Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 29 April  1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment minister Dion George, will from today embark on the Fishing for Freedom Tour 2025, a week-long engagement with coastal communities and stakeholders to promote sustainable growth in harbour economies. The tour will visit key harbours across the Western Cape, fostering dialogue with the public, small business owners, and industry stakeholders. The department’s spokesperson, Peter Mbelengwa says South Africa’s proclaimed fishing harbours are critical economic zones, driving job creation and fostering thriving local economies through sustainable fishing and related activities:

# The International Coral Reef Society says the best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. According to the International Coral Reef Initiative, harmful bleaching of the world’s coral has grown to include 84-percent of the ocean’s reefs. Approximately 25-percent of all marine species can be found in, on and around coral reefs. International Coral Reef Society’s Mark Eakin says that to protect coral reefs, it is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, such as carbon dioxide and methane.

# And finally: the American Lung Association’s 2025 State of the Air report reveals that approximately 156-million Americans, which is nearly half the population, are living in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution. This marks an increase of 25-million people from the previous year, the highest in a decade. The report attributes the rise to factors such as extreme heat, wildfires, and drought, all linked to climate change. Communities of colour are disproportionately affected, with Latino Americans nearly three times more likely to breathe both ozone and particle pollutants. ​

Stay tuned for more news………….