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Environmental News

Artificial demand creating ‘precarious’ scrap market conditions, commentator warns

By: Darren Parker 5th August 2024 South Africa's scrap metal sector is overinvested, international trade consultancy XA Global Trade Advisors director Donald Mackay says. "I think we've got a very weird situation, as scrap metal that doesn't really behave like any other product. As demand for any product rises until the supply... →

Panel discusses ESG, the just energy transition in mining

By: Sabrina Jardim 2nd August 2024 With growing emphasis being placed on environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) and a global focus on a just energy transition, the mining sector faces various internal and external pressures to deliver on ESG, and carbon neutrality and abatement targets, Southern African Institute of... →

Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy environmental, social, governance and sustainability (ESGS) committee chairperson professor Michael Solomon

James Mackay and Michael Solomon discuss implications of ESG and the just energy transition on mining

Report shows commitment of companies to establishing ESG strategies

By: Sabrina Jardim 2nd August 2024 Amid a global evolving environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) landscape, the Sanlam ESG Barometer Conference, held on August 1, in Johannesburg, highlighted the current state of ESG across various sectors and how it is shaping business investment decisions. With this in mind, the... →

Krutham impact investing research head Nicole Martens and Krutham executive chairperson Dr Stuart Theobald discuss findings of the 2024 Sanlam ESG Barometer report

South Africa still owns highly enriched uranium, report says

By: Bloomberg 2nd August 2024 South Africa still has a stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Netwerk24 reported, citing Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe. The nation declared its holdings of the nuclear material, which can be used to build weapons, to the International Atomic Energy Agency as part of... →

Photo by Donna Slater
Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe

Minister attributes drop in rhino poaching to dehorning

By: Thabi Shomolekae 1st August 2024 Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Dr Dion George noted on Thursday a significant drop in rhino poaching during May and June, attributing this to the dehorning of rhino populations in KwaZulu-Natal. George said a national loss of 21 and 22 respectively were reported, compared... →

Mpact acquires equity stake in Africa Tanks, sells Versapak business

By: Schalk Burger 1st August 2024 Paper and plastics packaging and recycling business Mpact has acquired a strategic equity shareholding in vertical tank manufacturer Africa Tanks to mitigate against drought, watershedding and deteriorating infrastructure. “The broader infrastructure and related water supply challenges are likely... →

Water storage tanks produced by Africa Tanks

Just Share opposes Sasol emissions decision

By: Sabrina Jardim 31st July 2024 Nonprofit organisation Just Share says it will assess its options after new Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Deon George’s decision on the outstanding aspect of Sasol’s sulphur dioxide (SO₂) minimum emission standards (MES) appeal. Just Share notes that while George refused... →

Built environment must leverage emerging technologies to mitigate climate change impacts

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 31st July 2024 Climate change is impacting on the built environment and the industry must bolster its efforts to mitigate this, levering the requisite emerging technologies, University of Florida Professor Chimay Anumba said in a keynote address on the first day of the WABER & SuDBE conference, being held this... →

Few landfill sites pass minimum requirements audit – AfriForum

By: Schalk Burger 30th July 2024 Few municipalities comply with waste management legislation for landfill sites intended to protect the environment from pollution and communities’ health, says civil society organisation AfriForum. An audit of 189 landfill sites across all nine provinces showed that the vast majority – 162 or... →

Aggressive scrap metal policies should be based on transparent data, not conjecture, expert says

By: Darren Parker 30th July 2024 Significant alterations to existing scrap metal regulations and outright bans – albeit temporary – on the trade of certain scrap metals should not be made without access to transparent and accurate sector data, international trade consultancy XA Global Trade Advisors director Donald MacKay has... →

Watch this video to see XA Global Trade Advisors director Donald MacKay discuss scrap metal market challenges

Sasol receives DFFE notification to apply concentration-based emissions limits

By: Schalk Burger 29th July 2024 JSE-listed energy and chemicals company Sasol says it has received notification of the concentration-based limits that the Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister has determined to be applied with the load-based limit. On April 5, the Minister permitted sulphur dioxide emissions... →

South Africa steps up fight to contain oil spill from grounded ship

By: Reuters 29th July 2024 More equipment is being mobilised to contain an oil spill from the ship Ultra Galaxy, which ran aground on South Africa's west coast and started to break up in stormy weather, authorities said on Monday. Rough sea swells have battered the Panama-flagged general cargo vessel since it drifted onto... →

