SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Jan

27

2025

Urban food gardens produce more than vegetables, they create bonds for young Capetonians – study

SUSTAINABILITY

URBAN agriculture takes many forms, among them community, school or rooftop gardens, commercial urban farms, and hydroponic or aquaponic systems. These activities have been shown to promote sustainable cities in a number of ways. They enhance local food security and foster economic opportunities through small-scale farming initiatives. They also strengthen social cohesion by creating shared spaces for collaboration and learning. However, evidence from some African countries (and other parts of the world) shows that very few young people are getting involved in agriculture, whether in urban, peri-urban or rural areas. Studies from Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Nigeria show that people…

Jan

23

2025

By NAILA KABEER; CHUNG AH BAEK and DEEPTA CHOPRA

Women are seen as ‘saviours’ or ‘victims’ in climate change debates: why this is a problem

SUSTAINABILITY

CERTAIN stereotypes about women have become commonplace in climate and development literature. One example is that women are either represented as “saviours” who protect nature or as “victims” more vulnerable to climate impacts than men and less equipped to cope. Simple either/or ways of seeing women overlook the power dynamics and structural factors that give rise to the stereotypes. Based on our decades of research into gender issues and the environment, we use evidence from the global south to unpack underlying assumptions. We call for a more complex framing of gender, care and climate change. This will help ensure that…

Jan

19

2025

By OLUWAFIKAYO AKEREDOLU

Africa’s climate change balancing act: green energy vs economic development

SUSTAINABILITY

AFRICAN countries face a conundrum. On the one hand, they need to develop economically and industrially. On the other, they must also meet their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. This risks a conflict between climate mitigation ambitions and Africa’s development agenda. There are 45 nations on the United Nations’ global list of “Least Developed Countries”; 33 (72%) are located in Africa. These countries face enormous problems, including low-income levels and limited levels of industry. They are also affected by climate change disasters like floods and droughts. Africa contributes just 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. But all…

Jan

18

2025

By ALBERT VAN DIJK

Relentless warming is driving the water cycle to new extremes, the 2024 global water report shows

SUSTAINABILITY

LAST year, Earth experienced its hottest year on record - for the fourth year in a row. Rising temperatures are changing the way water moves around our planet, wreaking havoc on the water cycle. The 2024 Global Water Monitor Report released today shows how these changes are driving extreme events around the world. Our international team of researchers used data from thousands of ground stations and satellites to analyse real-time information on weather and water underground, in rivers and in water bodies. We found rainfall records are being broken with increasing regularity. For example, record-high monthly rainfall totals were achieved…

Jan

17

2025

By ANNETTE HÜBSCHLE and JARED MARGULIES

South Africa’s rare succulent plants are threatened by illegal trade – how to stop it

SUSTAINABILITY

SOUTH Africa’s succulents – small, fleshy, green plants sometimes shaped like roses or stars, and often found peeping out between rocks in dry areas – are sought after by an increasingly international collector market. The popular Conophytum, Lithops and Tylecodon are part of the group of rare and aesthetically unique succulents which are now being illegally traded all over the world. Since 2019, over 1 million succulent plants from 650 species unique to South Africa have been illegally harvested in South Africa. As social scientists who have extensively researched conservation conflicts, community centred conservation and the illegal wildlife trade, we…

Jan

16

2025

By SURINA ESTERHUYSE and ANTON LUKAS

Giant freshwater aquifer in southern Africa is under threat from mining

SUSTAINABILITY

A huge underground water resource the size of Austria, the Stampriet Transboundary Aquifer System, stretches for 87,000km² across Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. It supplies 50,000 people in several towns with water pure enough to drink and is their only source of water. However,the Namibian government has awarded uranium prospecting licences to several mining companies across the aquifer system. Other mining companies already have the right to prospect for rare earth metals in the aquifer. Surina Esterhuyse and Anton Lukas are groundwater scientists and mining specialists. They say if mining goes ahead, the groundwater may become contaminated by metals that…

Jan

15

2025

By FREDRICK KAYUSI

Climate information is useful at local level if people get it in good time: how African countries can build systems to share it

SUSTAINABILITY

AFRICAN countries collectively have emitted very little of the greenhouse gases that have caused climate change but are badly affected by climate-induced floods, droughts and heatwaves. To withstand some of the most devastating extreme weather events, African countries need to adapt fast. Setting up advanced climate information services that predict climate disasters ahead of time is critical. Environmental sciences lecturer Fredrick Kayusi was part of a group of researchers who investigated where climate information systems are falling short and what can be done to remedy the problem. What are climate information services? Why are they so important? Climate information services…

Jan

10

2025

By HANA JURIKOVA

Carbon dioxide has been regulating Earth’s climate for hundreds of millions of years – new study

SUSTAINABILITY

AROUND 370 million years ago, Earth gradually descended into the longest-lived and probably the most intense ice age witnessed by complex life: the Late Palaeozoic ice age. At its peak, huge continental ice sheets spread across much of the globe and the sea level fell by more than 100 metres. In all, this ice age lasted around 100 million years. The transition in and out of the Late Palaeozoic ice age was one of the biggest climate transitions in Earth’s history, a turning point in the evolution of life and the environment. It significantly shaped the two periods of time…

Dec

31

2024

By ALEXANDER RICHARD BRACZKOWSKI; ARJUN M. GOPALASWAMY; DUAN BIGGS and PETER LINDSEY

Counting Uganda’s lions: we found that wildlife rangers do a better job than machines

SUSTAINABILITY

LIONS are a symbol of Africa’s last wild places. It’s a species central to many of the continent’s cultures and religions. But lion populations have reportedly declined over the past 50 years, especially in parts of West and East Africa. Concern over this decline has prompted large financial commitments to shore up numbers. These investments must go hand in hand with the critical work of closely monitoring lion populations. It’s important to understand how their numbers and their distribution respond to conservation actions such as anti-poaching, managing conflicts with cattle farmers, and securing protected areas. Many traditional methods used to…

Dec

28

2024

By LIZ STEPHENS; DAN GREEN and LUIS ARTUR

Climate, migration and conflict mix to create ‘deadly’ intense tropical storms like Chido

SUSTAINABILITY

CYCLONE Chido was an “intense tropical cyclone”, equivalent to a category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic. It made landfall in Mayotte, a small island lying to the north-west of Madagascar on December 14, generating wind gusts approaching 155mph (250km/hr). Later on, it hit Mozambique, East Africa with the same ferocity. This storm skirted north of Madagascar and affected the Comoros archipelago before making landfall in Mozambique. It is well within the range of what is expected for this part of the Indian Ocean. But this region has experienced an increase in the most intense tropical cyclones in recent years. This,…