South Africa, which will host the next round of United Nations (UN) climate change talks in Durban in November, said on Wednesday that the Kyoto Protocol should be extended.

Durban cannot be the [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 23 April 2011

South Africa, which will host the next round of United Nations (UN) climate change talks in Durban in November, said on Wednesday that the Kyoto Protocol should be extended.

Durban cannot be the death of the Kyoto Protocol

South African environment minister Edna Molewa told the media at the South African parliament in Cape Town that South Africa does not want the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be the end of the Kyoto Protocol.

The South African government views continuation of the protocol as critical, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported her as saying.

The Kyoto Protocol is a 1997 international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The first commitment period of the agreement expires in 2012.

COP17 aims to build on agreements reached during COP 16 in Cancun, Mexico. It also hopes to establish a new global climate change regime.

“That period is quite critical for all of us, because in the Kyoto Protocol we carry the rules of operations, the rules of agreement, and none of us would like to lose those rules of operation,” Molewa said.

Molewa said there are very serious ongoing discussions with other countries.

However, some developed countries did not want to get into the second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol.

“We are negotiating, we are pushing hard. We believe that this is an area that we can’t leave unattended, and something’s got to come out of Durban, without having Durban being the death of the Kyoto Protocol, because that we wouldn’t want to happen,” she said.

South Africa also feels there must be a distinction between developed and emerging economies.

Molewa said emerging economies must be given the space and time to develop.

The minister also said South Africa will push harder to increase action by countries on controlling their carbon emissions.

Other issues that had “fallen through the cracks”, including carbon “equity” and the two-track commitment to actions, would also be pursued, she said.

Source:  China.org.cn

Thousands of hectares of agricultural land and crops have been damaged by floods and heavy rains in parts of southern Africa, and more damage may occur in the coming weeks  if above normal rains [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) – partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 08 February 2011

Thousands of hectares of agricultural land and crops have been damaged by floods and heavy rains in parts of southern Africa, and more damage may occur in the coming weeks  if above normal rains persist.

Localized crop losses are reported in Mozambique. Photo: IRIN

This is raising concern about the food security of the affected population in the poorer parts of the sub-region over the coming months.

With the rainy season still only half way through, and with the cyclone season due to peak in February, several agricultural areas along the rivers in southern African countries remain at high risk of flooding, including portions of Botswana, Lesotho Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Food insecurity already critical

“Food insecurity levels are already critical in the affected areas of some of these countries and floods will only further worsen the ability of poor farmers to cope and feed their families in the coming months,” said Cindy Holleman, FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations] Regional Emergency Coordinator for Southern Africa. FAO is working with regional and national early warning systems to monitor the evolution in major river basins and to assess the impact on food crops.

Crops destroyed in Lesotho and Mozambique

In Lesotho, for example, one of the poorest countries in the sub-region, an FAO assessment team found that in some of the flooded areas up to 60 percent of harvests have been lost and over 4 700 livestock, mainly sheep and goats are dead.

Localized crop losses are also reported along river banks in southern and central Mozambique. The government has declared a red alert for central and southern Mozambique as water flows in the major rivers are above alert levels.

South Africa has already declared a national state of disaster in many districts of the country due to the floods that have destroyed thousands of hectares of crop land, and caused damages estimated in the millions of dollars.   

FAO participates in flood assessments

A full assessment of the impact of floods on this year’s cereal crops is not yet available.

FAO is taking part in various flood impact assessments being undertaken throughout the region. In addition, the Organization is providing governments with technical advice on flood monitoring systems, preparedness, and measures to prevent the outbreak or spread of animal disease, while simultaneously preparing for possible agricultural aid interventions such as the delivery of quality seeds, and restoring agricultural activities after flood waters recede.

Source: FAO

A meeting of the BASIC group, formed by Brazil, South Africa, India and China, ended on Monday without consensus on a unified plan to deal with the global climate change.

The group, which met in [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 27 July 2010

A meeting of the BASIC group, formed by Brazil, South Africa, India and China, ended on Monday without consensus on a unified plan to deal with the global climate change.

The group, which met in Rio over the weekend, tried to reach a common ground on the maximum limit of carbon emissions for developing countries, to be presented to the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Cancun, Mexico, in November.