Verra appoints Mandy Rambharos as CEO

By: Darren Parker 26th July 2024 Climate action and sustainable development non-profit organisation Verra has decided to appoint Mandy Rambharos CEO, effective August 12. She will succeed Judith Simon, who has been interim CEO since founding CEO David Antonioli left the organisation. →

New Verra CEO Mandy Rambharos

South Africa at risk of missing its 2030 decarbonisation target

By: Creamer Media Reporter 26th July 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the findings of a report, released by the Presidential Climate Commission, warning that South Africa may not meet its 2030 decarbonisation target; what this would mean for the country; and whether the new Climate Change Act could assist in helping... →

South Africa at risk of missing its 2030 decarbonisation target

Short-haul logistics should lead EV adoption

By: Nadine Ramdass 26th July 2024 Electric vehicles (EVs) are a viable option for fleets, particularly in the short-haul deliveries sector, and these fleets are likely to drive the adoption of EVs in South Africa, says telematics solutions provider Webfleet sales director Justin Manson. Short-haul deliveries specialise in local... →

An image of Webfleet's Fleet Manager app

ENHANCED CONTROL Companies can use telematics systems to monitor and manage their fleet's power use

Nearly three-quarters of investors unsatisfied with quality of ESG reporting

By: Darren Parker 25th July 2024 Law firm EY research has revealed that about 73% of investors say that companies largely fail to create enhanced reports encompassing environmental, social and governance (ESG) and financial disclosures, while 99% of investors use ESG disclosures in their investment decisions. Speaking at the... →

In this video, EY Africa climate change and sustainability service leader Clemence McNulty and JC Auditors director Oliver Naidoo discuss ESG reporting statistics and challenges

Legal stakeholders respond to Climate Change Bill being signed into law

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 25th July 2024 Legal stakeholders have welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s signing of the Climate Change Bill into law on July 23, and have also highlighted areas of focus. The Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) says the signing of the Bill is a step in the right... →

South Africa’s 2030 decarbonisation target at risk, climate commission warns

By: Terence Creamer 25th July 2024 The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is cautioning that South Africa may miss its 2030 decarbonisation target in light of a decision to further delay the decommissioning of three aged coal power stations and if new clean sources are not introduced in line with the country’s electricity... →

Environment Minister, stakeholders welcome signing of Climate Change Act

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 24th July 2024 Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dr Dion George and trade union UASA have welcomed the Climate Change Bill’s assent into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 23. “The President’s signing of the Bill into law marks a significant milestone in our nation's commitment to... →

Seifsa cites problems with proposed amendments to scrap metal trading laws

By: Darren Parker 24th July 2024 Industry body the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has criticised the proposed amendments to the Regulations to the Second-Hand Goods Act put forward for public comment by the Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service on July 12. Seifsa president Elias... →

Seifsa president Elias Monage

Mkango’s UK rare earth magnet plant to come online in early 2025

By: Darren Parker 24th July 2024 Aim-listed Mkango Resources has confirmed that the start-up of commercial operations of the short-loop rare earth magnet recycling and manufacturing plant at Tyseley Energy Park, in Birmingham, in the UK, is expected in the first quarter of next year. This is subject to the remaining equipment... →

NdFeB magnet powder

Huawei FusionSolar launches new inverter for the South African market

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd July 2024 Global provider of solar solutions Huawei FusionSolar has launched its largest commercial and industrial (C&I) inverter available to the market to date, the 150K high-power C&I inverter series. The series comprises the SUN2000-150K-MGO and the SUN5000-150K-MGO. →

An image showing a Huawei FusionSolar 150KTL inverter demo

Photo by Creamer Media's Tasneem Bulbulia
150KTL inverter demo

New online information hub on South African scrap metal industry launched

By: Darren Parker 23rd July 2024 A new online platform called MyScrapMatters has been launched, acting as a single centralised hub to provide comprehensive information about the scrap metal industry in South Africa. The aim of the website is to assist in regulating scrap metal in the country by promoting transparency and... →

PCC, WWF welcome signing into law of Climate Change Bill

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 23rd July 2024 The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) have welcomed the signing into law of the Climate Change Bill. The Presidency has announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the Climate Change Bill, which sets out a national climate change... →

