June 25, 2023
Africa: Five Questions for African Countries That Want to Build Climate-Resilient Health Systems
Every day seems to bring a new headline about a devastating climate event. African countries aren't spared. A "rain bomb" in South Africa. Flooding in Nigeria. Cyclones battering… Read more »
June 19, 2023
South Africa: Climate Change Journalism in South Africa Misses the Mark By Ignoring People's Daily Experiences
South Africa's media houses rely too heavily on events like conferences, climate disasters and the release of scientific papers in their reporting on climate change. That's a… Read more »
Africa: African Cities and Climate Change - the Real Debate Is Who Should Pay to Fix the Problem
For most city mayors and managers in Africa, the debate about whether climate change is real is a moot topic. They know it is. They are on the front lines dealing with the impact… Read more »
June 15, 2023
South Africa: South Africa Is Famous for Its Biodiversity - a New Network Will Store and Manage Its Plant and Animal Samples
South Africa has created a network of facilities to store hundreds of thousands of samples of biological material from plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. The samples are… Read more »
June 14, 2023
South Africa: Water Quality in South Africa - Reports Show What Needs to Be Fixed, and At What Cost
The citizens of Hammanskraal, a small town north of South Africa's capital, Tshwane, have been dealing with the deaths of 23 residents from cholera since 23 May 2023. Tests to find… Read more »
June 13, 2023
Africa: Experts Explain Why It's Still Africa's Best Option for Cleaner, Greener Cooking (For Now)
Africa's growing population desperately needs clean, modern energy in the home. Currently, more than 900 million people, 85% of the region's population, still rely on solid biomass… Read more »
June 09, 2023
Africa: UK Ivory Trade Ban Extended to Five More Species - Here's Why We Think It Will Be Ineffective
The loss of nature is one of the many environmental crises facing our planet. And a key challenge in addressing this is halting the poaching and trafficking of wildlife, which is… Read more »
June 11, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria Needs to Take Climate Action - 4 Urgent Steps to Start With
Climate change is not just a buzzword or a topic for political debates. It is a real and pressing issue that affects every aspect of our lives. The effects of climate change are… Read more »
June 09, 2023
South Africa: Drinking Water Quality Has Dropped Because of Defective Infrastructure and Neglect - New Report
A report released by the South African government paints a grim picture of the country's water resources and water infrastructure as well as the overall quality of its drinking… Read more »
May 30, 2023
Africa: Increasing Heat Is Already a Factor in Human Migration - New Study
It was getting hotter. Frank May got off his mat and padded over to look out the window. Umber stucco walls and tiles, the colour of the local clay... [he] took a deep breath. It… Read more »
May 25, 2023
Africa: Soaring Risk of Flash Droughts in Every Major Food-Growing Region - New Research
Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can devastate a region's agriculture. Read more »
May 30, 2023
Africa: Half of Africa's White Rhino Population Is in Private Hands - It's Time for a New Conservation Approach
Southern white rhinos are widely known as a conservation success story. Their population grew from fewer than 100 individuals in the 1920s to 20,000 in 2012, mostly in South… Read more »
May 18, 2023
Kenya: Baboon Bonds - New Study Reveals That Friendships Make Up for a Bad Start in Life
Childhoods can predict a great deal about how adult lives might play out. For instance, research has shown that people whose childhoods involve poverty, abuse and neglect have… Read more »
May 15, 2023
Rwanda: Thriving in the Face of Adversity - Resilient Gorillas Reveal Clues About Overcoming Childhood Misfortune
In 1974, an infant mountain gorilla was born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. Researchers named him Titus. As is typical for young gorillas in the wild, Titus spent the first… Read more »
May 16, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Street Food Adds to the Plastic Problem - Green Leaves Offer a Solution
Street food is popular in Nigerian cities. Most of the local food delicacies are sold by vendors whose livelihoods depend on informal subsistence activities such as local food… Read more »
May 10, 2023
South Africa: South Africa's Cold Weather Has Arrived - Some Tips On How to Stay Warm and Safe
Research shows that the world is undoubtedly warming. And, as the global average temperature keeps rising, heatwaves are increasing in their frequency, duration and intensity for… Read more »
May 09, 2023
Africa: Tips on How to Reduce Your Exposure to Africa's Hidden Air Pollution Pandemic
Rapid urbanisation in Africa is worsening air pollution levels. There are economic as well as health consequences. Read more »
May 08, 2023
Nigeria: Flooding in Nigeria Is On the Rise - Good Forecasts, Drains and Risk Maps Are Urgently Needed
Nigeria is one of the most flood-prone countries in west Africa. Many areas experience annual flooding. This happens during heavy rainfall and one of the reasons is poor drainage… Read more »
May 04, 2023
South Africa: Cape Town's Caracals Have Metal Pollutants in Their Blood - an Environmental Red Flag
South Africa is urbanising rapidly. By 2050, eight in 10 people will live in urban areas, significantly increasing the demands on basic infrastructure development and associated… Read more »
May 03, 2023
Africa: May 5, 2023, Lunar Eclipse Will Be a Subtle Show of Astronomical Wonder
On May 5, 2023, people around the world will witness a a lunar eclipse when the Earth gets between the Sun and the Moon and casts part of its shadow on the Moon. Read more »
May 04, 2023
Kenya: Kenya Banned Plastic Bags 6 Years Ago, but They Are Still in Use - What Went Wrong
Kenya banned the use of plastic carrier bags in 2017, prompted by environmental and health costs. At the time, more than 100 million single-use plastic bags were handed out every… Read more »
April 28, 2023
Africa: We Found Long-Banned Pollutants in the Very Deepest Part of the Ocean
I was part of a team that recently discovered human-made pollutants in one of the deepest and most remote places on Earth - the Atacama Trench, which goes down to a depth of 8,000… Read more »
May 02, 2023
Africa: From Enormous Elephants to Tiny Shrews - How Mammals Shape and Are Shaped By Africa's Landscapes
Africa is the world's most diverse continent for large mammals such as antelopes, zebras and elephants. The heaviest of these large mammals top the scales at over one ton, and are… Read more »
April 26, 2023
Africa: Africa's Oceans Are Being Protected to Serve the Interests of Big Foreign Corporates
Africa's valuable ocean resources have drawn the interest of foreign nations, particularly those in the West and Asia. Read more »
April 23, 2023
South Africa: Green Spaces Are Good for People - but in South Africa Many Cannot Access Them
The benefits of experiencing nature for physical, psychological and spiritual well-being are widely documented. But much of the research on these benefits has been done in… Read more »