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28 April 2025 Environmental Law & Justice Watch

Environmental Focus


Eastern Cape under fire as protected areas expanded

The Eastern Cape's Environment Department, which has announced the addition of large swathes of land for biodiversity conservation, has come in for stinging criticism from activists who say protected areas in the province are being neglected by authorities with ... Read More

South Africa


Sasol plan to circumvent 'gas cliff'

Sasol has unveiled a potential interim gas strategy that could buy SA an additional 24 months to stave off the well-flagged ‘gas cliff’ threatening the country’s industrial users, as gas reserves from Mozambique edge closer to exhaustion. A MyBroadband report ... Read More

Minister lays out BEE rules on gas, oil exploration

Mineral & Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has laid out an empowerment blueprint for firms looking to explore for gas and oil in SA – which will include a requirement to contribute to poverty reduction and housing for employees. A ... Read More

Amsa flags ‘debilitating’ carbon tax increases

Struggling steel major ArcelorMittal SA (Amsa) has raised concern that the government’s proposed carbon tax increases will hinder its turnaround strategy, says a Business Day report. The company said it was facing ‘debilitating’ increases in carbon taxes at a time ... Read More

Legalbrief Policy Watch


Screening tool for EIA applications

Forestry, Fisheries & Environment Minister Dion George has launched a transformative step forward in SA’s journey toward sustainable development – the National Web-Based Environmental Screening Tool, now fully operational under Regulation 16 of the NEMA EIA Regulations of 2014. A ... Read More

Analyses


At last, a masterplan for renewables

Cabinet recently approved the country’s first Renewable Energy Masterplan, which sets out a framework to produce renewable technologies locally – solar photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and batteries. It has been drawn up so that it aligns with SA’s existing national ... Read More

Privatising water a dangerous move

A group of water justice researchers has warned against the City of Cape Town's proposal to ‘externalise’ the implementation and operation of the Faure New Water Scheme. Writing in a GroundUp analysis, the group states ‘the City of Cape ... Read More

Africa


Major insurer backs out of pipeline project

The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (Eacop) faces more challenges as Chubb, one of the world's largest fossil fuel insurers, confirmed it will not provide insurance coverage for the controversial project. This decision follows Chubb's updated conservation policy ... Read More

Africa Climate Talks urge just and inclusive agendas

African governments, international organisations and other development partners closed the Sixth Africa Climate Talks (ACT) in Kampala, Uganda, this month with a forceful call for COP30 to advance a just and inclusive global climate agenda. According to a report on ... Read More

World


UK re-evaluates legal risks of 'forever chemicals'

Businesses using ‘forever chemicals’ in their manufacturing processes or that supply products with those chemicals in them, face a growing risk of claims being brought against them in the UK amidst scrutiny of the regulatory standards applicable to their use ... Read More

Europe suffers through hottest year on record

The home-wrecking storms and floods that swept through Europe last year affected 413 000 people, a report has found, as fossil fuel pollution forced the continent to suffer through its hottest year on record. A report in The Guardian notes ... Read More

Pakistan punts blue carbon ecosystems

The Pakistani Government has announced that it is taking measures to promote blue carbon ecosystems to build its maritime sector and strengthen climate resilience. A Cape Times report quotes Pakistan’s Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry who said ... Read More

Enviro Briefs


Illegal mining crackdown

* Police have arrested more than 100 suspects and seized two trucks in a sweeping crackdown on illegal mining operations in the North West and Limpopo Provinces. The ongoing Operation Vala Umgodi also led to the arrest of 104 undocumented foreign ... Read More

Cape Town puts CBD Mobility plan up for comment

* The City of Cape Town has invited the public to comment on its proposed CBD Mobility and Access Plan, which aims to promote walking and cycling, and create a pedestrian-friendly space. Out for comment until 11 May, the plan proposes ... Read More

Plett nominated for Africa's Leading Beach award

* As Plettenberg Bay prepares to show off its pristine environment and biodiversity during its annual Plett Ocean Festival, it has also bagged another nomination for the title of Africa’s Leading Beach Destination in the World Travel Awards. Plettenberg Bay scooped ... Read More

Side Bars


Sterkfontein Caves reopen to the public

Sterkfontein Caves reopen to publicOne of humanity’s most important palaeontological sites, the Sterkfontein Caves, reopened to the public on 15 April, as it transitions to full management under the University of the Witwatersrand. Located within the Cradle of Humankind UN ... Read More

SA marks Indigenous Tree Day

SA marks Indigenous Tree DayLast week, SA joined the rest of the continent to celebrate Indigenous Tree Day (ITD), a growing African initiative dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of indigenous trees. ‘The idea is that the trees planted ... Read More

Pygmy gecko species found in the Northern Cape

New pygmy gecko speciesA new species of Pygmy Gecko (Goggia: Gekkonidae) has been discovered by a team of four researchers in the Northern Cape. South Africa's newest reptile is the Gravel Pygmy Gecko (Goggia sabula sp. nov.), first spotted ... Read More

Case Law Briefs


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