Marike Fourie

Important notice: CDP will be making changes to its corporate disclosure questionnaire.📢📢📢 The three questionnaires Climate, Water Security and Forestry will now be combined in the new integrated questionnaire. For expert assistance contact Brundtland - we specialize in assisting with CDP reporting www.brundtland.co.za #CDP #Disclosure #Climatechange

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Scenario analysis is an integral part of the Classification Process, an approach for determing environmental flow allocations in South Africa. Gwyneth Letley and Jane Turpie of Anchor spent the day training goverment officials on setting up and comparing scenarios which prioritise conventional development, green economy development, or the strategic spatial targeting of a mixture of these, to find the best balance between conservation and use of water and aquatic ecosystems in the Limpopo-Olifants Water Management Area.

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DMRE Announces Major Milestones in South Africa’s Minerals, Energy Landscape South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced major updates to ongoing policy adjustments, regulatory frameworks and energy legislation in the country. Ntokozo Nzimande, DMRE Deputy Director-General, revealed at #AfricanEnergyWeek: Invest in African Energies' pre-conference that South Africa's National Petroleum Company will be officially established on November 7. The new parastatal oil company will be designed to take advantage of South Africa’s resources while finding international partners to invest in infrastructure across the country and the rest of Africa. Meanwhile, Nzimande also announced that South Africa is developing a Critical Minerals Strategy, which is set to launch before the end of the year. The strategy will provide a national framework for South Africa to grow its minerals sector and achieve the government’s vision to become a global supplier of critical minerals in the wake of the energy transition.   Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ePy_6-Wf #AfricanEnergyWeek #AEW2024 #InvestInAfricanEnergy

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BIODIVERSITY AND DECISION-MAKING 🌵 Reporting on targets ahead of COP16, South Africa made the commitment that by 2030: 🌵 (1) A National Natural Capital Accounting Strategy will be implemented, together with other related tools, to ensure credible evidence of the multiple values of biodiversity are widely used in integrated planning and decision-making in support of the development needs of the country. 🌵 South Africa published its NCA Strategy in 2021, supporting the use of natural capital accounts as a source of evidence-based decision-making. The Environmental-Economic Accounts directorate at Stats SA is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the strategy, but cooperation between multiple government departments is required. 🌵 (2) Biodiversity mainstreaming-related targets contained in the Local Government Support Strategy for the Biodiversity Sector are fully implemented. 🌵 South Africa’s existing (to be updated) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, found that although a comprehensive policy and legal framework is in place in South Africa for protecting biodiversity, there are many gaps in relation to actual implementation. 🌵 Hurdles faced by institutions tasked with implementation include funding shortages, high staff turnover and skills gaps, especially in planning, project management, financial management, computer skills and technical skills such as biosystematics. 🌵 What is clear is that more needs to be done. There is an absence of integration of biodiversity issues into development decisions, and there is a lack of co-operative government and lack of mainstreaming. For example, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional affairs has yet to put out any policy regarding biodiversity mainstreaming is key. 🌵 South Africa, in reporting to COP16, aims to develop and implement a specific environmental management capacity-building programme that focuses on biodiversity and other environmental considerations for municipal governance and development. It remains to be seen whether these objectives will in fact be achieved. #biodiversity #COP16 #mainstreaming

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As we approach #earthday🌎 let’s rally together against the pressing climate challenges threatening our planet. South Africa, like many regions, grapples with severe environmental issues—from floods to water quality decline and environmental degradation. These issues disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, highlighting the urgent need for collective action. Now is the time to make conscious choices daily, steering us towards a sustainable and healthier future. Despite the daunting challenges of climate change, plastic pollution, and wildlife loss, each of us holds the power to enact change. This Earth Day, we empower you to take action. We are here to offer practical tips that not only honour our planet on 22 April but also inspire ongoing commitment. Share these actionable tips with your circle & community igniting a wider movement of environmental stewardship. Get into recycling habits. Donate unwanted goods to local charities, schools, and churches. Use a dedicated recycling container in your kitchen. Start composting food waste to reduce methane production and produce nutrient-rich compost for your garden. Reduce water usage by taking shorter showers, installing water-saving devices like a bottle in your toilet cistern, and collecting cold shower water for gardening or car washing. Adopt a recycling mindset in your community. Click on the link for more actions and tips: https://bit.ly/44ooby9 Let’s make a positive impact this Earth Day and beyond! #EarthDay2024 #SustainableLiving #ActForNature #peoplecaringfortheearth #educateadvocateact

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🌍💼 Carbon Pricing: A Challenge for Developing Economies? While ESG sustainability reporting drives responsible business practices—lowering pollution, reducing CO2 output, and minimizing waste—there's growing concern about the impact of carbon pricing on developing nations. 🇿🇦 South Africa, committed to decarbonization, faces a dilemma. Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, Narend Singh, warns that applying a carbon price to emissions-heavy industries could worsen inequality, poverty, and unemployment in these countries. Read more: https://lnkd.in/deuBY2z8 #ESG #CarbonPricing #Sustainability #ClimateAction #SouthAfrica #DevelopingEconomies #Inequality

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#environmentalplanning #townplanning Environmental and town planning concerns permeate legal and public-policy decision-making in South Africa. Most development projects of any size must deal with complex environmental and land use regulations developed by national, provincial, and local governments. The Environment & Planning Division at GARLICKE & BOUSFIELD INC provides an extensive service that will assist clients in evaluating and coping with the environmental risk inherent in many commercial transactions today. #environmentalrisk #commercial #developments

