Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 26 March 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# CapeNature says from October 2024 until the end of February this year, wildfires have scorched 32-thousand-187 hectares of land in the Western Cape. The Swartberg protected area accounted for about half of all hectares burned and was the worst-affected area. Since the start of October, the entity has spent more than 12-million-rand on combatting and preventing fires. Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning MEC, Anton Bredell, says CapeNature is working on long-term strategies to improve fire management, which includes fuel load reduction.

# Wealthy nations reportedly owe Africa trillions of rand in climate debt for overusing the carbon budget. According to a report by Action Aid, despite contributing little to global emissions, Africa faces severe climate impacts and needs funds for urbanisation and adaptation. Yet, most climate finance arrives as high-interest loans, worsening the debt crisis. With South Africa leading the G20, experts believe there is an opportunity to demand fair climate debt repayment, better access to funds, and investment in resilient infrastructure to secure Africa’s sustainable future.

# And finally: The World Health Organisation is calling for urgent global action to tackle what it says is the greatest environmental health risk, namely air pollution. Data shows that 99-percent of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. Air pollution causes around seven-million premature deaths each year from chronic respiratory diseases and lung cancer. WHO says policies to reduce air pollution offer a win-win strategy for both climate and health.

Stay tuned for more news………….