As they failed to reach a common ground, the four countries decided to hold another meeting in Beijing in October. According to Brazilian Environment Minister Izabela Teixeira, the countries expect to achieve a convergent position at the Beijing meeting so they can work together in Cancun.

In Beijing, the BASIC countries will discuss the impacts of the carbon emission reduction on the economic development of developing countries.

Teixeira stressed that the Rio meeting is the first talks attended by technical personnel from the BASIC countries.

The minister also highlighted the transparency of the conversations and the presentation of concrete figures on each country’s situation.

Source: Xinhua

Like any major fixture involving large crowds of people and infrastructure there is a cost: the environmental impact. One feasibility study found that the 2010 event will generate a staggering 2.8 million tons of carbon [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 02 June 2010

Like any major fixture involving large crowds of people and infrastructure there is a cost: the environmental impact. One feasibility study found that the 2010 event will generate a staggering 2.8 million tons of carbon emissions, largely due to the long-haul air travel. This is nearly 10 times the amount produced during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Soccer 2010 event will generate 2.8 million tons of carbon emissions

South Africa has faced up to its ecological obligations by taking a number of measures to limit these impacts. Clearly that not only makes good sense from an environmental perspective, but also from a reputational one.

The national Green Goal 2010 Programme was launched last November, with all of the nine host cities pledging their support. The programme being led by the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the World Cup is modelled on the 2006 Green Goal initiative in Germany.

World Cup Local Organising Committee CEO, Danny Jordaan, has said that the green initiative will focus on limiting the event’s impact on the environment, as well as general environmental improvement of the host cities in the form of waste management, water conservation and the planting of trees.

The City of Cape Town launched its own Green Goal 2010 Action Plan in October 2008. As part of this plan, the first phase of the integrated rapid transit (IRT) system will be in place for the start of the World Cup, while a new bicycle and pedestrian route is also being constructed around the stadium as part of the larger non-motorised transport network.

Other greening measures include biodegradable packaging for takeaways, separate bins for recyclable and non-recyclable litter at the fan parks and stadiums, installation of water-saving devices at stadiums and the promotion of non-motorised transport.

These are all worthwhile and commendable initiatives, but probably the single biggest environmental concern of the World Cup remains the carbon footprint. The government aims to try minimising this by encouraging visitors to cycle or make use of public transport, while also launching carbon offset programmes.

Nevertheless the World Cup will have a huge carbon footprint. WWF encourages all visitors to act responsibly by using water sparingly, buying local products and using public transport.

Visitors to South Africa’s famous winelands should support wines from farms that are members of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative which works to conserve the Cape Floral Kingdom.

The World Cup provides the opportunity for thousands of people to fall in love with our beautiful nation. We hope that visitors enjoying our country’s many national parks and nature reserves will consider donating money back into conservation.

Source: WWF South Africa

South Africa is one of the driest countries in the world and its water sources are far from its biggest economic centres.

Business Leadership South Africa and the Centre for Development and Enterprise [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 04 May 2010

South Africa is one of the driest countries in the world and its water sources are far from its biggest economic centres.

Business Leadership South Africa and the Centre for Development and Enterprise convened a Round Table discussion on 2 November 2009 to examine the state of the water sector in South Africa, probe the reasons for its problems, and explore some solutions.

The report was issued in April 2010 and the following are some extracts from the report.

Rainwater Harvesting by Water Rhapsody

South Africa’s fresh water is limited, and unevenly distributed, so different parts of the country tend to experience shortages at different times, and with varying degrees of severity….Depending on the area, demand needs to be reduced by between 15 and 30 per cent, so water conservation is very important. Implementation will be very challenging, because demand management measures are spread over many institutions, municipalities and households. Without this, we will face water restrictions during the next drought. – Johan van Rooyen Director of National Water Resource Planning, Department of Water Affairs

South Africa faces growing constraints on the availability of water. Many of its river basins are effectively closed, meaning that no additional consumptive water use is feasible within those basins. There is a point where an inability to access water limits development, resulting in economic growth competing with social expansion. Sasol has a relatively large demand for an assured supply of water, but this can’t be at the expense of other users. – Martin Ginster Environmental advisor, Sasol

