Vehicle CO2 tax emissions on all double cabs will be implemented as of 1 March 2011, says National Treasury.

This follows talks with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Chief Executive Officers of seven motor vehicle manufacturers in South Africa and a delegation from Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) last week.

Women from across the continent have gathered in Johannesburg to discuss the role they can play in preserving the environment and fighting poverty.

The 4th Women and Environment Conference, which is currently underway under the theme "Towards a green growth path: Women at the forefront of poverty eradication", has attracted women from across the continent.

Oil company PetroSA will run out of water at its refinery in Mossel Bay by the end of October and may be forced to close temporarily.

It is not only the refinery that is running on empty. The town of Mossel Bay has between 97 and 126 days before it, too, runs out of water, municipal officials told visiting members of the Western Cape provincial legislature (MPLs) on Thursday.

KwaDukuza Municipality firefighters failed to pull a humpback whale's carcass off Boulders beach after battling with the massive sea creature the whole day on Tuesday.

By midday locals had come out in numbers to watch the giant mammal's remains perplex firefighters and other municipal employees who had been on the beach trying to shift it since 6am.

Cabinet has mandated the Minister of Water Affairs, Bulelwa Sonjica to urgently establish a special task team to investigate how government can best deal with reports of acid water drainage in some provinces.

Acid mine water, or water contaminated with heavy metals as a result of mining activities, is affecting the Gauteng, Mpumalanga, North West and the Free State provinces.

The National Sea Rescue Institute has warned beach-goers to be extremely vigilant after they had seen an increase in shark activity along the False Bay coastline.

This past week people at Fish Hoek and Muizenberg beaches have been asked to leave the water at different times following sharks being spotted close inshore.

With the aim of meeting the socio-economic goals in South Africa, Water and Environmental Affairs Deputy Minister Rejoice Mabudafhasi launched the Isipingo Adopt a River Project.

During the Budget Vote Speech in April this year the department announced that one of their key priorities is the protection of the country's water resources.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has noted plans for a new diesel manufacturing plant in the Free State.

The Department of Energy has received an application for a manufacturing facility which will make diesel from disused tyres. The facility will be based in the province.

Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica says her department is concerned about the impact of deteriorating water quality in the country and has called on role players to come up with ways to avert the situation.

Speaking at an AgriSA Water Conference on Wednesday, Sonjica said one of the successful intervention methods government had developed was the so-called Green Drop Certification Programme, an incentive-based regulation approach to address challenges in the municipal wastewater sector.

Water prices for South Africans could in the near future quadruple as a result of the escalating pollution of the country's water resources by the country's mining industry.

"If we don’t find a special development where we can mine without affecting water resources, the prices of water will go up. Someone will need to pay for either the treatment of water or getting more water, and I believe that person is the consumer," said Koos Pretorius of the Federation for a Sustainable Environment.

A team of 100 women have undertaken to spend a year cleaning up the Luvuvhu River in Limpopo.

Addressing the launch of the Luvuvhu Adopt-A-River project in Tshishaulu, near Thohoyandou, on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, said R800 000 had been allocated for the initiative.

A hotline has been set up to help stop rhino poaching, environment officials said on Tuesday.

Members of the public could call 082-404-2128 to report poaching or trade in rhino horns, as well as veterinarians, hunters or pilots involved, Endangered Wildlife Trust spokesperson Faan Coetzee said in a statement.