June 02, 2022
Africa: Where to Find More Water - Eight Unconventional Resources to Tap
As climate change worsens, and with populations rising worldwide, water shortages are a top threat to human development and security. Read more »
May 31, 2022
Africa: Hotter Kalahari Desert May Stop Hornbills Breeding By 2027
Rapid climate change has the potential to strongly influence the physiology, behaviour and breeding success of animals. Research is showing that increasing temperatures, for… Read more »
May 29, 2022
Congo-Kinshasa: What Coltan Mining in the DRC Costs People and the Environment
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is rich in natural resources - its untapped deposits of minerals are estimated to be worth US$24 trillion. Gold, diamonds, cobalt and zinc… Read more »
South Africa: Marine Life in a South African Bay Is Full of Chemical Pollutants
The adage "out of sight, out of mind" has long summed up humans' attitude to dumping personal and industrial waste. In a 1974 Scientific American article, the… Read more »
May 26, 2022
Kenya: Climate Change Isn't a Priority for Universities. It Should Be
Universities can play a vital role in shaping change in societies. They produce knowledge through research, train future decision makers, and contribute to public awareness of… Read more »
May 24, 2022
Nigeria: Oil Hazards Aren't the Main Worry of Nigeria's Coastal Residents - Toilets Are
Nigeria's coastal areas are known to present environmental hazards and risks. Oil exploration and exploitation is one source of these hazards. Oil spillage, gas flaring, air and… Read more »
May 23, 2022
Senegal: Rising Sea Levels Are Driving Faster Erosion Along Senegal's Coast #AfricaClimateCrisis
Coastal retreat in West Africa is a pressing problem. The contact between land and sea on coasts produces intense erosion and sedimentation processes. When erosion is more intense… Read more »
May 16, 2022
Tanzania: Heat and Health - Dar es Salaam's Informal Settlements Need Help #AfricaClimateCrisis
In the coming decades, heat will become one of the most significant and visible impacts of climate change, particularly in Africa, where temperatures are expected to increase… Read more »
May 13, 2022
Mauritius: Pink Pigeons in Mauritius Made a Remarkable Comeback From Near-Extinction - but Are Still Losing Genetic Diversity
Back in the 1980s there were just ten or so pink pigeons left in the wild. Known to scientists as Nesoenas mayeri, the species is found only on Mauritius, the Indian Ocean island… Read more »
May 18, 2022
Zambia: Herbicides Threaten Edible Weeds in Zambia - That May Be Bad News for Local Food Security
The use of herbicides - substances that control unwanted plants - is on the rise across Africa. This trend has been referred to by some researchers as the "herbicide revolution".… Read more »
May 10, 2022
South Africa: Community Dialogue Can Show the Way to Meeting Water Needs - A Case Study
About 842,000 people die every year from diarrhoea in rural communities because they lack safe water and adequate sanitation. Water and sanitation are essential in preventing a… Read more »
Africa: Literature From the Congo Basin Offers Ways to Address the Climate Crisis
The African continent is responsible for only 2-3% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions from energy and industrial sources. But it's alarmingly suffering from the effects of the… Read more »
May 04, 2022
South Africa: Removing Alien Plants Can Save Water - We Measured How Much
Humans' relationship with nature is broken. We're transforming the Earth so dramatically that almost one million plant and animals species face extinction. Losing species unravels… Read more »
May 03, 2022
South Africa: How Vulnerable Is the University of Cape Town to Destructive Wildfires?
Just over a year ago, a wildfire caused considerable damage to the University of Cape Town and surroundings. Irreplaceable African collections were destroyed. The last active… Read more »
Africa: New Forms of Urban Planning Emerge on Continent
Rapid urban growth and an increasing number of climate change related disasters, such as the recent floods in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, have put the importance of… Read more »
March 26, 2021
Africa: Africa's Elephant Species Are Both Endangered, Due to Poaching and Habitat Loss
Humans have been over-exploiting African elephants for centuries. More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire's demand for ivory led to the extinction of genetically distinct… Read more »
August 13, 2020
Africa: These World Heritage Sites Are Under Threat From Climate Change
Very few academics or policy makers are talking about the impact of climate change on heritage. Yet heritage is essential for social wellbeing, for identity creation, for… Read more »
January 15, 2017
Tanzania: Coral Reefs Off the Coast Are Being Destroyed, Most Beyond Repair
If current trends continue and countries fail to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, nearly all of the world's coral reefs will suffer severe bleaching on an annual basis, according… Read more »