New ‘microplastic’ flag for Antarctica:

In 1996, when British designer Graham Bartram crafted the flag for Antarctica, as it is recognised today, it featured an emblematic white silhouette over a blue field.

His flag was specifically designed to symbolise Antarctica’s distinctive attributes as a hub for scientific collaboration, peaceful co-existence and nature conservation. 

Antarctica, however, doesn’t have an official flag as it is not a sovereign nation.

A lot has since changed on the frozen continent, according to Bartram, a vexillologist — an expert in the study of flags. 

For one, Antarctica has become polluted by microplastics. 

He has unveiled a new flag, which is part of the Antarctica Flag Redesigned campaign by the non-profit Agenda Antarctica, which is dedicated to the environmental preservation of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. 

The aim is to raise global awareness about the escalating issue of plastic pollution, even in the most remote and pristine regions of the planet.

“Antarctica is facing a serious threat from plastic pollution, which is harming its wildlife, its environment and its future,” Bartram said, emphasising the need for a strong global treaty on plastic. 

“Plastic is everywhere. It’s in the air, in the water, in the ice and in the bodies of creatures that live there. It’s changing the habitat and the landscape of Antarctica. 

“It’s not a clean white colour anymore.”

The updated flag reflects the reality of what’s happening to the continent and is “a wake-up call for the world to take action”, he said. 

Microplastics, defined as plastic pieces smaller than 5mm, have become alarmingly widespread in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, the campaign said.

“Antarctica stands as our last bastion of pristine wilderness, yet it grapples with the pervasive issue of plastic pollution. Microplastics have infiltrated the snow, fish, birds and seawater in this untouched region.”

The flag’s redesign draws on research including a 2022 study by Britain’s University of Canterbury, where every one of the 13 fresh snow samples that researchers collected from Antarctica revealed the presence of these minute particles.

For the updated flag, they built on the nature of the microplastic problem, taking actual measurements and research findings of melted snow to portray a representative proportion of the type, colour, shape and size of microplastics. 

The surge in single-use plastic pollution poses escalating risks to the environment, society, economy and public health, according to the campaign. The alarming increase in plastic production since the 1970s, contributing to environmental degradation, has also affected Antarctica. 

“The United Nations Environment Programme’s (Unep) plastic treaty provides an international legal framework for governments, industries and individuals to assume responsibility. International co-operation, data sharing and co-ordinated efforts are crucial to prevent plastic entry into sensitive regions like Antarctica,” said the campaign. 

Addressing plastic pollution in the continent through Unep’s treaty positions the issue as a global challenge, “advocating for specific measures to tackle Antarctica’s unique vulnerabilities and promoting a comprehensive, legally binding framework”.

– The Mail & Guardian

Creecy: Climate change fund will help safeguard infrastructure:

The climate change response fund announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa last week during his State of the Nation address would help protect infrastructure from climate-related damage, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said.

Creecy told the Presidential Climate Commission’s quarterly meeting on Friday that the aim of the fund was not only to mitigate loss and damage caused by climate events, such as wildfires and flooding, but also to bolster resilience against them.

Last week, Ramaphosa said the fund was a collaborative effort between the government and the private sector to combat the increasingly devastating effects of the climate crisis.

“In recent years, the country has had to confront the effects of climate change. We have had devastating wildfires in the Western Cape, destructive floods in KwaZulu-Natal, unbearable heat waves in the Northern Cape, persistent drought in the Eastern Cape and intense storms in Gauteng,” he said.

On Friday, Creecy said the fund would, among other things, be used to restore bridges and roads damaged by extreme weather. 

She said it would be supported by either the Development Bank of Southern Africa or the Industrial Development Corporation and would function similarly to the Covid-19 fund. 

Addressing concerns that the fund would be looted, as the Covid-19 one was, Creecy said the Presidential Climate Commission would implement adequate structures to manage the money.

“I do not think this climate commission is going to sit here and allow all other things to happen and say nothing. The difficulty you had during the Covid-19 time is that there was no organised oversight. Where we are is a different situation,” Creecy said.

She added: “We need to set this up with adequate oversight and adequate access. If I give R1 to the fund, will it go to deal with climate or will somebody eat it? People would want to know it is independently administered, there is proper due diligence, and money will be used for the purposes for which it is collected.”

The creation of the fund comes after scientists reported that 2023 was the hottest year on record, attributing rising global temperatures and the El Niño weather pattern to carbon dioxide emissions.

Creecy commended South Africa for its role in setting up the Just Energy Transition Partnership, under which France, Germany, the UK, the US and the EU have pledged $ 8.5 billion to help the country transition to cleaner energy sources.

South Africa’s work on the fund presented an opportunity to create a model for adaptation financing that would be useful internationally, Creecy said.

– The Mail & Guardian

Msimanga says Gauteng jobs creation scheme must be assessed for financial sustainability:

The DA Gauteng leader has declined to say outright whether he would scrap the Nasi Ispani scheme if elected Gauteng premier

– The Mail & Guardian

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