Once industries understand their water footprint, they need to establish what they can do to meet the water needs of the people in the areas in which they operate. This could include the harvesting of rainwater, which some countries now require from industries. National strategies have to take these issues into account, as well as the fact that people will continue to stream to our cities. – Percy Sechemane Chief executive, Rand Water

More than 90 per cent of municipalities are unable to meet the water quality standards for discharges from their waste water treatment plants (WWTPs), causing pollution hot spots and widespread health risks. Given our sound legislation and good policies, how have we got into this state? The ultimate cause is the erosion of water quality management. – Jenny Day Director, Fresh Water Unit, Department of Zoology, UCT

Read the full report

The third meeting of BASIC Ministers on climate change took place in Cape Town from 25 to 26 April 2010.

During their deliberations, Ministers emphasised the following:

1.  The BASIC Ministers expressed their determination to continue [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 27 April 2010

The third meeting of BASIC Ministers on climate change took place in Cape Town from 25 to 26 April 2010.

During their deliberations, Ministers emphasised the following:

1.  The BASIC Ministers expressed their determination to continue to show leadership in acting on climate change.

2.  Developing countries strongly support international legally binding agreements, as the lack of such agreements hurts developing countries more than developed countries. They noted that internationally binding legal agreements already exists in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its’ Kyoto Protocol. In accordance with the Convention, Brazil, China, India and South Africa are taking ambitious nationally appropriate mitigation actions, as announced in Copenhagen.

3.  The Ministers agreed that in accordance with the mandate of the Bali Roadmap, such agreements must follow two tracks and include an agreement on quantified emission reduction targets under a second commitment period for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol, as well as a legally binding agreement on long-term cooperative action under the Convention. Ministers felt that a legally binding outcome should be concluded at Cancún, Mexico in 2010, or at the latest in South Africa by 2011.

4.  Negotiations should follow a two-pronged approach which:

• develops a politically balanced comprehensive outcome in the formal negotiations under the two Ad hoc Working Groups, underpinned by the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities; and

• uses the 2010 $10 billion fast-start funding to develop, test and demonstrate practical implementation approaches to both  adaptation and mitigation, which can be used to inform the comprehensive package.

5.   Building on the discussion held in New Delhi (January 2010), Ministers elaborated areas in which progress could be made in the run-up to Cancún, including:

• the early flow of fast-start finance of the $10 bn in 2010 pledged by developed countries;
• implementation of the REDD+ mechanism;
• architecture of technology development and transfer;
• adaptation framework encompassing implementaion programmes; and
• A work programme on measurement, reporting and verification  (MRV) of commitments to finance, technology and capacity-building support by developed countries, starting with a common reporting format for financial contributions by developed countries.

6.  Ministers noted news reports that domestic legislation in the USA had been postponed and indicated that the world could not wait indefinitely, as it hinders our ability to reach an internationally legally binding agreement. A step-change is required in negotiations, and incremental progress on its own will not raise the level of ambition to the extent needed to avoid dangerous climate change and impacts on poor countries and communities.

7.  Equity will be a key issue for any agreement. Ministers noted that the Copenhagen Accord sets a global goal of keeping temperature increase below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, without jeopardising economic growth and poverty alleviation. This implies a certain global carbon budget. The implications of this budget for individual countries require careful analysis, and must be based on a multilateral agreement about equitable burden-sharing, including historical responsibility for climate change, the need to allow developing countries equitable space for development, and adequate finance, technology and capacity-building support provided by developed countries for all developing countries.

8.  Ministers outlined their understanding of how the political agreements on contentious issues, as reflected in the Copenhagen Accord, should be translated into the official negotiating texts under the Ad hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWGLCA) and Ad hoc Working Group on further Commitments by Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWGKP). They reaffirmed that negotiations must be based on the official negotiating texts in the AWGLCA and AWGKP, and negotiations conducted in an inclusive manner.

9.  The only legitimate forum for negotiation of climate change is the UNFCCC. Small groups can make a contribution in resolving conflicts, but they must be representative and their composition must be determined through fully inclusive and transparent negotiations, with a mechanism for reporting back to the multi-lateral forum.

