Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 18 June 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# A landmark case to free elephants from Johannesburg Zoo has gained international support. At the heart of the case is the claim that keeping elephants in the zoo violates the Constitution, particularly the environmental rights provision. Legal scholars from Harvard Law School in the US have joined the case as friends of the court. They agree with the argument that the confinement of three elephants, Lammie, Mopane and Ramadiba, compromises their mental, emotional and physical well-being. The zoo says the animals receive adequate care and attention.

# Today is International Picnic Day, a chance to pack a picnic basket and eat out in the open air with friends or family. Although there are no records about the exact origin of this day, it is believed to date back to the end of the French Revolution and the Victorian Era. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s largest picnic was held in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 20th, 2009, where over 22-thousand people attended a picnic.

# And finally: Banks have financed up to 15.9-trillion-rand in fossil fuels in 2024, the hottest year on record, marking a sharp rise from 2023. According to the Banking on Climate Chaos report, which covers the world’s top 65 banks, fossil fuel financing has reached 126-trillion-rand since 2016’s Paris Agreement. JP Morgan Chase is the largest fossil fuel financier in the world. Critics say banks are abandoning climate pledges, with some withdrawing from net-zero alliances. Activists warn that only binding regulations can halt the trend.

Stay tuned for more news………….