Africa: A Landmark Treaty Could Protect the High Seas - and Spark New Conflicts

Two-thirds of the world's oceans lie beyond national borders, an unregulated expanse under growing pressure from mining, fishing and climate change. Now, a new UN treaty promises… Read more »

South Africa: Will the G20 Listen to Its Own Advisors? 4 Urgent Steps On Climate Change

The world's 20 most powerful economies, the G20 - currently led by South Africa - face mounting pressure to slash greenhouse gas emissions and help nations adapt to climate change.… Read more »

Egypt: Trump's Dip Into the Nile Waters Dispute Didn't Settle the Conflict - in Fact, It May Have Caused More Ripples

President Donald Trump chided the United Nations on Sept. 23, 2025, for failing to resolve dangerous international conflicts around the world. "All they seem to do," he groused… Read more »

Tanzania: Mushrooms May Have Been Part of Early Human Diets - Primate Study Explores Who Eats What and When

Mushrooms may not be the first food that comes to mind when we imagine the diets of wild primates - or our early human ancestors. We tend to think of fruits and green leaves as the… Read more »

Africa: The Near-Extinction of Rhinos Is At Risk of Being Normalised

A century ago, half a million rhinos roamed Africa and Asia. Today, just 27,000 remain. Read more »

South Africa: Traditional Food Systems Nourish Communities and Protect the Environment - Lessons From South Africa's Amadiba

The global food system contributes to multiple planetary crises - and is vulnerable to them. Climate change, other ecological degradation and socio-economic inequality are all… Read more »

Africa: Climate Change Is Fast Shrinking the World's Largest Inland Sea

Once a haven for flamingos, sturgeon and thousands of seals, fast-receding waters are turning the northern coast of the Caspian Sea into barren stretches of dry sand. In some… Read more »

Africa: Chimpanzees Ingest More Than the Equivalent of One Alcoholic Drink a Day - New Research

Drinking more than you intended may be something that many humans do, but now research is showing that a taste for alcohol is surprisingly common among animals. In fact a new study… Read more »

Nigeria: Nigeria's Plastic Waste Could Enrich the Fashion Industry - Here's How

On any street in Lagos, Abuja or Port Harcourt, you'll find abandoned plastic bottles lying around. Each year, about 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced in Nigeria and… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Soil Erosion Is Tearing DR Congo Cities Apart - What's Causing Urban Gullies, and How to Prevent Them

In fast-growing cities like some in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), heavy rains are carving huge scars into the land. Known as urban gullies, these deep erosion channels… Read more »

Africa: Is It Ok to Sit On Public Toilet Seats?

If you're a parent or have a chronic health condition that needs quick or frequent trips to the bathroom, you've probably mapped out the half-decent public toilets in your area. Read more »

South Africa: Reviving South Africa's Grasslands - Eastern Cape Villagers Explain the Challenges They Face

South Africa's Eastern Cape province has several million hectares of open land in rural areas, not privately owned but held in trust by the state on behalf of communities. The… Read more »

South Africa: African Cities Aren't Doing Enough to Adapt to Climate Change - Lessons From Durban and Harare

When record-breaking rains swept through the coastal city of Durban in South Africa in April 2022, the resulting floods destroyed roads, bridges and homes. Durban's low-lying, poor… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: Ebony and Ivory - Why Elephants and Forests Rise and Fall Together in the Congo Basin

The forest elephants of the Congo Basin are critically endangered and face extinction. Read more »

South Africa: Black Wattle As Firewood - How South African Communities Are Putting Invasive Species to Work

Australia's black wattle tree (Acacia mearnsii) has spread across South Africa, taking over millions of hectares of land and pushing indigenous plants aside. Economist Saul Ngarava… Read more »

South Africa: South African Environmental Groups Push to Block Shell's New Wells - How World Court Opinion Might Help

The International Court of Justice's landmark advisory opinion on climate change has come in handy for South African communities that are trying to stop global oil company Shell… Read more »

East Africa: Baby Turtles Vanish Into the Indian Ocean for Years - Now a Model Shows Where They Might Go

All sea turtle species are threatened worldwide. They migrate long distances in the oceans - often thousands of kilometres - and so fall under multiple countries' laws and… Read more »

Senegal: Colonialism and Climate Risk Are Connected - Evidence From Ghana and Senegal

The experience of colonialism led to economies and societies being re-arranged in ways that have had far-reaching consequences. Read more »

South Africa: Woman-Headed Households in Rural South Africa Need Water, Sanitation and Energy to Fight Hunger - G20 Could Help

Rural homes headed by women in South Africa have many problems getting water, sanitation and energy. Electricity from the grid, flush toilets and piped water are't always… Read more »

Africa: AI Has a Hidden Water Cost - Here's How to Calculate Yours

Artificial intelligence systems are thirsty, consuming as much as 500 milliliters of water - a single-serving water bottle - for each short conversation a user has with the GPT-3… Read more »

South Africa: South African Hunters Chewed the Kanna Plant for Endurance - New Study Tests Its Effects On Mouse Brain Chemistry

Sceletium tortuosum is a little succulent plant that grows in the semi-arid Karoo and Namaqualand regions of South Africa. It has a long history of traditional use among the… Read more »

South Africa: Should Governments Pay Businesses for Climate Disasters? Researchers Unpack Huge Lawsuits in South Africa

The most catastrophic natural disaster ever recorded in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province - also the worst flood in South Africa for more than a century - has sparked two major… Read more »

Africa: How to Harness the Ocean for Prosperity - Funding African Innovations Can Unlock the Blue Economy

Africa has an enormous ocean area at its disposal. There are almost 20 million square kilometres of ocean, seas and inland water that could be developed into environmentally… Read more »

Africa: African Debt and Climate Change - How the ICJ's Vanuatu Ruling Could Be Used for Broader Justice

African sovereign debtors in distress face terrible choices. They are often forced to choose between fully paying their creditors and financing the needs of their populations -… Read more »

Chad: What Makes Lake Iro in Chad So Special? It's Not Just a Viral Sunglint Photo

Lake Iro in Chad was in the news in early August 2025 after a picture taken by a NASA astronaut was published showing it looking like a large, circular silver mirror as sunlight… Read more »