10. Further elaborating on finance,

• Ministers noted that the Copenhagen Accord provides for the scale of finance in short and medium-term. The commitments to provide finance must be operationalised. Both the $ 30 billion (2010-2012) and the $ 100 billion annually (by 2020) should be provided by developed countries.
• Finance must balance adaptation and mitigation, not only in the next three years, but also in the medium-term

11. Ministers were of the view that it will not be possible to deal with mitigation actions by developing countries, without also dealing with support for those actions and the two-fold commitments by developed countries to both provide finance for developing countries and reduce their own emissions, with consequences of non-fulfilment.  In this regard, Ministers urged all Annex I countries to raise their level of ambition.

12. Ministers affirmed that the BASIC countries will continue their consultations with other countries and groups, following the “BASIC-Plus” approach, in order to facilitate the resolution of contentious issues in the negotiations.

13. Ministers emphasised again that BASIC is more than a forum focused on negotiations. They supported collaboration among experts from BASIC countries and welcomed the creation of an on-going forum, including work on adaptation and mitigation action plans and scenarios.

14. Ministers of the BASIC countries agreed that, remaining anchored in the G77&China, they will continue to contribute constructively to the multi-lateral negotiations on climate change.

15. Ministers welcomed Brazil’s offer to host the next BASIC Ministerial at the end of July and China’s offer to host a meeting at the end of October 2010. The BASIC Ministerials will bring together analytical work done on several issues, including a focus on equity.

The Ministers who participated in the meeting were:

H.E. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reforms Commission from China, H.E. Izabella Teixeira, Minister for Environment from Brazil, H.E. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment and Forests from India, and H.E. Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs from South Africa. Other South African Ministers present were HE Minister Trevor Manual, Minister in the Presidency, Deputy Minister Sue van der Merwe, of International Relations and Co-operation and HE Deputy Minister Rejoyce Mabudafhasi, of Environmental Affairs.

Ministers and officials from ten countries and territories in East Africa yesterday endorsed or signed off on a potentially far-reaching protocol to protect East Africa’s coastal and marine environment from land-based activities and pollution.

The [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 01 April 2010

Ministers and officials from ten countries and territories in East Africa yesterday endorsed or signed off on a potentially far-reaching protocol to protect East Africa’s coastal and marine environment from land-based activities and pollution.

The new protocol – five years in the making – makes the western Indian Ocean the third marine area of the world to achieve a multilateral agreement to limit and control land-based impacts on the marine environment, after the Mediterranean (1980) and Wider Caribbean (1999).

The parties to the agreement are Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, which will be signing the protocol in the near future.

Durban Beach. Burgeoning cities such as Durban are threatening the very resource base that sustains them.

“This agreement comes at an opportune time, and will be assisting us with our initiatives in coast East Africa to save one of the few remaining areas of the world that are still unspoilt,” said Dr Amani Ngusaru, head of WWF’s Coastal East Africa Marine Programme.

“Over 60 million people in eastern and southern Africa live and depend on the goods and services provided by the coastal and marine ecosystems of coastal east Africa.”

A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Study, Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis of land-based sources and activities in the Western Indian Ocean Region estimates the economic value in the form of goods and services provided by marine habitats such as coastal and mangrove forests, coral reefs and seagrass beds to be more than US$25 billion per year.

“However, the resources of coastal East Africa are coming more and more under threat from rapid population growth, increased resource exploitation, unplanned development and climate change,” Dr Ngusaru said. “Burgeoning cities such as Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Durban are threatening the very resource base that sustains them.

“Countering these trends is complicated by a lack of capacity and effective legal instruments that governments can use to champion the protection of the marine environment.”

The signing of the protocol followed nine demonstration projects focusing on dissemination of technologies and approaches for the sustainable management and protection of the marine ecosystems. These included wastewater management using advanced constructed wetlands in Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania and community-based resource management and eco-tourism demonstration projects in Comoros and Madagascar.

A waste management demonstration project and a soil erosion control, both using indigenous vegetation, were implemented in Mauritius.

The meeting of parties to the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Eastern African Region also endorsed a first ever Strategic Action Programme for marine protection in the area.

Source: WWF

Many of the world’s top soccer players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, will be wearing shirts made of old plastic bottles at the World Cup in South Africa.

