Eco Minute 13.30

BULLETIN 30 April 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa is set to review 82 tariff codes for inputs and materials used in the renewables and storage value chains. This includes everything from solar panels and generators for wind turbines to lithium-ion batteries, and aluminium and steel structures. The review follows the recent approval by the cabinet of the Renewable Energy Masterplan, which outlines the government’s plans to stimulate industrial and skills development in the renewable energy and battery storage sectors.

# A new study shows that only 9.5-percent of the 400-million tonnes of plastic produced globally in 2022 came from recycled material. The rest was almost entirely made from fossil fuels, mainly coal and oil. Recycling rates remain low, with just 27.9-percent of plastic waste recycled and 40-percent going to landfills. While China is the biggest producer and consumer of plastic, Americans consume the most plastic per capita. The International Legally Binding Instrument on plastic pollution is scheduled to be finalised later this year.

# And finally: The European Space Agency has launched a first-of-its-kind Biomass satellite, designed to measure carbon stocks in tropical forests. Researchers have been struggling to grasp how much carbon is stored in the world’s forests, and how these stocks are changing in response to factors like the increase in temperature. Tropical forest accounts for 75-percent of global carbon dioxide absorption. University of Edinburgh’s professor, Mathew Williams, told STV News that the Biomass satellite is designed for a mission of at least five years:

Stay tuned for more news………….