Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 31 July 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Western Cape has declared the Wilderness Nature Reserve, spanning over 643 hectares, a Provincial Nature Reserve in terms of the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act. Situated near Heidelberg, the reserve is home to a range of important species, including the critically endangered Breede River redfin. CapeNature manager, Petro van Rhyn, says the reserve has a significant role in protecting freshwater biodiversity, endangered species, and ecological corridors:

# Renewables are expected to overtake coal as the world’s largest source of electricity as early as this year or by 2026. This is according to the International Energy Agency’s Electricity Mid-Year Update 2025 report. Electricity demand is set to rise by 3.3-percent this year and 3.7-percent in 2026, more than twice as fast as total energy demand growth over the same period. The agency says the steady increase in gas-fired power generation is set to continue displacing coal and oil in the power sector in many regions.

# And finally: Namibia’s Green Hydrogen Mid-Year Review 2025 confirms that a 29-million-rand conceptual master plan for a cross-border hydrogen pipeline with South Africa will be developed by mid-2026. The pipeline links hubs in Lüderitz, Boegoebaai, and Saldanha Bay, with a corridor to Gauteng. Funded by Climate Fund Managers, Gasunie from the Netherlands, and the European Union, the project supports both nations’ net-zero goals.

Stay tuned for more news………….