The US uses 2 million platic beverage bottles [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 28 February 2010

Many of the world’s top soccer players, including Cristiano Ronaldo, will be wearing shirts made of old plastic bottles at the World Cup in South Africa.

The US uses 2 million platic beverage bottles every 5 minutes

There will be 9 national teams wearing this gear, including one of the favourites Brazil. The shirts are being made from polyester recycled from used bottles. Each shirt will use up to 8 plastic bottles retrieved from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites. Other teams trying out this gear include Portugal, Netherlands and the United States.

Nike, the world’s biggest sports goods manufacturer, says its new shirts will keep players drier and cooler than previous kit while reducing energy consumption in manufacture by 30% compared to normal polyester. A total of 32 teams will be at the month-long finals starting on June 11.

Manufacture of the shirts, which will also be sold to fans, used 13 million plastic bottles— enough to fill 29 football pitches— the US company said in a media release. The bottles were melted to produce polyester yarn.

South Africa says carbon emissions from the World Cup are expected to soar compared with the 2006 tournament in Germany, but it will invest in carbon credits to mitigate the impact. Nearly 7% of the emissions will come from air travel to South Africa.

Source: SowetanMobile

In a landmark report released by UNEP (22 Feb 2010) South Africa and China were cited as examples where, by 2020, e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 200 to 400 percent from 2007 [...]]]> Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems – 24 February 2010

In a landmark report released by UNEP (22 Feb 2010) South Africa and China were cited as examples where, by 2020, e-waste from old computers will have jumped by 200 to 400 percent from 2007 levels, and by 500% in India.

Issued at a meeting of Basel Convention and other world chemical authorities prior to UNEP’s Governing Council meeting in Bali, Indonesia, the report, “Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources,” used data from 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation – which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.

Many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health unless action is stepped up to properly collect and recycle materials.

According to UNEP, SA does not have any dedicated legislation dealing with e-waste. The report only identifies laws which have a bearing on e-waste, in broader topics like the environment, water, air, waste, hazardous substances, and health and safety. “Answers are certainly found in each of these; however, they examine the issue from a different perspective, thereby confusing the problem,” it points out.

UNEP also states that enforcement of these laws is done by different government departments, so there’s no uniform approach in dealing with e-waste or hazardous waste in general.

“Some by-laws at the municipal level have a potentially negative impact on recycling or collection activities in so far as hazardous waste, storage, collection and transport are concerned,” the organisation says. “It is debatable to what extent e-waste should be treated – in terms of collection, storage and transport – and this poses a possible difficulty for e-waste recyclers,” UNEP says.

The organisation adds there is often rivalry and lack of cooperation at national and provincial level, since both share constitutional power on pollution.

Sources: UNEP and IT Web
Related post… e-waste: a threath to human health

In her speech at the launch of the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Buyelwa Sonjica, stressed the need to take steps to protect the biological diversity of Earth.

Posted by: Saving Water SA (Cape Town, South Africa) - partnered with Water Rhapsody conservation systems
02 February 2010

In her speech at the launch of the ‘International Year of Biodiversity’ the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Buyelwa Sonjica, stressed the need to take steps to protect the biological diversity of Earth.

Fynbos. South Africa's Western Cape is a hotspot of biodiversity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site

“Biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate….We are witnessing the loss of the very services on which livelihood systems depend. Our communities are being affected by erratic weather patterns, they become displaced and there is the scramble for natural resources, clean water, air and food”

She stated that our current consumption patterns will require the resources of 2 planets by 2030, and that humanity’s continued existence is under threat.

Noting that this was an opportunity to raise local awareness of the importance of biodiversity for our health, wealth, food and survival she pointed out that “South African society should strive for a more sustainable use of natural resources and for a reduction in habitat loss and climate change”.

Natural disasters, poverty and shrinking water resources were noted as some of the areas where innovative solutions were needed.

Sonjica called upon all communities to “jealously guard their natural resources” against the actions of “unscrupulous people who loot our natural resources to a point of depletion”. Rural development was singled out as a priority as these areas are often the biodiversity hot-spots.

Land redistribution was also noted as a priority.

Read the full speech: DEAT