Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 8 May 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Western Cape government is currently hosting the second Mediterranean Climate Action Partnership annual meeting in Cape Town. This is an international alliance of subnational governments with a Mediterranean climate covering five continents. Regions with Mediterranean climates include five of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots. Western Cape premier Alan Winde says climate change is not only an environmental issue; it is a fundamental challenge that affects every aspect of human life, from health and food systems to economic stability and global security. 

# Researchers says the world’s wealthiest 10-percent of individuals are responsible for two-thirds of global warming since 1990. The first study to quantify the impact of concentrated private wealth on extreme climate events, reports that how the rich consume and invest has substantially increased the risk of deadly heatwaves and drought. A scientist at ETH Zurich, lead author Sarah Schoengart, says they linked the carbon footprints of the wealthiest individuals directly to real-world climate impacts.

# And finally: A Kenyan court has sentenced four men to one year in prison or pay a fine of 140-thousand-rand for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country. The two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan were arrested last month with live ants suspected to have been destined for collectors in Europe and Asia. The contraband included giant African harvester ants, which are valued by some UK dealers at up to four-thousand-rand each. Ants in Kenya are protected by international bio-diversity treaties and their trade is highly regulated.

Stay tuned for more news………….