insert_link Environment Urban greening in Africa will help to build climate resilience – planners and governments need to work with nature By Sintayehu W. Dejene, CGIAR System Organization and Razak Kiribou, Haramaya University Nature-based solutions are actions that use nature to solve environmental problems. Examples in cities would be setting up a wetland near a group of buildings to absorb floodwater, or building permeable pavements. The world’s developed countries have been implementing nature-based solutions since 2015 but Africa has fallen behind. We are part of […] todayJuly 26, 2024 2
insert_link Environment Sweden seeks to be winemaking’s next frontier By Camille Bas-Wohlert, with Johannes Ledel and Olivier Feniet in Stockholm Far north of iconic wine regions like Bordeaux and Tuscany, Sweden is seeing a burgeoning industry of vineyards and a first generation of winemakers trying to carve out a niche. "There are millions of techniques, and I don't have a grandfather or grandmother to ask. So we need to figure it out ourselves," Lena Magnergard, […] todayJuly 25, 2024 8
insert_link Environment New fish found off Madagascar: remarkable long-nosed skate discovered in the deep ocean By Simon Weigmann, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change The Madagascar Ridge, in the southwestern Indian Ocean, is a remote, elevated area of seabed south of Madagascar. In 2016, my colleagues and I discovered a new cartilaginous fish species in its deep waters; a catshark that we named Bach’s catshark (Bythaelurus bachi) after German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. (In 2017 we discovered another new […] todayJuly 25, 2024 9
insert_link Africa Lesotho declares food insecurity emergency Lesotho's government says people are at risk of extreme hunger in the next eight months. The country's Prime Minister Sam Matekane has declared a national food insecurity disaster spanning eight months from July 2024 to March 2025. The Lesotho Times reports Matekane announced that severe El Niño-induced droughts are causing extreme hunger for at least 700,000 Basotho, a notable rise from the 582,000 affected in the 2022/2023 period. This crisis, […] todayJuly 24, 2024 3
insert_link Environment World records hottest day amid global heatwave While Namibians endure winter, the world experienced its hottest day, with parts of the Mediterranean facing extreme wildfire risks. Data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that Sunday saw the highest average temperature on Earth, exceeding last year's record. Global temperatures have hit or gone beyond a critical climate threshold for 12 months, highlighting the challenge of limiting global warming to below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. Meanwhile, the […] todayJuly 24, 2024 9
insert_link Environment The basic care during the winter lambing and kidding season By Erastus Ngaruka,Technical Advisor, Livestock & Rangeland During the winter season, smallstock (goat and sheep) farmers always have a big task at hand of ensuring that the lambing (sheep birth) and kidding (goat birth) season progresses well with fewer or no complications in their kraals to potentially achieve their production targets. Generally, animals’ breeding activities take place during seasons or times most favorable to their […] todayJuly 18, 2024 3
insert_link Environment Wildfires in South Africa are set to increase: how legal action can help the country adapt better to climate change By Tracy-Lynn Field, University of the Witwatersrand As climate change drives temperature increases and lower precipitation in southern Africa, research has found that there is likely to be an increase in the number of wildfires in regions that are already hot, dry and water scarce. Massive wildfires broke out in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province on 12 and 13 July 2024, killing six firefighters who were […] todayJuly 18, 2024 6
insert_link Environment Diving with penguins: tech gives ocean scientists a bird’s-eye view of foraging in Antarctic waters By Chris Oosthuizen, University of Cape Town; Emmanuel Dufourq, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Lorène Jeantet, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences; Pierre Pistorius, Nelson Mandela University, and Stefan Schoombie, University of Cape Town Chinstrap penguins are members of Antarctica’s brush-tailed group of penguins. They’re easily identified by the feature that gives them their name – a black strap that runs from ear to ear below […] todayJuly 16, 2024 12
insert_link Environment Extreme weather in South Africa is disrupting tourism – research tracks the impact on coastal areas By Kaitano Dube, Vaal University of Technology South Africa has experienced some extreme weather events in recent months. These have included floods and an uncommon tornado in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province, floods in the Eastern Cape and mid-latitude cyclones in the Western Cape. Kaitano Dube, a human geographer who has researched tourism, extreme weather and resilience to climatic threats, says these severe storms are […] todayJuly 15, 2024 28
Paying it forward: Kenyan coastal doctor Bashrahil Mohammed Mafudh has made it his life’s work to care for the most vulnerable in his community, at no cost.
