Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 23 Augustus  1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# A new survey by the South African Wind Energy Association reveals a 60-percent growth in wind energy projects, with over 48 gigawatts in development. The 2024 South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey also highlights expansion into new regions like KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. The association emphasises that these findings are crucial for shaping South Africa’s grid infrastructure and supporting a sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

# Eskom says it continues to focus on its long-term strategy of ensuring energy security, growth, and sustainability. The power utility launched its electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the Eskom Academy of Learning in Midrand, Gauteng. The pilot project includes the procurement of 20 electric vehicles for operational use. Eskom’s Gabriel Kgabo says this milestone marks a significant step in its Distribution’s commitment to supporting the growth of the eMobility sector in South Africa and also contributing to the country’s broader goals of reducing carbon emissions.

# And, about one-fifth of Sweden’s brown bear population is targeted in the annual hunt, despite an outcry from conservationists. An estimated two-thousand-450 of the animals are still roaming the countryside despite increased licensed hunting, with 486 licenses issued this season. CNN reports brown bears were almost extinct in Sweden in the early 1900s, but strict protective measures saw the population recover to over three-thousand in 2008. Local conservation group Big Five says 100-years of brown bear conservation progress will now be undone at an alarming speed.

Stay tuned for more news………….