Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 31 March 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, has stressed the importance of safeguarding South Africa’s three-thousand-592-kilometer coastline while unlocking its potential for equitable prosperity, climate resilience, and ecological health. The minister recently launched the 2025–2030 National Coastal Management Programme. The department’s spokesperson, Thobile Zulu-Molobi, says minister George has emphasised the urgency of the programme, highlighting that the country’s coastline is a national asset under threat:

# More than 50 countries, cities and organisations have committed to reducing air pollution impacts by 50-percent by 2040. This pledge was made after the World Health Organisation’s second global conference on air pollution and health in Colombia. Air pollution is responsible for seven million premature deaths annually and is now the second leading global risk factor for disease, after hypertension. WHO director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says there is an urgent need for financial investment in sustainable solutions such as clean energy and sustainable transport.

# And finally: A study comparing media coverage of COP15, COP27, and Taylor Swift found biodiversity issues received significantly less attention than climate change and pop culture. Despite COP15’s adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, it had far fewer media stories than COP27 and even Swift’s October 2022 album release. Researchers highlight that biodiversity loss, though critical, lacks clear narratives and dramatic events that attract media focus. Greater media coverage is urged to raise awareness and mobilise action for biodiversity conservation.

Stay tuned for more news………….