Eco minute 13:30

BULLETIN NEWS AGENCY 12 July 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre says it remains on high alert as heavy rain, flooding, and damaging gale-force winds will continue today and tomorrow. Since the first cold front made landfall on Monday, around 14-thousand structures have sustained damages, affecting about 15-thousand people across the province. Schools in the Cape Winelands and Overberg education districts remain closed, while Eskom’s technical teams are working round the clock to restore power to multiple areas including in Mossel Bay and Worcester.

# The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism has raised concerns among developing countries, including South Africa. The adjustment targets iron, steel, fertiliser, aluminum, cement, and electricity. Critics argue this adjustment acts as a non-tariff trade barrier, hindering developing nations’ ability to decarbonise. With Africa’s reliance on exports to the European Union, the adjustment could impact trade significantly, potentially reducing exports and affecting the gross domestic product. Advocates call for fairer measures and increased support for sustainable development.

# And finally: China is building almost twice as much wind and solar energy capacity as every other country combined. It currently has a total of 339 gigawatts of capacity under construction, including 159 gigawatts of wind and 180 gigawatts of solar. The Global Energy Monitor says China is on track to reach one-thousand-200 gigawatts of installed wind and solar capacity by the end of this year, six years ahead of the government’s target. China, the world’s second-largest economy, is the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.

Stay tuned for more news………….