Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 11 August 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# President Cyril Ramaphosa has invited public nominations for commissioners to serve on the Presidential Climate Commission, as the current term ends this year. The commission advises on South Africa’s climate response and just transition. Ramaphosa, who chairs the commission, will appoint members for a five-year term under the Climate Change Act. The president urges citizens to ensure inclusive representation in shaping a low-emissions, climate-resilient future.

# Minister of Electricity and Energy, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says the environmental approval for a new nuclear facility in Cape Town is an important step in the country’s future energy mix. This comes as Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment minister, Dion George, has upheld the 2017 decision to grant Eskom environmental authorisation to build and operate a new nuclear power station in Duynefontein. Ramokgopa says nuclear power offers a proven pathway to diversify the energy mix, enhance system stability and support inclusive economic growth.

# And finally: The World Meteorological Organisation says it is working to strengthen heat early warning systems under the Early Warnings for All initiative. The initiative aims to ensure universal protection from hazardous hydrometeorological, climatological, and related environmental events through life-saving multi-hazard early warning systems. Extreme temperatures caused approximately 489-thousand heat-related deaths annually between 2000 and 2019, with 36-percent occurring in Europe and 45-percent in Asia. The organisation says the initiative is also helping countries develop heat-health action plans and ensure at-risk populations receive timely alerts.

Stay tuned for more news………….