Editor’s comment

Editor Nombulelo Manyana Managing editor Alastair Currie Head of design Beren Bauermeister Designer Lizette Jonker Chief sub-editor Tristan Snijders Contributors Wayne Glossop, Anton Hanekom, Brendon Jewaskiewitz, Tord Johnsson, Jane Molony, Hugh Tyrrell, Ryan van Heerden

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Urgent action needed

While most people are aware that the world faces huge environmental challenges, very few know the true extent of this crisis. According to a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming is “widespread, rapid and intensifying”.

xperts have described the report

Eand recent environmental issues as a ‘code red’ for humanity and have suggested that urgent action be taken to reduce our ecological footprint. An ecological footprint is defined as the measure of human demand on nature and compares human consumption of natural resources with earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate them.

We need urgent interventions

The latest statistics suggest that the average world citizen has an eco-footprint of about 2.7 global hectares, while there are only 2.1 global hectares of bioproductive land and water per capita globally. Simply put: we need to make changes – urgently – if we want to save the environment.

South Africa’s revised nationally determined contribution to mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, submitted under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, has given hope to a dire situation. However, according to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Barbara Creecy, it will require an equally ambitious multilateral commitment of financial support by developed countries for our nation’s just transition.

Businesses and government alike are also looking at different ways to go green, and have implemented many regulations like the Carbon Tax Act (No. 15 of 2019), EPR Regulations and numerous landfill bans. These are an effort to introduce more sustainable practices and spark a sense of responsibility among producers, exporters and consumers.

By going green, businesses can save money by reducing waste and increasing efficiency, lessen health and safety risks, attract environmentally conscious consumers and employees, and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Nombulelo

Decrease your carbon footprint

This begs the key question: how can businesses decrease their carbon footprint? First, it is important to know what your current environmental impact is and then implement measures to reduce this. These include: 1. Using energy more efficiently: Energy efficiency means using less energy to perform the same task – thereby helping with reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing demand for energy imports, and lowering costs on an economy-wide level. 2. Installing clean, renewable energy systems such as solar and wind. 3. Conserving water. 4. Reducing, reusing and recycling. There are obviously many other ways that can be investigated but what’s clear is that this is a monumental challenge at hand.

In this, our Environmental Issue of ReSource, we not only look at ways to reduce your environmental impact but also at the great strides many organisations have already taken to reduce their eco-footprint, reuse their resources and reconsider their habits.