insert_link Environment Allegations widen against Indonesian palm oil giant Astra Agro Lestari By Hans Nicholas Jong ,via Mongabay Subsidiaries of Indonesia’s second-biggest palm oil company, PT Astra Agro Lestari (AAL), are running illegal plantations, grabbing community land, and intimidating critics, according to a new report by NGOs. The report is a follow-up to a 2022 report by Friends of the Earth, and identifies at least 1,100 hectares (2,718 acres) of the subsidiaries’ concessions that lie inside forest areas that should be […] todayJuly 9, 2024 39
insert_link Environment We used 1,000 historical photos to reconstruct Antarctic glaciers before a dramatic collapse Looking up Crane Glacier, December 21 1968. PGC, UMN, CC BY By Ryan North, University of Wollongong and Tim Barrows, UNSW Sydney In March 2002, the Larsen B Ice Shelf collapsed catastrophically, breaking up an area about one-sixth the size of Tasmania. In a paper published today in Scientific Reports, we used nearly 1,000 film photographs of Antarctica from the 1960s to reconstruct exactly […] todayJuly 9, 2024 12
insert_link Environment City of Windhoek warns of heightened risk of veld fires The City of Windhoek says that most veld fires are caused by people and are preventable. With Namibia experiencing a drought, the City’s spokesperson, Lydia Amutenya, has advised residents in fire-prone areas to avoid actions that could lead to the destruction of the environment and property damage. todayJuly 3, 2024 29
insert_link Environment As the world burns, can we learn to live with wildfire health risks? By Ruth Kamnitzer, via Mongabay Climate change is driving or contributing to increased risk of extreme wildfires in many parts of the world, and experts say urgent action on climate change is needed. Finding ways to better manage land use can help reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfires: In landscapes where fire is natural, experts say we should bring back historic fire regimes through cultural burning […] todayJuly 3, 2024 45
insert_link Africa South Africa’s new agricultural leadership should focus on getting things done, not designing new policies By Wandile Sihlobo, Stellenbosch University South Africa’s primary agriculture sector accounts for nearly 3% of GDP and about 8% when considering the value of agro-processing. But it can contribute even more to economic growth that delivers benefits fairly across society and creates jobs. This can’t happen, however, if new policies and plans keep getting introduced. Fortunately, the views of the new agricultural minister, John Steenhuisen, may […] todayJuly 3, 2024 29
insert_link Environment South Africa’s 70,000kg rhino horn stockpile must be burnt to prevent illegal trading By Jason Gilchrist, Edinburgh Napier University Despite a global ban on international buying and selling of rhino horn since 1977, the South African government and owners of private rhino reserves continue to stockpile it. A new report by the EMS Foundation, a South African social justice and conservation organisation, advocates strongly against this practice. Ecologist and mammal conservation researcher Jason Gilchrist discusses what the […] todayJuly 3, 2024 18
insert_link Environment Southern Africa Climate Tipping Points By Vitalio Angula, via Evergreen News Global Warming and Climate Change could lead to the total collapse of Namibia’s Cattle Industry if global temperatures exceed 3 Degrees Celsius in the second half of the 21st Century experts at a Southern African Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) meeting held in the capital Windhoek recently revealed. The TIPPECC Co-Design and Research Dissemination Meeting with […] todayJuly 2, 2024 35
insert_link Environment Hurricane Beryl pummels Caribbean, strengthens to Category 5 By Chandan KHANNA Hurricane Beryl has strengthened into a top-level category 5 storm after it swept across several islands in the southeastern Caribbean, dumping heavy rain and unleashing devastating winds. Beryl is now the earliest category 5 storm in the Atlantic on record and has developed into a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. The NHC said in its latest update […] todayJuly 2, 2024 23
insert_link Environment Karachi heatwave claims lives The southern Pakistani city of Karachi is in the grip of an extreme heatwave. The head of the city's largest ambulance service says more than 800 people have died in the last two weeks, even as hundreds more are still receiving treatment for heat-related illnesses. According to Pakistan's Meteorological Department, the maximum temperature crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark over the last three days, mainly due to the suspension of […] todayJuly 1, 2024 33