SUSTAINABILITY - The African Mirror

Aug

26

2025

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…

Aug

05

2025

By NEIL D’CRUZE; ANGIE ELWIN, and HERBERT NTULI

Communities near South Africa’s Kruger National Park prefer wildlife-friendly ways to earn a living over killing animals

SUSTAINABILITY

KRUGER National Park is a flagship South African conservation area home to lions, elephants, rhinos, and leopards. Tourists from all over the world flock to the park to see wildlife. But people living nearby deal with the daily realities of living close to dangerous animals that might eat their livestock or damage their crops. For these communities near the park, economic opportunities are limited. The area has high unemployment and poverty levels, which fuel illegal hunting. Trophy hunting, where relatively wealthy hunters pay to legally kill wild animals and keep parts of them as “trophies”, is not allowed inside the…

Aug

01

2025

By The African Mirror

A powerful new short film sheds light on a ‘David and Goliath’ battle to protect South Africa’s oceans

SUSTAINABILITY

A new South African short film ‘SPOILED’ has premiered at a high-level workshop in Cape Town this week. This marine-focused event unpacked the findings of the WILDTRUST-driven project, highlighting the “Environmental, Social and Economic Risks and Impacts of Offshore Oil and Gas in South Africa”. The ‘SPOILED’ film carries an urgent call to protect South Africa’s rich and irreplaceable marine heritage from the growing threat of offshore oil and gas exploration. It weaves together the stories of coastal communities, activists, scientists, and traditional fishers who are standing up to one of the greatest environmental and social threats facing the country’s…

Jul

30

2025

By CYPRIAN M. MOSTERT

Extreme weather affects mental health: what vulnerable women in Kenya told us

SUSTAINABILITY

CLIMATIC shocks and environmental changes are increasingly recognised as one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century. Extreme weather, such as heatwaves, tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall, floods, wildfires and droughts, can trigger mental and physical ill-health. Individuals living in poor settings and rural areas are likely to be worst hit by these climatic shocks, given that many experience limited access to water, food and healthcare. Most studies that have examined the association between climate change and worsening mental health outcomes have been done outside the continent of Africa. But there is an urgent need to enhance…

Jul

26

2025

By KATRINA KOSEC; AMANDA CLAYTON; AMANDA LEA ROBINSON and BONIFACE DULANI

Forest loss in Malawi: how having women at the table affected debates and decisions about solutions – research

SUSTAINABILITY

AROUND the world, climate change is being tackled, not just in parliaments and global summits, but also in villages and farming communities. In these local spaces, lives and livelihoods depend directly on natural resources, and decisions are often made in groups. Globally, including women in action against climate change is seen as crucial. Especially in rural agricultural settings, women bear a substantial burden from the warming planet. But there has been little research on whether simply having more women involved in climate action changes the decisions taken by communities to combat global warming – or whether it matters. We are…

Jul

24

2025

By PIERS FORSTER and DEBBIE ROSEN

Only 3 years left – new study warns the world is running out of time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change

SUSTAINABILITY

BAD climate news is everywhere. Africa is being hit particularly hard by climate change and extreme weather, impacting lives and livelihoods. We are living in a world that is warming at the fastest rate since records began. Yet, governments have been slow to act. The annual global climate change conference of the parties (COP30) is just months away. All of the 197 countries that belong to the United Nations were supposed to have submitted updated national climate plans to the UN by February this year. These plans outline how each country will cut its greenhouse gas emissions in line with…

Jul

23

2025

By MARIAN SELORM SAPAH

Ghana has a rare treasure, a crater made when a meteor hit Earth: why it needs to be protected

SUSTAINABILITY

IMPACT craters are formed when an object from space, such as a meteoroid, asteroid or comet, strikes the Earth at a very high velocity. This leaves an excavated circular hole on the Earth’s surface. It is a basic geological process that has shaped the planets from their formation to today. It creates landscapes and surface materials across our solar system. The moon is covered with them, as are planets like Mercury, Mars and Venus. On Earth, impacts have influenced the evolution of life and even provided valuable mineral and energy resources. However, very few of the impact craters on Earth…

Jul

18

2025

By LEANNE N. PHELPS and KRISTINA GUILD DOUGLASS

Africans survived 10,000 years of climate changes by adapting food systems – study offers lessons for modern times

SUSTAINABILITY

IMAGINE living in a place where a single drought, hurricane, or mudslide can wipe out your food supply. Across Africa, many communities do exactly that – navigate climate shocks like floods, heatwaves, and failed harvests. What’s often overlooked in the development policies to tackle these threats is a powerful source of insight: Africa’s own history. Around 14,700 to 5,500 years ago, much of Africa experienced wetter conditions – a time referred to as the African Humid Period. As wet conditions declined around 5,500 years ago, major social, cultural, and environmental changes ensued across the continent. We’re part of a multidisciplinary…