The Presidency has expressed confidence that South Africa will meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets even if it keeps some coal-fired plants, such as the one pictured here, open beyond... 

Luxury carmaker BMW has unveiled its BMW iX5 in South Africa, with the aim of showcasing the vehicle’s combined long range and short refuelling times. The BMW iX5‘s 6 kg of hydrogen allows for a... 

Zimbabwe may back its currency with gold to end exchange-rate instability, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube announced earlier this month. “In order to manage growth of liquidity, we may link the... 

Egypt’s Suez Canal revenue plunged by almost half in January after attacks by Houthi militants on Red Sea vessels forced major shipping firms to avoid the waterway. Income was about $428-million... 

There are slight echoes of South Africa’s Eskom in Taiwan, where the precarious financial state of the country’s sole electricity utility, Taipower, is threatening the island’s clean energy... 

s many countries, including South Africa and a highly divided US, prepare for elections in 2024, there is concern that Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools could be used to spread disinformation.... 

Recent hostilities in the Red Sea have added to the risks that global shippers will have to navigate in 2024. Reuters reports that they also face the prospect of significant disruptions from other... 

China has lowered duties on South Africa’s rooibos tea to 6% from a range of 15% to 30%, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition reported earlier this month. The industry produces... 

Coal-dependent South Africa needs to more than double climate financing to achieve its emissions reduction targets, a Presidential Climate Commission paper states. Current yearly average funding of... 

South Africa finally published its implementation plan for the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan ahead of COP28 and amid news of fresh funding flows arising from the now expanded $9.3-billion... 

In late November, uranium prices topped $80 a pound for the first time in more than 15 years. Bloomberg reports that prices have rallied during 2023, after more than a decade of moving sideways,... 

Hyundai hosted a ground-breaking ceremony earlier this month for a $1.5-billion investment into a new electric vehicle plant in South Korea, which will be capable of producing 200 000 cars a year.... 

Greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s top meat and dairy producers increased further this year, Bloomberg reports. Disclosed emissions from the world’s 20 largest listed meat and dairy... 

South Africans responded with a mix of anger and resignation as the country’s other large and failing State-owned enterprise, Transnet, move to secure taxpayer support for its turnaround plan only... 

CRITICAL EXPANSION: While South Africa continues to work on its critical minerals strategy, Australia has announced a $2-billion expansion in financing in a bid to solidify its position as a... 

China’s environment ministry has told factories releasing the equivalent of more than 26 000 t/y of carbon dioxide to verify their 2022 data by December. Bloomberg reports that the ministry is... 

The Public Investment Corporation says it will increase its investment in renewable energy, with chief investment officer Kabelo Rikhotso revealing that its current exposure already stands at... 

Sasol, Toyota South Africa Motors and Air Products South Africa unveiled a proof-of-concept second-generation Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle earlier this month. The vehicle is being used... 

As South Africa prepares to host a forum on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) in November, concern that the country could be disqualified from the preferential trade arrangement seems to... 

While the aviation industry has promised to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, harsher weather conditions are already forcing a rethink of critical infrastructure in airports, such as this... 

The Mbombela-based Manganese Metal Company’s manganese refinery, built in 1974 to beneficiate manganese minerals mined in South Africa’s Hotazel’s region, produces two high-grade (99.9% pure),... 

South Africa will provide fiscal support to the automotive industry to help it transition to electric vehicles, Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo confirmed earlier this month. But given the... 

Several major carbon traders are finding that offsets they bought may now be valueless, Bloomberg reports. A carbon credit is a paper security representing one ton of carbon dioxide reduced or... 

A study commissioned by the Localisation Support Fund has found that there is local manufacturing capability for powerline components to meet current low levels of demand. However, to avoid an... 

The world’s biggest exporter, China, recently reported its biggest contraction in overseas shipments since the Covid-related slump of February 2020, while Germany, the world’s third-largest... 

The collapse of South Africa’s freight rail service has resulted in serious traffic congestion in Komatipoort, a town on South Africa’s border with Mozambique. Every day about 1 000 trucks carrying... 

Companies reliant on the Rhine River, Europe’s most important trade route, are rushing to adapt as water regularly recedes to levels that impede shipping. Bloomberg reports that water levels this... 

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa will prioritise the expansion of its grid over the next decade and reports that work is under way on 25 projects at existing... 

Nigeria’s annual inflation rate climbed to a fresh 18-year high in June. This, after President Bola Tinubu scrapped fuel subsidies and allowed the currency to weaken before declaring a state of... 

JSE-listed Emira Property Fund has installed 16 beehives at eight of its properties in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as part of an initiative designed to assist in addressing a decline of global bee... 

Changes to solar panel technology are accelerating demand for silver, which is used in a paste form to provide a conductive layer on the front and the back of silicon solar cells. Bloomberg reports... 

Exxaro Resources has warned that coal shipments by State-owned freight logistics group Transnet in 2023 have dropped to an annualised rate of only 46.5-million tons. The figure represents a fall... 

While South African scientists are urging government and business to increase their preparedness for the pending El Niño, there are warnings of a high risk of haze in some Asian countries.... 

Sudan’s official gold industry, the country’s largest revenue earner, has collapsed after a deadly conflict broke out in the country in April. Sudan officially exported 34.5 t of gold worth over...