Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 12 June 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Presidential Climate Commission’s deputy chairperson, Valli Moosa, says South Africa’s climate focus needs to shift from setting targets to delivering tangible results. This is in response to the publication of the inaugural State of Climate Action Report. According to the report, the country’s commitments to tackling climate change and facilitating a just transition are being hindered by incoherent policies, weak governance structures, and inconsistent actions by government. Moosa says strong government policies must drive a rapid, just response to climate change.

# Iceland’s government has granted a licence to hunt 128 fin whales for the country’s sole whaling company amid widespread criticism of the practice. Iceland, Norway and Japan are the only three countries that allow commercial whaling despite fierce opposition from animal rights activists. The government says in a statement the new licence will be valid for the 2024 season and permits the hunting of 128 fin whales, down from 161 the previous year. The fin whale is the second-longest marine mammal after the blue whale.

# And finally: Research published in Nature Ecology and Evolution has revealed that African elephants call each other by individual names. Biologists from Colorado State University used machine learning to detect names in recordings from Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve and Amboseli National Park. When played back, elephants responded energetically to their names. Co-author George Wittemeyer noted elephants communicate both infra sonically and sonically. Wittemeyer says this unique behaviour, rare among wild animals, highlights the complex social structures of elephants.

Stay tuned for more news………….