Commissioners emphasise a people-centred just transition, focusing on rural communities, workers and climate-resilient economic planning
Extreme heat is no longer a future problem. A major new report warns it is intensifying inequality, illness and climate vulnerability across Southern Africa and the worst-hit are often those least able to escape it
New research projects the Olifants River in the Kruger National Park could reach daily water temperatures of 42–44°C by the end of the century under a high-emissions scenario, putting fish, macroinvertebrates and freshwater ecosystems at serious risk
It is shocking that a post-1994 dispensation, emerging from a colonial-apartheid liberation struggle whose core objective was the return of land, has presided over the increase of informal settlements from 300 to 4000
A groundbreaking analysis of more than 2 300 seawater samples shows that industrial chemicals dominate ocean pollution signals, even far from land
A new global platform maps urban heat at street level, showing how exposure is rising and falling disproportionately on poorer communities, while giving cities tools to test cooling solutions
As the Earth becomes hotter, we’re seeing more floods and droughts. Flooding can make superbugs spread faster and further. And heat helps germs adapt faster
President calls for urgent action to move South Africa’s just energy transition from commitment to delivery at the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Presidential Climate Commission
The minister framed coal, not as a relic of the past, but as a critical driver of energy security, industrial activity and employment
What should have been a model for climate action has become a cautionary tale of what happens when communities are excluded from decisions that reshape their lives
The intensity of heavy downpours has increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, with some areas receiving more than a year’s rain in just days
A growing body of evidence suggests that unpredictable weather linked to climate change has the potential to injure people’s minds, leading to an increase in the development of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety
Traditional talk of a water crisis and water stress no longer reflects the current reality
The US is set to exit the UN climate treaty and key global science institutions under a Trump directive, a move critics say will isolate the country and deepen climate and biodiversity risks
Developing cities like Cape Town are at great risk of climate risk, they need to plan smart
Dangor said the US argument that if one G20 member was absent from the leaders summit, then there could be no consensus, had been voted down
Director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said South Africa’s G20 presidency highlighted the importance of trade within WTO rules and reforming the system through local mineral beneficiation
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said countries understood ‘that there’s a bilateral issue between South Africa and the US, but that must not, in any shape or form, undermine or imperil the work of the G20’
In an apparent reference to US President Donald Trump’s absence, Ramaphosa warned against allowing ‘anything to diminish the value, the stature or the impact of the first African G20 presidency’
Kumi Naidoo, a leading voice for climate justice advocating for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and fair finance, has been calling for governments to act on the ‘moral failure’ of continued fossil fuel expansion
A decade after the Paris Agreement united countries behind the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, the latest Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) delivers a sobering message: global efforts remain off target. Despite new pledges and some policy progress, the world is still heading toward dangerous levels […]
Scientists have warned that humidity, not just temperature, could determine which species survive in an era of escalating heatwaves
As climate change intensifies, experts say our health and healthcare systems are going to suffer. But mental health often takes a back seat
A new University of Cape Town study reveals that methane emissions from coal mines may be seven to 14 times higher than official estimates. Experts say capturing this potent greenhouse gas could cut climate pollution, improve mine safety and create jobs in coal regions like Mpumalanga
The JET must be deep: redistributive, participatory and youth-led
Kariba REDD+ has been prevented from trading after allegations of mismanagement and corruption
While the scars left by the April 2022 flash floods aren’t obvious to visitors to Inanda, the township just northwest of Durban, the collective and individual trauma, often left unspoken, continues to linger
If we continue to ignore the social and environmental costs of our (ab)use of the environment, we will be mispricing the future
Lesotho villagers allege unsafe conditions and no accountability in the scheme to supply Gauteng
It finds that the fossil fuel output will exceed 1.5°C limit by 120% by 2030
The effects of offshore gas projects contribute to a humanitarian crisis, and mainly only the companies and countries of the north benefit from the profits and commodities
Advancing climate and sustainability action will require that all arms, spheres and levels of government lead an integrated and interdependent response to climate change