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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 15 November 2011 13:48 |
 International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says South Africa will aim for a fair deal at the upcoming COP17 climate change conference in Durban.
About 20 000 delegates from around the world are expected to gather in Durban in less than three weeks' time for a meeting which is being hosted on South African soil for the first time.
SA is the third African country to host the conference after Morocco, which hosted COP17 in Marrakech in 2001 and Kenya, which hosted COP12 in Nairobi in 2006.
Nkoana-Mashabane assured MPs in the National Assembly on Wednesday that South Africa was ready for the event, both as party to the negotiations as well as host of the conference.
Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa is expected to lead the SA negotiating team at the meeting.
Nkoana-Mashabane said there were two "competing visions" which should come out of the conference.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 15 November 2011 13:45 |
An estimated 15 000 tons of CO2 is expected to be produced during COP17 but Durban has a plan to offset the carbon footprint.
The estimation is based on the assumption that 25 000 people will visit the city during the conference and considered factors like accommodation, conference venues, transportation and waste removal logistics.
The initiative is called Community Ecosystem Based Adaptation (Ceba) and is a joint venture between the Wildlands Conservation Trust and the eThekwini municipality. Ceba focuses on the link between communities and the ecosystems and ways in which they can be supported.
According to eThekwini Environmental Planning and Climate Protection deputy head, Debra Roberts, the Durban Ceba Initiative is one of the most exciting elements of the city’s broader COP17 greening programme.
Delegates at COP17 will be able to buy "Ceba credits" to offset the carbon footprint of the event.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 15 November 2011 13:40 |
 The Department of Energy says it has received 53 bids to provide renewable energy and intends to announce preferred bidders during the COP17 conference to be held in Durban later this month.
Over 270 potential bidders had paid the R15 000 fee necessary to receive bid documentation. The deadline for submission of bidding documents for the first window was 4 November.
All bidders intending to bid for the first and second window were required to attend a compulsory bidders’ conference held in September.
Bids received cover different technologies as per the determination by the Minister of Energy, but wind and solar energy bids are in the lead.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Monday, 07 November 2011 09:34 |
 Heinrich Louw, Candidate Attorney, Tax practice, Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr
Earlier this month Government released its long-awaited White Paper on Climate Change. In general, the White Paper clearly envisions a wide mixture of measures to be taken in mitigation against the effects of climate change, market-based measures being but one of the weapons in the Government's arsenal in the fight against climate change.
Among the market-based measures the White Paper identifies carbon taxes, economic incentives and emissions trading schemes together with carbon budgets (cap and trade schemes) as appropriate and effective measures in achieving the desired outcomes.
In contrast to the inclusive approach adopted in the White Paper, the discussion paper on carbon tax released by National Treasury in December 2010 clearly favoured a carbon tax as opposed to the use of cap and trade schemes.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Wednesday, 02 November 2011 15:57 |
 A R10 million solar thermal plate manufacturing plant opened in the Eastern Cape could go a long way in addressing power shortages in the province.
Opening the Ikhwezi Solar Energy plant in East London on Thursday, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said government was looking into Solar Water Heating (SWH) as a means of supplying hot water to under-served communities, especially in rural areas.
"We are also looking into this technology to address demand-side management, so that the middle and upper income residential segment can reduce their own consumption of electricity," said Peters.
She said her department was ready to work with other companies like Ikhwezi to support the development of the green economy.
"If Ikhwezi Solar's technology is available at a reasonable price, there is a huge market out there, not only in the Eastern Cape, but throughout the country. I believe that competition is minimal and I challenge other companies to do the same," said Peters.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 01 November 2011 12:34 |
The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA) is offering to add members’ voices to its own at the upcoming 17th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, commonly known as COP17.
Taking place in Durban, eThekwini between November 28 and December 9, COP17 will bring together representatives of the world's governments, international organisations and civil society. The object is to advance, in a balanced fashion, the implementation of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, as well as the Bali Action Plan (agreed at COP 13 in 2007), and the Cancun Agreements (reached at COP 16 last December).
SESSA will be participating in the 2011 South African Climate Change Response Expo running in parallel to COP17, has secured a corner stand within the Fever Tree marquee (also called the Energy Pavilion, and is inviting SESSA members to join forces.
Participating members will be able to use the SESSA stand as their ‘networking space’ to meet international and local players in the renewable energy sectors. The stand will also provide them with the opportunity to have a point of presence at the expo as their logos and brands will be digitally displayed on SESSA’s plasma screens and their flyers and brochures will be available as take-withs.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 01 November 2011 12:30 |
 The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA) has convened two special general meetings with the express purpose of re-constituting its Photovoltaic division (PV).
The meetings – scheduled for November 3 in Johannesburg and November 8 in Cape Town – are open to SESSA members as well as interested parties. On the agenda are ratifying the PV division’s reconstitution, selecting a new committee and setting the new organisation’s membership fees. Further details and books can be made on http://www.sessa.org.za/resources/open-access/events/item/special-general-meeting-pv.
Established in 1974, SESSA is dedicated to the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies including solar-based energies (such as photovoltaics, thermal heating and cooling), wind, bioenergy and hydro.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Tuesday, 01 November 2011 12:28 |
 In a move geared towards reducing the country’s carbon footprint, South Africa will launch an ambitious project aimed at boosting the green economy during COP 17.
The South African Renewables Initiative (SARi), which will be unveiled at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), is a programme the country will use to catalyse the growth of a green industry through the financing of large-scale renewable generation capacity.
“SARi presents a key element in ensuring that South Africa meets the emissions targets set by President Jacob Zuma who, at COP 15 in Copenhagen in 2009, committed South Africa to reducing its emissions trajectory to 34% below business as usual by 2020, and to 42% by 2025,” said Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies.
SARi is an integral part of the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) and it will help to develop capacity in related industries by designing a financial solution that will result in the roll-out of large-scale renewable generation capacity.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Thursday, 27 October 2011 21:17 |
 Green Tech or Clean Tech in the African context is much about the provision of sustainable resources primary to human daily existence, namely energy and water. Coupled with this is also the need to ensure sustainability of these resources, and whilst minimising the impact on the environment.
The global rush for deployment of sustainable technologies and solutions takes on a particular angle in as far as Africa. It has to answer not only for issues relating to global climate change, diminishing or over exploited resources, lack of sustainable development, but also the dire need to address socio-economic objectives.
Clean Technologies include technologies driving renewable energy, water (drinking/potable), wastewater/sewage treatment, and waste recycling. In Africa, the production and processing of biofuels are just one of the sectors will enjoy much of the research, development and investment.
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Posted by Enviroadmin
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Thursday, 27 October 2011 13:41 |
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 Catastrophic climate change and uncontrollable debt are burdens South Africans will have to bear for their government’s addiction to coal. On top of the escalating construction costs for Kusile, the monstrous coal-fired power plant, the country will have to pay up to R60.6 billion per year for the external costs associated with it.
Greenpeace's latest report, ‘The True Cost of Coal’, calculates the actual costs of Kusile’s entire coal chain: from climate change to water use, the impact on health and the ravages of coal mining.
It is based on an independent scientific study commissioned by Greenpeace Africa from the University of Pretoria’s Business Enterprises unit.
This report provides compelling evidence that South Africa should end its addiction to coal. Greenpeace Africa strongly opposes Eskom’s continued and morbid fascination with massive coal-fired power stations.
Read the full story and download the reports at http://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/News/news/The-True-Cost-of-Coal/#download
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