July 18, 2023
Africa: The Hidden Cost of the AI Boom - Social and Environmental Exploitation
Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence (AI) have been dominated by a few key concerns, such as whether superintelligent AI will wipe us out, or whether AI will… Read more »
July 10, 2023
South Africa: The True Origins of the World's Smallest and Weirdest Whale
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, is the weirdest whale you've probably never heard of. Read more »
July 02, 2023
Africa: EU's Carbon Border Tax - a New Report Shows Africa Stands to Lose U.S.$25 Billion Every Year
A new European law that imposes the first ever carbon border tax in the world comes into force in October 2023. It will be applied gradually over the next three years before it is… Read more »
Nigeria: Waste Disposal in Nigeria Is a Mess - How Lagos Can Take the Lead in Sorting and Recycling
Nigeria, like many other Sub-Saharan Africa countries, has a waste management problem. The Nigerian National Municipal Waste Management Policy (2020) gives no estimate but states… Read more »
June 29, 2023
South Africa: Lions Are Still Being Farmed in South Africa for Hunters and Tourism - They Shouldn't Be
A man was arrested at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 23 June 2023 with five lion carcasses in his luggage. He was about to board a flight to… Read more »
June 27, 2023
Africa: Migrant Numbers Are Rising - Conflict, Climate and Harassment Force Millions to Leave Their Homes
The number of forcibly displaced people increased to 108 million in 2022 and is expected to reach 117 million by the end of 2023, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency… Read more »
South Africa: Cholera - Vaccines Can Stop the Spread, but the Biggest Deterrent Is Clean Water
South Africa has experienced outbreaks of cholera since January. The worst was in May in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, where nearly 30 people died. Cholera is a bacterial… Read more »
June 26, 2023
Africa: Climate Conferences Have a Huge Trust Deficit - How to Make COP28 Deliver
As countries prepare for COP28 summit scheduled for the end of the year in Dubai, the world has the opportunity to map a transition pathway that addresses over 14 years of unmet… Read more »
June 25, 2023
Africa: 920 Million People Could Face Conflict Over the World's Rivers By 2050
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project on the Nile River started operating in February 2022. It reinforced tensions between Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. The three countries rely… Read more »
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 »