The Stream, March 3: South Africa’s Energy Mix

Members of South Africa’s Parliament are pushing for the country to wean its dependence on coal-fired power plants and instead invest more in clean energy development, power saving and the nuclear sector. The proposal triggered a debate in Parliament about the country’s future energy portfolio.

Water and carbon emissions will be top environmental priorities in China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, which will be unveiled during the annual parliament session that starts on Saturday, Reuters reports. Reducing energy intensity, developing the renewable sector, cleaning up dirty rivers and lakes and controlling the growing water consumption will be moved to the front burner, according to preliminary information.

A severe water shortage is threatening to deplete Vietnam’s major reservoirs for tap water and agriculture, according to UPI. In central Vietnam, rivers are drying up, and in Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta region, salt water intrusion has damaged crops and added salinity to drinking supplies.

Last week’s floods in Bolivia spell a looming water crisis for the small South American country, AlterNet says. Bolivia is vulnerable to a number of climate extremes, from rapid glacial melt to dire droughts, and should brace itself for more emergency situations.

Iraq will start the first phase of a multibillion-dollar water injection project to help boost crude production rates from its southern oilfields, Reuters reports.

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