| Enviro-Chat --- 2007-11-01 |
| Posted by Enviroadmin |
| Monday, 24 May 2010 19:44 |
|
Welcome to the latest edition of Enviro-Chat, herewith the latest in environmental news from South Africa and around the Globe. SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT NEWS Final Notice: Public Hearings on National Environmental Management Amendment Bill (36-2007) Deadline for written comments is tomorrow 2nd November. Registration for the Public Hearings on 6th of Nov can still be arranged by emailing akakaza@parliament.gov.za <mailto:akakaza@parliament.gov.za> ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1510> . 'Wetlands Have Had a Pretty Raw Deal, Historically' Environmental organisations can work with developers to manage wetlands in urban areas, says John Dini: programme manager at Working for Wetlands, a state organisation that tries to ensure the long term viability of wetlands in South Africa ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1495> . SA hasn't woken up to green opportunities Whether you believe that carbon dioxide-induced climate change is a real threat or not is irrelevant. The fact is that the issue is high on the agenda of politicians and those responsible for drawing up regulation, which means the drive to reduce emissions will affect you and your business ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1481> . Minister Gives Way On Abalone Ruling Abalone fishermen in Western Cape have won a reprieve and will be allowed one last season before fishing for wild abalone (perlemoen) is halted on February 1. Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk denied his decision to allow one last opportunity for the abalone divers was because of the threat of legal action from the Congress of South African Trade Unions and fishing communities whose livelihoods are threatened by the ban ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1493> . The Toxic Truth about Hartebeespoort's Water A sign placed at the source of the Crocodile River which leads into the Hartebeespoort Dam refutes claims from Water Affairs that everything is actually “OK” with the water, when clearly it is NOT ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1502> . Table Mountain park wants volunteers Capetonians have been invited to become involved with the administration of Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) by becoming volunteer members of the Table Mountain National Park Forum. The positions are for unpaid volunteer workers, but this means the people of the city can have a direct hand in the way "their mountain" is managed, said Mandisa Mdala, people and conservation manager for the park ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1504> . Night glow has Coega IDZ under spotlight MORE than 1 200 street lights go on each night in and around the largely unoccupied Coega industrial development zone (IDZ) outside Port Elizabeth, sparking energy efficiency, carbon emissions and climate change questions. The blaze of lights surrounding the Port of Ngqura/Neptune Road interchange happens at the same time South Africa is battling load-shedding caused by high electricity consumption and less power supply ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1505> . Trees Planted to "Green" Mpumalanga Some 350 trees were planted in Tekathako village near White River in Mpumalanga on Tuesday as part of an initiative to make Mpumalanga greener. The Greening Mpumalanga initiative aims to plant 100 000 trees across the province this year ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1494> . Inconvenient entertainment? Barry Ronge delivers a surprising commentary on Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth”. When Al Gore collected his Nobel Peace Prize for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth, I had a mixed reaction. We must obviously applaud Gore for tackling an urgent global issue, but on another level, my brain was going “Are you kidding me? Has even the august Nobel committee succumbed to the allure of celebrity and cash?” ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1471> . Invasive plants spreading ‘too fast’ for eradication The government‘s key Working for Water (WfW) programme, aimed at eradicating invasive alien plants that cause billions of rands‘ damage to the economy each year, appears set to fall further behind in its efforts to contain the problem ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1506> . INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENT NEWS Production of biofuels 'is a crime' A UN expert yesterday called the growing practice of turning crops into biofuel "a crime against humanity" because it has created food shortages and sent food prices soaring, leaving millions of poor people hungry. Jean Ziegler, who has been the UN's independent expert on the right to food since the position was established in 2000, called for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to halt the growing "catastrophe" for poor people ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1498> . Apple IPhone found to contain toxic chemicals Apple's best-selling iPhone, due to be launched in Britain next month, may be forced to carry an official health warning after being found to contain toxic chemicals. The discovery could threaten the expected worldwide sweep of the device, whose US sales topped one million in just two and a half months. It is also likely to embarrass Al Gore, who this month won the Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental campaigning. The former US vice-president is a prominent member of the hi-tech company's seven-member board ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1499> . The Secret Files of GM Foods Ministers are secretly easing the way for GM crops in Britain, while professing to be impartial on the technology, startling internal documents reveal. The documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, show that the Government colluded with a biotech company in setting conditions for testing GM potatoes, and gives tens of millions of pounds a year to boost research into modified crops and foods ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1497> . Ban on leaded petrol 'has cut crime rates around the world' Evidence is growing that the banning of lead should take much more of the credit for reducing crime rates. The toxic metal has long been known to damage brains and to lead to criminal and aggressive behaviour ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1500> . Prince Harry quizzed by police about shooting of rare birds Prince Harry and a close friend have been interviewed by police after two rare and legally protected birds of prey were killed on the royal family's Sandringham estate in Norfolk last week ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1501> . Organic produce 'better for you' Organic produce is better for you than ordinary food, a major European Union-funded study says. The £12m four-year project, led by Newcastle University, found a general trend showing organic food contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids. But researchers did admit the study showed some variations ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1486> . More Toxic Toys Recalled About 380,000 "Galaxy Warriors" toy figures sold by Family Dollar Stores Inc are being recalled because the surface paints contain excessive levels of lead, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Wednesday ... read more <http://www.environment.co.za/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1511> . |