PCC Commissioner and executive director Dr Crispian Olver

George emphasises collective multilateral climate effort in MoCA speech

By: Schalk Burger 22nd July 2024 South Africa and most other African and developing countries are facing a very serious economic situation with pressing development challenges, such as high unemployment and poverty rates. Southern Africa is among the regions most impacted by climate change owing to multiple factors, including... →

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dr Dion George

South Africa to lay out carbon market regulation proposals

By: Bloomberg 19th July 2024 South Africa’s National Treasury plans to lay out its proposals for how to regulate carbon markets in the country in the next few months. The government department said it plans to publish a consultation paper on the industry around the time it presents its Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement in... →

Dube TradePort to rehabilitate 200 ha of land near its developments

By: Schalk Burger 19th July 2024 Special economic zone the Dube TradePort has acquired more than 200 ha of land over the past five years with the specific purpose of conserving environmentally sensitive land near its development operations. This forms part of a crucial and comprehensive sustainable development strategy, which... →

An aerial view of the Dube TradePort and adjacent land

Growth in cleaner steel project pipeline puts industry’s net-zero goal in sight

By: Sabrina Jardim 18th July 2024 The global iron and steel industry made major strides towards achieving its net-zero goals in the past year, with more lower-emission steelmaking electric arc furnaces (EAFs) coming online and entering the development pipeline than ever before, Global Energy Monitor’s (GEM’s) ‘Pedal to the Metal... →

First Battery showcases 80 t/d lead-acid battery recycling plant

By: Schalk Burger 17th July 2024 Automotive and industrial battery manufacturer First Battery on July 17 took media on a tour of its battery recycling facility in Benoni Industrial Sites, in Ekurhuleni, where it recycles 80 t of lead-acid batteries a day. The facility features advanced technology to efficiently recycle used... →

Inside First Battery's Benoni battery recycling plant

Cape Town nets R36m in carbon credit auction

By: Irma Venter 17th July 2024 Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced the successful auction of R36-million in carbon credits, generated by reducing gas emissions at city landfill sites via waste-to-energy initiatives. The funds will be ring-fenced for urban waste management projects aimed at reducing pollution and... →

UFS works with council, govt to support more ‘climate smart’ research

By: Marleny Arnoldi 17th July 2024 The University of the Free State (UFS) has, together with the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) and the Department of Agriculture established four new research chairs within the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NAS). The research chairs comprise climate change and agriculture,... →

Recent weather disasters highlight importance of funding, initiatives to address climate crisis – Ramaphosa

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 16th July 2024 As South Africa hosts the Climate Resilience Symposium this week at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, in Pretoria, the country’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change has already become evident, demonstrating the need to speed up and bolster initiatives to mitigate... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

iMasons Climate Accord calls for improved EPD reporting to boost data centre industry sustainability

By: Darren Parker 16th July 2024 The governing body of the iMasons Climate Accord (ICA), which is a programme of Infrastructure Masons, has called on the digital infrastructure industry to more widely adopt the publication of environmental product declarations (EPDs) for materials and equipment used to build and operate data... →

Two employees in a data centre server room

Schneider Electric launches automated sustainability reporting tool for data centres

By: Darren Parker 16th July 2024 Technology company Schneider Electric has introduced new model-based, automated sustainability reporting features within its EcoStruxure IT data centre infrastructure management (DCIM) software. The release of the sustainability reporting features follows three years of strategic investment,... →

George promises wide consultation on 2025 decarbonisation pledge

By: Terence Creamer 16th July 2024 Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dr Dion George has promised “wide consultation” on South Africa’s next nationally determined contribution (NDC) decarbonisation pledge that will be lodged with the United Nations next year. Delivering his maiden Budget Vote, George stressed that... →

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dr Dion George

Carbon intensity of our economy has become unsustainable - Ramaphosa

By: Terence Creamer 15th July 2024 The carbon intensity of our economy has become unsustainable, President Cyril Ramaphosa writes in his latest weekly newsletter, published ahead of his address to a climate finance symposium being hosted jointly by the National Treasury and the Presidential Climate Commission. Ramaphosa notes that... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa storms in Western Cape cause damage to 35 000 homes

By: Bloomberg 12th July 2024 Storms that pounded South Africa’s Western Cape province have led to flood damage affecting more than 35 000 households in the city of Cape Town, Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said. “We’ve got more than 35 000 families in the city who have suffered some kind of floods damage,” Hill-Lewis... →

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis

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