insert_link Environment Fifteen finalists announced for 2025 Earthshot Prize Fifteen finalists have been shortlisted for the 2025 Earthshot Prize, an initiative launched by Britain’s Prince William to recognise and reward groundbreaking solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. This year’s finalists represent projects from across the globe, focusing on microplastic pollution reduction, large-scale reforestation, ocean conservation, and sustainable building design. Each innovation aims to accelerate the planet’s transition toward a cleaner and more sustainable future. Winners will be […] today6 October, 2025
insert_link Africa Southern African project builds toolkit to guide reforestation with indigenous trees Camel Thorn tree (Photo: Wikipedia) A regional initiative is developing a digital toolkit to help policymakers, farmers, and urban planners choose the right tree species for climate resilience across Southern Africa. The Southern African Trees for Climate Adaptation and Resilience project, in partnership with Stellenbosch University, is creating an open-access bioinformatics platform designed to guide reforestation and urban greening in the SADC region. Guy Midgley, a leading climate scientist at […] today4 September, 2025
insert_link Environment Reforestation to capture carbon could be done much more cheaply, study says By Liz Kimbrough, via Mongabay Trees are allies in the struggle against climate change, and regrowing forests to capture carbon may be cheaper than we thought. According to new research published in Nature Climate Change, a strategic mix of natural regrowth and tree planting could be the most cost-effective way to capture carbon. Researchers analyzed reforestation projects in 138 low- and middle-income countries to compare the costs of different […] today15 August, 2024
insert_link Africa Madagascar’s ancient baobab forests are being restored by communities – with a little help from AI By Seheno Andriantsaralaza, Université d’Antananarivo Six of the world’s eight baobab species are indigenous to Madagascar, where the distinctive trees with giant trunks have historically grown in huge forests. But these forests are threatened by slash-and-burn agriculture – 4,000 hectares of baobab forest in Madagascar are destroyed every year. Baobab trees can live for 1,000 years and one hectare of land can support eight […] today13 May, 2024
insert_link Africa History for sale: what does South Africa’s struggle heritage mean after 30 years of democracy? By Duane Jethro, University of Cape Town One of my favourite statues is the one of Nelson Mandela at the Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg. Larger than life, its oversized bronze shoes shimmer in the evening light, polished by the hands of many passersby who crowd around to take pictures with it. At the entrance of a square in the mall, it’s a jovial image […] today24 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Africa’s megacities threatened by heat, floods and disease – urgent action is needed to start greening and adapt to climate change By Meelan Thondoo, University of Cambridge Cities cover just 3% of the planet. But they emit 78% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, absorb 80% of final global energy (what consumers use) and consume 60% of clean drinking water. African megacities like Lagos, Nigeria (with 21 million residents) and Cairo, Egypt (with 10 million residents) are experiencing significant temperature increases due to the urban heat island effect […] today24 April, 2024
insert_link Africa Why is Ghana so hot this year? An expert explains By Yaw Agyeman Boafo, University of Ghana Ghana’s meteorological agency and the state’s health service have issued warnings about a period of very high temperatures expected in the first half of 2024 around the country. Ghana’s experience is part of a global phenomenon: record temperatures were recorded in 2023. Yaw Agyeman Boafo, the programmes coordinator and a senior research fellow at the University of Ghana’s Centre for […] today8 April, 2024
insert_link Environment In Brazil’s soy belt, community seed banks offer hope for the Amazon By Ana Ionova Not too long ago, the plot of land that Maria Ivonete de Souza inherited was barren, the soil hardened by years of cattle ranching. When the family had arrived to the Amazon from southern Brazil four decades earlier, her father had swiftly cleared the dense rainforest to make way for pasture. “He razed it all by hand, with a saw and an ax,” Souza […] today20 February, 2024
