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Bristol has a long history of activism, citizen-led initiatives and strong community identities. Seeing how their first Community Climate Action Plan came together and explicitly involves different groups with the aim of climate justice is really inspiring.

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Goukamma Nature Reserve, Buffelsbaai, Knysna, South Africa

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Goukamma Nature Reserve, Buffelsbaai, Knysna, South Africa

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Goukamma Nature Reserve, Buffelsbaai, Knysna, South Africa

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I always regard this World Heritage Site as the heart of Garden Route, but it is hindered by Alien Vegetation which is a threat to the biodiversity of the area.

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Philippi Farm Market, Horticulture Areaa, Phillipi, Cape Town

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Water Tribunal Protects the PHA Ecosystem

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Water Tribunal Protects the PHA Ecosystem

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Protecting the PHA ecosystem from sand mining (thegreentimes.co.za)

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The Water Tribunal says the Philippi Horticultural Area wetland ecosystem is irreplaceable and rejects Consol Glass/Keysource Minerals Water Use Licence to mine silica sand...for a second time.

This is another important milestone in the on-going struggle to protect the PHA foodland, the Cape Flats Aquifer in its soil both crucial for the city's climate resilience.

On 14 September 2023, Consol Glass/Keysource Minerals, a glass and mining company, filed an appeal with the Department of Water and Sanitation's Water Tribunal.

This is the second time the licence was refused. In November 2019 the Water Tribunal rejected the first Consol Glass Integrated Water Use Licence Application. Consol withdrew its appeal and commenced work on a new application with new Environmental Assessment Practitioner Umvoto Africa.

In a clear conflict of interest Umvoto Africa is also employed by the City of Cape town to manage and protect the Managed Aquifer Recharge program in the Philippi Horticultural Area - the city's water supply.

The Water Tribunal ruling highlights the symbiotic and interdependent relationship of the PHA farmland and the Cape Flats Aquifer. The farmland needs the aquifer because it allows for drought-proof farming that sustain the city's food supply.

The aquifer needs the farmland because the farm landscape, farm sloots, seasonal wetlands and sand dunes are the natural recharge green infrastructure that sustain the well-being of the aquifer. Previous rulings against developments by Heritage Western Cape, CCT appeals committees, and a 2020 High Court ruling echo the Water Tribunal rulings.

A Water Use Licence (WUL) is part of the mining application process in which specifically the impact of the mining activity on water resources is assessed. The mining operation intends to dredge a 20m deep hole in the land that will forever destroy the land, food production and ecosystem.

The Water Tribunal 15 August ruling mirrors much of the concerns of its first ruling in November 2019 ruling, but also points out omissions and withholding key information (see paragraph 62 of the appeal for the Tribunal's reasons for refusal).

Of the twelve reasons for its ruling, 4 are notable:

The 55ha wetland hectarage that is to be lost due to the proposed mining activity cannot be re-created as an offset, so that the ecosystem services can be maintained. To be precise: the wetlands are irreplaceable.

This application will destroy 55ha of wetlands, these four wetlands recharge the aquifer in winter months- the symbiotic relationship of the land and the aquifer.

The proposed mining area is part of a 1km square area with reported sighting of 98 bird species with the predominance of flamingos and other water birds. This area is connected to Zeekoevlei (a RAMSAR wetland site), Rondevlei and the greater False Bay conservation area. The Cape Flats Aquifer is an integrated water system in the soil without ward boundaries, walls and fences and so what happens in one part of the system impacts on the other.

The Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) campaign as an I&AP did not support this mining activity as such activities will have a significant impact on the PHA environment and heritage, the Cape Flats Aquifer, the surrounding community and especially the food and water security of the greater CCT.

Consol Glass bought 55ha in the Philippi Horticultural Area for the purpose of silica sand mining with the threat of prospecting rights of a further 200ha. The City of Cape Town approved a rezone to allow for mining without any public participation. The Western Cape Government MEC for the Environment Anton Bredell approved the Environmental Impact Assessment despite numerous objections and appeals.

In light of yet another ruling that point to the value of the PHA and the Cape Flats Aquifer in its soil, the PHA Food & Farming Campaign and its supporting civil society organisations, call on:

Cape Town Mayor Gordon-Hill Lewis to enact the Environmental Management Overlay (EMO) to protect the PHA foodland as the city's food and water supply.

MEC Anton Bredell to declare the whole of the PHA an aquifer recharge zone of socio-economic importance and resist approving urban developments in the PHA.

Umvoto Africa to withdraw its support for the Consol/Keysource Minerals appeal and maintain its integrity in service of the PHA and the CFA.

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Protecting the PHA ecosystem from sand mining

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The Water Tribunal says the Philippi Horticultural Area wetland ecosystem is irreplaceable and rejects Consol Glass/Keysource Minerals Water Use Licence to mine silica sand...for a second time. This ...

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Clearing of invasive alien plants works, it strengthens river flows and creates jobs.

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The City of Edmonton has committed to achieving net zero per person GHG emissions by 2050.

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The City of Edmonton has announced that it will be hiring a Chief Climate Officer!

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Toronto based Clean Air Partnership has developed a map to showcase ambitious climate mitigation actions undertaken by municipalities in Ontario! Currently, there are 130+ actions on the map. Hope this inspires others to take action.

