed.

Stay tuned for more news………….