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 29
insert_link Environment Mercury to hit 50 in parts of Iraq Temperatures across parts of Iraq are expected to top 50 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Iraq’s meteorology and seismology organisation announced that temperatures are set to reach 50 degrees Celsius, prompting a public holiday on Thursday in several provinces. William Denselow reports from Baghdad. Thursday is a workday in Iraq; however, public offices and most businesses are closed on Friday and Saturday. According to the organization’s forecasts, eight provinces will […] todayJuly 11, 2024 19
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 8
insert_link Africa Ecowas summit: 6 steps the leaders can take to restore stability and growth in west Africa By Olayinka Ajala, Leeds Beckett University This year’s summit of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) takes place against a challenging environment for the regional bloc. Recent developments in the region have included coups, insecurity and economic instability. Climate change also poses challenges. Six successful and two attempted coups in the region since 2020 were followed by the withdrawal of Mali, Burkina […] todayJuly 8, 2024 16
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 39
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 24
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 19
insert_link Africa Lake Victoria: why so many fishers are dying and what can be done about it By Ranaivo Rasolofoson, University of Toronto and Kathryn Fiorella, Cornell University Small-scale fishers on Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest freshwater lake, shared by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda) are drowning. Safety issues such as storms, a lack of available life jackets, and a shortage of navigational equipment and rescue services are a major cause of this. Existing studies have found that climate change is projected to […] todayJune 26, 2024 17
World Five dead, dozens hurt in southeastern Turkey wildfire Five people died and dozens were hurt when a huge wildfire swept through several villages in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey overnight, the health minister said on Friday. Hundreds of animals also perished in the blaze, local residents said. An AFP correspondent saw many of their bodies lying on the ground. Dramatic overnight images on social media showed flames raging over a large area, lighting up the night sky. By the […] todayJune 21, 2024 11
