Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 20 October 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Cape Independence Party has opened a criminal case against Stellenbosch Municipality, accusing officials of authorising illegal developments in the Botmaskop Nature Area. The party says municipal manager Geraldine Mettler has allowed roads, sewer lines, and other infrastructure to be constructed on the protected land, without legally required environmental approvals. The party’s Karl Bodin says Western Cape residents deserve a government that protects their biodiversity, not destroys it for alleged profit:

# As part of an edutainment roadshow, the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation mascot Manzi is visiting schools to help the youth unpack the metro’s new water programme. The programme aims to augment Cape Town’s water supply by 300 million litres per day through water reuse, desalination, and other alternative sources. Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says since July last year, 14 schools have enjoyed participating in Manzi’s 45-minute lessons, delivered with song, dance and interactive games:

# And finally: Nearly 80-percent of the world’s poor, 887 million people, live in regions that are exposed to extreme heat, flooding and other climate hazards. This is according to a report by the United Nations Development Programme and Oxford University, ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil next month. South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for the largest numbers of poor people living in regions affected by climate hazards. The UNDP says poverty is compounded by and interlinked with the increasingly dramatic effects of the climate emergency.

Stay tuned for more news………….