Environment

Hippos stranded in Zambezi region due to severe drought

Over 130 hippos are currently stranded in the muddy waters of Munambeza Pond in the Zambezi Region, as the region continues to face the devastating effects of a prolonged drought. Munambeza, located along the Chobe River bordering Botswana, is the third pond where hippos have become trapped due to drying water sources. To date, five hippos have already died. Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson, Romeo Muyunda, confirmed the […]

26 September, 2024 20

Africa

Western Cape leader advocates for climate action collaboration with Africa

Western Cape premier Alan Winde says Africa should not be left behind in global climate talks, as it is the breadbasket of the world. Currently in the United States as Africa's co-chair for New York Climate Week, Winde says the continent bears the brunt of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts, despite contributing less to the problem. The eight-day event concludes on Sunday.

24 September, 2024 54

Africa

Female elephants rumble to say ‘let’s go!’ New study in Namibia shows males do too, a sign of unexpected social bonds

By Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell, Harvard University In elephant family groups made up of related females and their young, it is clear that the animals produce vocal sounds to coordinate action. This happens when it’s time to leave a waterhole, for example. The matriarch or dominant female steps away from the waterhole and turns to the direction she intends to move in. Then she flaps her ears as she […]

23 September, 2024 128

Environment

World Meteorological Organization warns of 3°C global warming risk

Amid renewed warnings from leading climate scientists that global warming could reach 3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century, the head of the UN World Meteorological Organization insisted on Wednesday that new technology and AI offer the opportunity to implement the drastic action needed to resist the existential crisis. WMO Chief, Celeste Saulo.

19 September, 2024 86

Africa

Ahead of COP16, groups warn of rights abuses linked to ‘30×30’ goal

By Aimee Gaba, via Mongabay Two years since global policymakers agreed on the concept of protecting 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030, there’s still little clarity on how achieving this goal will impact Indigenous communities who safeguard some of the most biodiverse areas on Earth. In October this year, government representatives are set to meet at the U.N. Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia to talk […]

19 September, 2024 20

Environment

A lonely and ancient plant needs a female partner and researchers are using drones and AI to find it – podcast

By Gemma Ware, The Conversation The only known specimens of Encephalartos woodii (E. woodii), a species of cycad, are all clones of the same male plant found over 100 years ago in a South African forest. Now a team of researchers is on a mission to find an elusive female version of the plant, with the help of drones and artificial intelligence. In this episode of The […]

19 September, 2024 26

Africa

Lithium mining in Zimbabwe: a story of loss for one community

By Joshua Matanzima, The University of Queensland Lithium is an essential component of electric vehicle batteries, which are becoming more important as the world moves to a low-carbon energy future. Large deposits of lithium exist in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, the US, Australia, Portugal, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Ghana. Zimbabwe is the largest producer of lithium in Africa, and the ninth largest in the world. The Zimbabwean […]

19 September, 2024 53

Africa

Four ways Africa is already seeing the effects of climate change – and what can be done about it

By Moina Spooner, The Conversation Africa is already being heavily affected by climate change. Between 1991 and 2023, the African continent warmed at a rate of 0.3°C per decade, a rate slightly faster than the global average. This has brought more frequent and severe weather extremes. The cost of adapting to these changes and events is also immense. This was emphasised in a recent report by the World […]

17 September, 2024 26

Africa

Nigerian farmers lack insurance: payouts triggered by weather data offer a solution

By Ifedotun Aina, University of Cape Town and Opeyemi Ayinde, University of Ilorin Agriculture is hugely important to Nigeria. It makes up about a quarter of the country’s economy, and almost half of the population are smallholder farmers. Most farm on less than 10 hectares of land. It can be a tough way to make a living. Smallholder farmers in Nigeria regularly lose crops and livestock to floods […]

17 September, 2024 60