Back then, South Africa had confirmed 61 cases of the disease. Ramaphosa said 50 of those cases were contracted by people who had traveled abroad, but the rest were contracted within South Africa. “It is concerning that we are now dealing with internal transmission of the virus.”
The disease, the president said, could have a “potentially lasting” effect on South Africa.
Midnight tonight, one year ago, South Africans began the first full day of what was then planned as a three-week nationwide lockdown aimed at stemming a potential pandemic. At that time, deaths from the new and lethal SARS infection topped 900. News from that day
Who could have guessed, back then, that numbers of infections and deaths would reach the rates shown below?
Worldwide (Map)
March 25, 2021 – 124,894,200 confirmed infections; 2,746,000 deaths
January 28, 2021 – 100,920,100 confirmed infections; 2,175,500 deaths
December 31 – 82,656000 confirmed infections; 1,8040100 deaths
November 26 – 60,334,000 confirmed infections; 1,420,500 deaths
US (Map)
March 25, 2021 – 30,011,600 confirmed infections; 545,300 deaths
January 28, 2021 – 25,600,000 confirmed infections; 429,160 deaths
December 31 – 19,737,200 confirmed infections; 342,260 deaths
November 26 – 12,771,000 confirmed infections; 262,145 deaths
SA (Tracker)
March 25, 2021 – 1,540,010, confirmed infections; 52,372 deaths
January 28, 2021 – 1,430,650 confirmed infections; 42,550 deaths
December 31 – 1,039,165 confirmed infections; 28,035 deaths
November 26 – 775,510 confirmed infections; 21,2010 deaths
***
- Tracking Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide
- South African experts to follow for up-to-date and accurate Covid information…
Healthy planet, anyone?
Rainforest Action Network, the Sierra Club, the Indigenous Environmental Network and several other nonprofits recently published “Banking on climate chaos” and indicate that,…the world’s largest banks have funneled $3.8 trillion into the fossil fuel industry over the last five years [and that banks have] … provided more financing to oil, gas and coal companies in 2020 than they did in 2016, the year countries signed the Paris climate agreement and committed to rapidly reducing emissions to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees Celsius.
Financing was 9% lower overall in 2020 than in 2019 because the pandemic cut demand for fossil fuels. But the first half of 2020 saw the highest level of fossil fuel financing in any half-year since the Paris Agreement.
“Major banks around the world, led by U.S. banks in particular, are fueling climate chaos by dumping trillions of dollars into the fossil fuels that are causing the crisis.”
JPMorgan Chase provided $51.3 billion of fossil fuel financing in 2020 — 20% less than 2019 but enough to keep its position as the world’s biggest fossil fuel financer. The bank, which has called climate change “the critical issue of our time” and says it has “long supported the goals of the Paris Agreement,” has provided nearly $317 billion to fossil fuel companies since 2016.
Citigroup is the second-largest financer, providing a total of $237.5 billion from 2016 to 2020.
[Both JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup declined to comment on the report.]
Though U.S. banks dominate fossil fuel financing, European banks are also big.
French bank BNP Paribas, which has pledged to be a leader in climate strategy, provided $40.8 billion in fossil fuel financing in 2020, an increase of 41% from the previous year. Since 2016, the bank’s fossil fuel financing has risen 142%, according to the report. A BNP Paribas spokesperson said: “During the Covid-19 crisis, all sectors of the economy needed support and BNP Paribas, like other banks, played an important stabilizing role…. However, BNP Paribas supported the oil and gas sector to a lower extent than other sectors of activity.” …
A striking finding … was the increase in financing for the 100 biggest companies that are expanding fossil fuels — including those involved in controversial pipeline projects.
The report examined financing by sector and found a mixed picture. Financing for the top 35 companies involved in tar sands — one of the most environmentally destructive fossil fuels to extract and process — decreased 27% since 2019, to $16 billion.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Raining again. Not that I’m complaining. KZN summer rain is a joy: warm, often accompanied by thunder and lightning – even hail – and water, water, everywhere.***
Two steps forward, one step back with the sale of the house. One sales agreement is out for signatures by the proposed buyers; another, far better offer is purported on its way from another set of buyers for my review; today, the realtor will bring yet another set of buyers to view the property.
Alas, none of this means anything until bond/mortgage applications are processed, approved, signed, and funds on the way to the conveyancer (title company). Even then, it takes at minimum 3 to 4 months to hand over the property to the new owner(s). Considering conditions accorded by the pandemic - municipal offices responding with days-long shutdowns, and rumors of a third or a fourth wave of infections, and maybe vaccinations on the horizon - next year? the year after? - paperwork could drag on beyond 5 to 6 months.
Keeping this and my own life’s needs in mind, I meet today with a local attorney who can more easily respond to needs dictated by changing conditions as well as meet with my mother in the Care Center. (The office of the attorney handling my mother’s estate is at an impractical distance from this town. If, for example, I’m in California, who will drive paperwork to/from that office without further delaying the process?)
My mother is making remarkable progress although she’s not convinced that the Center’s morning exercise program is conducive to her better health. (Even before her fall she refused to join the group.)
While it’s unlikely she’ll ever gain enough strength to walk again, she can almost reach out, pick up, and carry to her mouth the small containers of fruit juice I bring her. That’s progress: drinking fluids is key to flushing her system of meds from surgery.
She’s also easier to understand although she continues to whisper. (That’s not new: talking softly has been her MO for years.)
***
South African days getting shorter while nightfall happens earlier:Feb 26: sunrise 5:47am; sunset 6:33pm.
March 2: sunrise 5:50am; sunset 6:29pm.
March 9: sunrise 5:55am; sunset 6:21pm.
March 17: sunrise 5:xxam; sunset 6:1xpm.
March 22: sunrise 6:03am; sunset 6:05pm.
March 25: sunrise 6:05am; sunset 6:03pm.
