Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
environmental lawlatest news & developments
In 2024, global coal consumption reached a record high, with commercial banks investing more than $130 billion across Asia, the US and Europe.. (Paul Botes)
ENERGY POLICY

#CancelCoal: SCA to hear government appeal over 1 500MW new coal plan

Youth and environmental organisations are back in court to defend their 2024 victory against 1,500MW of new coal-fired power, as Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Ayanda Msimang

Growing up in a small rural community in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Ayanda Msimang, 32, could not have imagined a career in environmental law. Today, as a senior associate at…

1 min read
CLIMATE JUSTICE

Michelle Sithole

For Michelle Sithole, the courtroom is more than a place to interpret the law — it is where the future is negotiated. As an attorney and climate justice activist at the Centre…

1 min read
Africa’s lithium boom won’t last forever. Photo: Dianah Chiyangwa
ALL RISE ATTORNEYS

KZN coastal communities demand withdrawal of SA Lithium mine expansion over legal, environmental concerns

A coalition of KwaZulu-Natal coastal organisations is calling for the withdrawal of SA Lithium’s Highbury Mine expansion near Umzumbe, citing alleged legal flaws, water risks,…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Pollution: Sasol claims that it recognises and understands the environmental footprint associated with its activities and responsibly manages these in a prudent and lawful way. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy
DFFE

Parliament intensifies scrutiny of Sasol

Parliament’s portfolio committee on forestry, fisheries and environment is widening its oversight into Sasol after receiving protected disclosures from environmental…

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
African penguins, endemic to Southern Africa, are one of the most threatened seabird species globally and they face the risk of extinction in the wild by 2035. Populations have shrunk by 90% in the past 70 years, dwindling to about 8 500 breeding pairs today.
AFRICAN PENGUIN

Conservationists fight for scientifically-informed fishing closures to ensure African penguin survival

The applicants argue that the forestry, fisheries and environment minister’s interim fishing closures are ‘biologically meaningless’

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
According to the department, a variety of illegal motorised devices were being used by recreational anglers to “illegally catch fish as well as sharks”. (Photo by Peter Titmuss UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
ANGLING REGULATIONS

Appeal court rules against use of drones in SA recreational fishing

The ban on drones and remote-controlled boats is viewed as a win for marine conservation efforts by the environment department

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
(Paul Botes/M&G)
CARBON BORDER ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM

The climate change bill must be signed into law as a matter of urgency

South Africa is a country with serious climate risks, and the bill would be a crucial step in response to these

  • Brian Mantlana
  • Olivia Rumble
5 min read