SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Sep

17

2025

South African environmental groups push to block Shell’s new wells – how world court opinion might help

SUSTAINABILITY

THE International Court of Justice’s landmark advisory opinion on climate change has come in handy for South African communities that are trying to stop global oil company Shell from drilling for oil and gas off the coast. The opinion, handed down by the world’s highest court in July 2025, sets out what all governments are legally required to do to tackle climate change. It confirmed that: All states have a duty to prevent activities within their jurisdiction from causing significant climate harm. States must phase out fossil fuels to keep global temperatures below 1.5°C above pre-industrial times. This includes regulating…

Sep

12

2025

By AKEM OLIVES NKWAIN FOR BIRD

Greenhouse farming changed his life

SUSTAINABILITY

IN the industrial sprawl of Douala, Cameroon’s economic capital, where concrete has taken over much of the greenery, one man has found a meaningful way to bring greenery into his everyday life through agriculture. Joel Kamgaing, a former welder whose dreams once pointed toward Dubai, now cultivates bell peppers in a self-built greenhouse — all from the seat of a wheelchair he engineered himself. “I was a farmer before being in this wheelchair,” Kamgaing said, wheeling between rows of vibrant crops. “I had a two-hectare pineapple plantation. I was farming at Awaé, near Yaoundé. During one of my regular supervision…

Sep

10

2025

By ADRINO MAZENDA and HUNADI MAPULA NKWANA

Woman-headed households in rural South Africa need water, sanitation and energy to fight hunger – G20 could help

SUSTAINABILITY

RURAL homes headed by women in South Africa have many problems getting water, sanitation and energy. Electricity from the grid, flush toilets and piped water aren’t always available. Without all of these essential services, families are likely to struggle to produce enough food to meet their daily needs for a healthy life. Water, energy and sanitation are all needed for growing food, cooking and storing it, and keeping it free from contamination. We are research specialists in food systems and public policy. Using statistics from the 2022 South African General Household Survey, we looked at how water and sanitation influence…

Sep

06

2025

By WILL WORLEY

Why African nations are looking to unite on climate and conflict

SUSTAINABILITY

A few years ago, the link between climate change and conflict was a niche policy area. It has now begun to dominate UN climate summits. That recognition is about to be elevated a step higher as the Africa Climate Summit prepares to pass the Common African Position: a key policy document on climate, peace, and security. This story was originally published by The New Humanitarian.By Will Worley African diplomats like Ali Mohamed, Kenya’s special climate envoy, hope the summit – to be held 8-10 September in Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa – will be a “game changer” that will “spark a seismic…

Sep

05

2025

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

A lioness caught on camera reignites hope for lion survival

SUSTAINABILITY

ONCE written off as disappearing, lion prides in several African parks and conservancies are beginning to show signs of recovery, according to new surveys and conservation reports. The latest of these signs is from camera trap evidence of a lioness in the Central African Republic’s Bamingui-Bangoran National Park. The remote camera sighted the first female there in six years. Conservationists at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) who released the photo evidence said the lactating state of the lioness suggests cubs are present, raising hopes of a breeding population returning to fragile ecosystems. “For years, we have recorded only male lions,…

Sep

02

2025

By NOMTHA HADI

How to harness the ocean for prosperity: funding African innovations can unlock the blue economy

SUSTAINABILITY

AFRICA has an enormous ocean area at its disposal. There are almost 20 million square kilometres of ocean, seas and inland water that could be developed into environmentally sustainable blue economies. The G20 group of 19 of the world’s largest economies and the African Union also view the blue economy as key to developing the continent. Nomtha Hadi researches blue economies. She talks to The Conversation Africa about the main challenges in developing blue economies in Africa. What is the blue economy? The blue economy refers to using water and ocean resources to create economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs…

Aug

27

2025

By OLIVIA KUNGUMA and JOHANNES BELLE

Climate disasters are escalating: 6 ways South Africa’s G20 presidency can lead urgent action

SUSTAINABILITY

SOUTH Africa currently holds the presidency of the G20 – the group of 19 of the world’s largest economies and the African Union. It has set up a Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group to find concrete solutions for countries experiencing climate-induced disasters that are made worse by poverty and inequality. Disaster risk management specialists Olivia Kunguma and Johannes Belle discuss what’s needed from the G20 this year to make a difference. What are the biggest obstacles to reducing the risks that disasters pose? There have been multiple disasters in South Africa over the past year. All of these confirm the…

Aug

26

2025

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Giraffe species matter, African scientists reveal why

SUSTAINABILITY

AT Naboisho Conservancy in Kenya, Jowel Mulama spends his mornings scanning the savannah, watching wildlife move slowly across the grasslands. Among them, giraffes have always stood out. “They are gentle but at the same time commanding,” he explained on a call. “Every time you watch them, you notice something new: their grace, their height, the way they interact. To me, giraffes have always been different from any other animal.” For Mulama, the new scientific classification is more than just a technical change. “This is a unique reclassification because for the longest time, a giraffe has just been a giraffe. Not…

Aug

12

2025

By SITHABILE HLAHLA

South African study finds 4 low-income communities can’t cope with global warming: what needs to change

SUSTAINABILITY

CLIMATE change is not new: temperatures have been rising for decades as a result of global warming. In South Africa’s city of Pietermaritzburg, four low-income urban communities have experienced drought, heatwaves, severe hailstorms, devastating flooding events that killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands, and wildfires as a result of climate change. Environmental scientist Sithabile Hlahla interviewed people in 378 homes there and found that they were not coping well with climate disasters. How has extreme weather affected life in these communities? We spoke to people in the France, Swapo and Willowfontein communities near the Pietermaritzburg central business district, and…

Aug

06

2025

By ZUNAIDA MOOSA WADIWALA

Historic climate change ruling from the International Court of Justice: what it means for Africa

SUSTAINABILITY

THE International Court of Justice, the world’s highest court, handed down an advisory opinion on 23 July 2025 stating that climate change “imperils all forms of life”. This followed a case brought by Vanuatu, a tiny South Pacific island nation threatened by rising sea levels, supported by 131 other countries – the biggest case the court had ever heard. The opinion sets out what all governments need to do to limit greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further global warming. Climate law specialist Zunaida Moosa Wadiwala explains how the advisory opinion sets a powerful precedent for global climate accountability. What did…