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Recommendation 1 from the 2023 South African Climate Finance Landscape is: Scale the pipeline of investment-ready low-carbon and climate-resilient projects. (View the report: https://lnkd.in/daVS8GM5) [Presidential Climate Commission | Climate Policy Initiative]. An example of an initiative that is demonstrating a successful approach to develop this pipeline, is the Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) South Africa programme. To date, close to $100m investment has been facilitated into green economy projects in South Africa through the connections made between projects and funders through the CFA. In this video (Part 1 of 2), we hear from some of the early stage 2024 cohort. [National Business Initiative | UK in South Africa]. #GreenFinanceFridays

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Though South Africa's transition to net zero is complex, it is an extremely resilient nation, and the world is watching. The country must take the lead in defining its unique transition and ensuring alignment with our national interests, development goals and access to finance. #businessday #cop29 #bakuclimateconference https://lnkd.in/dXJpdaDq

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Week Ahead in Parliament: Progress Toward Governance, Sustainability, and Economic Growth 🏛️🌍 This week, South African Parliament will address essential topics that directly impact governance, social welfare, and sustainability goals: Municipal Accountability: With a focus on audit outcomes, discussions will aim to reinforce governance standards. Sector Policy Updates: New strategies in water management, education, and tourism will be explored to support development and business environments. Environmental Action: The Committee on Forestry, Fisheries, and Environment will assess air quality issues, highlighting sustainability and health goals. Each agenda item is a step toward driving public policy aligned with economic growth, responsible governance, and sustainability. Keeping in step with these discussions is essential for business strategy alignment with national priorities. #PublicPolicy #Sustainability #SouthAfrica #BusinessUpdate

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Just Share has released a briefing on FirstRand’s latest climate-related financial disclosures, published in September 2023. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 * FirstRand has not set any climate science-aligned emission reduction targets, nor updated its 2021 climate policy. However, the bank has said that it will disclose a “high-level climate alignment pathway strategy for FirstRand and 2030 interim pathway for oil and gas” in the 2024/2025 financial year. * FirstRand has updated the group’s principal and supporting risks and has now classified climate risk as a principal risk. What FirstRand refers to as its fossil fuel financing “limits” in fact allow it to increase its financing to thermal coal by at least three times, and to upstream oil and gas by five times. * FirstRand recognises that gas will not play a long-term role in the transition to a low-carbon economy, and the potential for stranded gas assets, yet it intends to continue to increase its financing of gas in the short- and medium- term. The bank’s exposure to upstream oil and gas increased from R2,9bn to R7,76bn over the reporting period, more than two-and-a-half times. It attributes this increase to increased exposure for existing clients. * However, the bank’s total reported financed emissions from fossil fuels decreased by 37%, largely due to a decrease in its exposure to thermal coal, which FirstRand explains as being because of refinements in methodology, improvement of data, and reduction in exposure to coal-fired power. * FirstRand has included climate metrics in executive directors’, prescribed officers’, and certain other bank positions’ short-term incentives, and allows for a downward adjustment of long-term incentives for materially negative outcomes within managerial control. FirstRand approaches climate risk integration systematically and thoroughly, but its efforts to mitigate climate risk lack urgency. FirstRand’s high-level climate alignment pathway strategy and 2030 interim pathway for oil and gas, to be published in 2024/2025, will be a crucial indicator of the bank’s real commitment to supporting South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon, inclusive and sustainable economy. This is the final briefing in our series of in-depth analyses of the 2023 climate-related disclosures of South Africa’s five largest banks: FirstRand, Absa Group, Investec, Nedbank Group, and Standard Bank Group. #Climaterisk #climateemergency #ESG #justtransition #corpgov

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Despite increases in renewable energy, South Africa's carbon intensity rose by 3% from 2022 to 2023. Find out more about the need to act here: https://ow.ly/mrzz50THLLH #ClimateAdaptation #GreenInvestment

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Through informative talks and expert guidance, WESSA is making sure South African businesses rise to the occasion and become leaders in addressing climate change. Read the story here: https://lnkd.in/gb4z4_Qe

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What are the Shortcomings of the DWS being a Regulatory and Providing Policy Framework? The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in South Africa faces several shortcomings as both a regulatory body and policy framework provider. *Institutional Failures*: One major concern is institutional failures, where the DWS may struggle to effectively regulate and provide policy direction due to inadequate capacity and resources ¹. This can lead to ineffective water management and sanitation services. *Conflict of Interest*: Another issue is the potential conflict of interest that arises when the DWS is responsible for both regulation and policy-making ². This dual role can compromise the department's ability to make impartial decisions. *Regulatory Framework Challenges*: The regulatory framework for Integrated Water Quality Management (IWQM) faces challenges, including inadequate institutional and legal frameworks ³. This can hinder the effective management of water quality. *Lack of Policy Certainty*: The absence of clear policy direction can create uncertainty, making it difficult for stakeholders to implement effective water management strategies *Inadequate Implementation*: Failure by entities to implement prescribed regulations can undermine the effectiveness of the DWS's policy framework. To address these shortcomings, it's essential to consider reforms that separate regulatory functions from policy-making, enhance institutional capacity, and promote stakeholder engagement.

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Such an interesting and emerging topic.

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