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Climate Action Atlas - Clean Air Partnership

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Climate Action Atlas Welcome to CAP's atlas of municipal climate actions. This atlas encourages municipalities and communities to explore municipal climate mitigation actions undertaken in Ontario and get inspired to take up new and creative approaches to reduce the severity of climate change and build a resilient society.

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Halifax's food action plan, JustFOOD, was approved by city council this year (2023) and is now moving into its implementation phase, with the formation of working groups to tackle the many different aspects of the plan.  The plan aims to shorten supply chains, strengthen the local food system, create a regional 'food hub' to support small-scale food producers, increase food sovereignty and sustainability, as well as address food equity in the municipality.
Check out the JustFOOD plan here:  https://justfoodhalifax.ca/

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JustFOOD - Action Plan for the Halifax Region

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Lufa Farms built the world's largest rooftop greenhouse in 2010, and started supplying around 200 households with fresh produce year-round, cutting food miles and carbon emissions dramatically for those neighbourhoods, as well as increasing food security, food awareness and social cohesion.  13 years later, in 2023, Lufa Farms has expanded to 4 enormous rooftop farms and an indoor farm, feeling many thousands of Montrealers year-round and taking a major bite out of the cities emissions, and dramatically shortening the food chain.
Check them out here:

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Find out how to subscribe to weekly fully customizable local food baskets.

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The City of Edmonton will be purchasing 100% of its energy through renewable wind and solar power starting in 2024.

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Farmers have grown 200 million trees in Niger since the 1980s.

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Carbon Tanzania is using carbon offsets to pay local indigenous people to help conserve the land through protection from poachers and harmful agricultural practices.

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In just one day in 2019 it was reported that citizens in Ethiopia were able to plant 350 million trees – breaking the world record.

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The Nigerian lawyer Chima Williams has been successful in holding fossil fuel giant, Shell, accountable for extensive oil spills on the African continent.

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In New South Wales, legislation was passed that requires all new homes to have light-coloured roofs to reflect heat and for the associated outdoor space to have enough room for at least one tree

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In 2022, a new government was elected in Australia after campaigning on climate action.

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Altigreen Propulsion Labs, a start-up based in Bangalore, India, “has developed a low-cost technological solution that can essentially convert any existing fossil-fuel-based vehicle from bikes to trucks into their hybrid version, and in the process, improve the vehicle’s fuel efficiency”.

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Bangladesh’s government, along with multiple non-governmental organisations, have planted mangroves that act as “natural barriers that protect shorelines from the wind and tidal surges of tropical cyclones”.

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In South Korea in 2017, the Cheonggye Freeway, which was previously used by 16,000 vehicles a day, was transformed into a walkable green corridor.

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China’s ‘super mirror power plant’ uses 12,000 mirrors to produce 100 MW of energy, day and night

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Following 18 days of mass protest, the government in Ecuador agreed to stop their plans to increase oil, gas and mining expansion in the Amazon.

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Amazon Rainforest - Codajás, State of Amazonas, Brazil

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Amazon Rainforest - Codajás, State of Amazonas, Brazil

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Amazon Rainforest - Codajás, State of Amazonas, Brazil

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Ensuring access to economic opportunities for young people in Brazil has been found to help to protect the Amazon rainforest.

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Started off by efforts from the Krahô indigenous peoples, the Brazilian agricultural research agency Embrapa has collected around 120,000 seeds from nearly 700 crop species over the course of 49 years as part of an effort to protect the country’s food diversity.

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EU lawmakers have voted to ban the sale of petrol vehicles by 2035.

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Sweden aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.

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As the result of national rewilding efforts, “Scotland’s forests are the largest they have been for 900 years”

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Youth climate activists in Germany have been successful in their lawsuit against their government’s 2019 climate law, which the high court ruled was “incompatible with fundamental freedoms of future generations”.

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The costs for generating renewable energy from wind and solar are falling rapidly - in the UK, onshore wind generation costs have fallen by 40%, and offshore wind and solar have fallen by even greater margins!

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Not only does cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands help to bring down carbon emissions, people are also living longer as a result of the physical activity.

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Vermont Green FC – a semi-professional football team founded in 2021 in the US – has been set up to help tackle environmental and social issues in the community.

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Kaiser Permanente, America’s largest nonprofit healthcare organisation (and in 2020, the first U.S. healthcare organisation to achieve carbon-neutral status), is working toward net zero by 2050 while they continue to promote health equity.

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Stanford University, Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, USA

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Stanford University, Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, USA

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Stanford University, Serra Mall, Stanford, CA, USA

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The American venture capitalist John Doerr has donated $1.1 billion to Stanford for a new specialist climate school.

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Two organisations in the U.S. — TAZO Tea and American Forests — have formed an alliance to bring ‘tree equity’ to five cities by planting more trees in areas populated by ethnic minorities.

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More and more young people are getting involved in climate activism. Malala Yousafzai says of the importance of the youth movement for climate action: “When I see young activists speaking out, it gives me hope for the future of our generation.”

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The high court in Massachusetts has ruled that Exxon (a multinational oil and gas company) must go to trial over its role in lying about the fossil fuel industry’s impact on the climate crisis.

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The Mom’s Clean Air Force – a community of over 1 million parents and carers – has been working with parents for 10 years to combat climate change through community events and education.

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U.S. President Joe Biden announced that heat pumps and other renewable energy components would be covered by the Defence Production Act, part of plans to lower energy bills. The administration also announced Justice40, which seeks to advance environmental jusitce.

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California has committed to becoming 100% carbon neutral by 2045.