At the Glasgow Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in November 2021, 120 world leaders gathered to revisit the climate pledges they’d made six years earlier under the Paris Agreement. While many feel that the conference didn’t go far enough in its ambitions, it served as a cogent reminder that sustainability requires ongoing commitment coupled with accountability.
Our environment, forestry and fisheries department writes that SA needs to move faster in implementing climate-resilient strategies to mitigate the risks of economic, social and ecosystem disasters, and we also find out how green investing supports business practices with a positive impact on the natural environment.
We look at both the smart technologies and simple innovations that can make commercial and residential buildings more sustainable, plus a rundown of World Green Building Week. At home, employing tech or greener options is an eco-friendly way to keep your house at optimal temperature and help take pressure off the national electricity grid. SA also has the dirtiest power supply in the world, thus making our transition to clean energy a matter of global importance.
Also, regulations and mandatory climate-related financial reporting are putting pressure on organisations to take net-zero pledges seriously, and extended producer responsibility is shifting the onus for disposing of post-consumer products to producers and retailers, but is it doing enough?
With a third of fish stocks are now being fished at biologically unsustainable levels, is seafood really sustainable? We also look at the pharmaceutical industry: Covid-19 has revealed it produces more emissions than vehicle manufacturing.
These and many other topics are addressed in this issue of GREEN magazine.
Browse through the full magazine below (zoom in or go full screen for ease of reading):
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