Wildfires in South Africa are set to increase: how legal action can help the country adapt better to climate change

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 […]

July 18, 2024 28

Environment

Copernicus: 2023 is the hottest year on record

Global temperatures reached exceptionally high levels in 2023. The Copernicus Climate Change Services, implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts on behalf of the European Commission with funding from the EU, monitored several key climate indicators throughout the year, reporting on record-breaking conditions such as the hottest month on record and daily global temperature averages briefly surpassing pre-industrial levels by more than 2°C. Unprecedented global temperatures from June […]

January 11, 2024 25

Environment

How 2023’s record heat worsened droughts, floods and bushfires around the world

By Albert Van Dijk, Australian National University 2023 was a year of record-breaking heat, devastating storms and floods, deepening droughts and raging wildfires. These events showed how climate change is affecting the global water cycle and our livelihoods. Our international team of researchers today released a report, the Global Water Monitor, documenting the impact of the record heat in 2023 on the water cycle. We used data from thousands […]

January 11, 2024 15