Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 13 March 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Garden Route Environmental Forum has expressed concern as global events are continuing to impact South Africa’s climate change efforts. It expects the USA’s withdrawal from the United Nations Climate Agreement and funding cuts to worsen challenges, potentially affecting initiatives like the Just Energy Transition Programme. The forum urges South Africans to take responsibility for ensuring better environmental management and to secure a high quality of life for all who depend on natural infrastructure and resources.

# The South African Weather Service has issued an Orange Level 6 warning for disruptive rain leading to flooding for parts of KwaZulu-Natal from this evening. Areas that could be affected include eThekwini, KwaDukuza, Mkhambathini, Ndwedwe, Ray Nkonyeni, Umdoni, uMuziwabantu, and uMzumbe. eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, says the disaster management services are on standby:

# And finally: A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50-thousand people, including world leaders, at the conference in November. The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit.

Stay tuned for more news………….