KZN floods leave lingering trauma
These downpours have become an unfortunate feature in the province and some communities have been hit by repeated flooding since at least 2022.
Climate Change
Read More » KZN floods leave lingering trauma
Research highlights the tragic link between droughts and violenceÂ
Climate shocks like severe droughts worsen poverty, food insecurity and water scarcity, which in turn fuel violence.
How hospitals contribute to climate change
The activities driving carbon emissions in the healthcare sector are high energy consumption, especially in theatres, where heating and cooling technology is used.
Five ways that climate change threatens human health
Despite having contributed the least to global emissions, Africa will be most affected by climate change.
New report highlights the profound impact of climate change on children’s health and educationÂ
Extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves, and droughts disrupt daily life, displacing families, destroying infrastructure, and limiting access to essential services such as healthcare and education.
How climate change might drive the next pandemic
The world has barely recovered from the devastation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now scientists are warning that the next pandemic will be offset by climate change. And policymakers must take decisive action to protect the most vulnerable communities. Over…
Hot weather can cause health problems, people working in the sun are most at riskÂ
It is almost eight o’clock on a warm but chilly November Friday morning, Joyce Mathe from Thembisa in Ekurhuleni east of Johannesburg is hard at work collecting waste outside of people’s yards for her recycling business. The cool weather is…
Rural smallholder farmers are feeling the brunt of changing times
Wishing and praying for rainfall, that is how Oscious Maluga spends most of his days. Maluga is a smallholder farmer from Mabila, a water stricken village outside Sibasa in Limpopo. The 30-year-old grows various crops on his five hectare farm…
Paper industry giant Sappi coughs up R8m for sulphur gas crimes
by Tony Carnie, Daily MaverickThe Saiccor pulp factory at Umkomaas has been mashing up and dissolving gum trees in chemical cookers for nearly 70 years to produce tree-based fibres for clothes and curtains. But since operations began in 1955, the…
Activists say energy department lacks political will to tackle climate change
Civil society organisations are growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of political will from South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to address the country’s climate change crisis. According to the Climate Justice Coalition, potential solutions to…
Kusile Power Station given exemption to release more sulphur dioxide despite health effects on communities
Eskom’s Kusile Power Station has been granted an exemption from complying fully with national air quality regulations and has been allowed to emit more sulphur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere despite its health impacts, Barbara Creecy, the minister of…
Climate change: Women take the heat
South Africa is feeling the impact of climate change. The recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal, consistent droughts in the Western Cape, water scarcity, and heat waves all over the country are examples of some of the consequences. And as a result, it…
Climate crisis: Health must be front and centre at COP27
On the eve of the pivotal climate talks at COP27, the World Health Organisation issued a grim reminder the health impacts of the climate crisis must be at the core of these critical negotiations. The climate crisis increasingly makes people…
Five climate change myth busters worth knowing
Climate change continues to have a major negative physical, socio-economic and ecological impact on South Africa. Experts say that the nation is yet to experience these effects under all climate change scenarios. Understanding what climate change means and how it…
Climate Crisis: Rural communities, women and girls hardest hit
This past weekend the South African Weather Service issued a level 10 weather warning for disruptive rainfall in Kwa-Zulu Natal. This came less than two months after the province faced major floods that destroyed homes and claimed over 440 lives.…