Environmental Policy
latest news & developments
SA pushes for biodiversity funding before COP17
Ahead of COP17 in Armenia, South Africa is demanding accessible, non-debt biodiversity finance and technology transfer to turn global conservation commitments into practical…
SA’s leopard population remains uncertain as new strategy weighs conservation and hunting
South Africa’s new draft leopard conservation strategy aims to balance preservation with cultural use and hunting, despite lacking reliable data on how many leopards actually…
As Europe retreats on pesticides, South Africa has a choice
As the European Union reconsiders pesticide safeguards, South Africa has a crucial window to reform its nearly 80-year-old regulatory framework and protect public health and…
SA’s captive lion industry remains legal despite years of promises to phase it out, say animal welfare groups
Despite years of government commitments, parliamentary reviews and expert panels, South Africa’s commercial captive lion breeding industry remains operational as conservation…
A failed plastic levy: The need for a total an on single-use plastic bags
South Africa's 22-year-old plastic levy has failed to curb the 8 billion single-use plastic bags consumed annually, leading to severe environmental and health impacts. This…
River clean-ups alone won’t fix South Africa's water crisis, says Deputy Minister Jack Bloom
Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister Jack Bloom states that community clean-up campaigns only address the symptoms of South Africa's river pollution. He emphasizes that lasting…
Madiba’s ideal a dream deferred
Thirty years after democracy, this article asks if South Africa has built the country Nelson Mandela envisioned. It delves into the unfulfilled promise of a democratic and free…
Climate models failing to reflect inequality and Global South realities, study warns
Scientists say dominant climate and biodiversity models rely too heavily on existing economic systems and overlook inequality, Global South perspectives and Indigenous knowledge,…
Wildlife ranchers slam Dion George over hunting quota standoff
A legal battle is being waged by Wildlife Ranching SA against the minister over the quota setting process
World at crossroads as plastic pollution talks reach critical stage in Busan
A robust treaty addressing the lifecycle of plastics is crucial to averting disaster
Plastics industry ‘unduly influences SA’s global plastic treaty’
South Africa is a primary plastic producing country with significant imports of primary plastic for local manufacturing
From water to police: Senzo Mchunu’s legacy and Pemmy Majodina’s new job
Mchunu has left big shoes that need to be filled, according to experts
TotalEnergies African legacy: 100 years of environmental destruction
Climate justice groups are leading the fight against those causing harm to our environment and climate