Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 30 September 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal has been shortlisted as a finalist of 700 cities from 69 countries in the One Planet City Challenge by Local Governments for Sustainability- Africa. This campaign is a collaborative effort between the World-Wide Fund for Nature and Local Government for Sustainability, which recognises cities that are making bold and substantial long-term efforts to combat climate change. eThekwini residents are urged to vote for the metro from the first to the 31st of October.

# Over 100 people have died in the US since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a category four storm last Thursday, with many still unaccounted for. Buncombe County in North Carolina has been the hardest hit with 30 people dead. Emergency declarations for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, have been approved. President Joe Biden says he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine what more can be done to accelerate support to those who need it most.

# And finally: The United Nations’ Environment Programme warns if current trends continue, annual emissions from cooling will double by 2050, contributing to over ten-percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, cooling-related emissions accounted for 7.1-percent of the global total. Currently, around 3.5 billion people live in hot climates, but only 15-percent have access to cooling, mainly through air conditioning. The programme says developing economies need sustainable, affordable, and energy-efficient cooling solutions, that both meet the growing demand and support climate resilience.

Stay tuned for more news………….