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Global Warming

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United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen at the opening of Unea-6 in Nairobi, Kenya.
(UNEP/K.Worth)

The UN Environment Programme warns world will overshoot 1.5°C – but return remains possible

A new UN Environment Programme report warns that the world will likely breach the 1.5°C warming threshold, but rapid emissions cuts and adaptation can limit the damage and…

Human-caused warming is rising faster than expected, with scientists warning the 1.5°C threshold could be reached within years as greenhouse gas emissions remain at record highs. Photo: Supplied

Global warming hits 1.37°C as climate change accelerates, major report finds

A major report reveals global warming reached 1.37°C above pre-industrial levels in 2025, with scientists warning the 1.5°C threshold could be exceeded within four years.…

US President Donald Trump (Flickr)

Climate leaders condemn US withdrawal from UN frameworks

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…

Emissions are still climbing. In 2024, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.3%, reaching 57.7 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent — a faster rate of growth than in 2023 and more than four times the annual average of the 2010s.

Off target: Unep warns that the world is still falling short of the Paris climate goals

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…

Africa’s floods and droughts are messing with our minds. Researchers are trying to figure out how

As climate change intensifies, experts say our health and healthcare systems are going to suffer. But mental health often takes a back seat

Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution intensify. (Wikimedia Commons)

Climate crisis: Coral reefs hit critical tipping point

The world has reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, report warns

While coal producers stand to benefit from stronger prices and export demand, researchers warn that increased coal production and exports carry significant environmental and social costs, from greenhouse gas emissions to the impacts borne by communities living near mines and coal-fired power stations.
 (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)

Governments’ fossil fuel production plans threaten Paris climate goals, new report warns

It finds that the fossil fuel output will exceed 1.5°C limit by 120% by 2030

South Africa needs people with the skills to deal with climate change. Photo: Eric Vidal/Reuters

STEM careers are crucial to combat climate change

South Africa has a shortage of people with the necessary skills to tackle global warming and its damaging effects

The clear signs of human-induced climate change reached unprecedented levels in 2024, with some consequences expected to be irreversible for centuries

World Meteorological Organisation warns of irreversible climate deterioration

Rising sea levels, ocean heat and the highest atmospheric carbon levels in 800 000 years point to a climate crisis that’s escalating rapidly

US Pesident Donald Trump. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump’s return to power sparks uncertainty over US climate commitments

South Africa and other developing nations are pushing for a $1 trillion climate finance target

The National Arctic Scientific Research Expedition team, organised for the fourth time this year in the Arctic Ocean, identified the decreasing sea ice due to global climate change through sampling, evaluation, observation, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In the studies, conducted using remote sensing methods, an analysis of the average sea ice distribution for June 2023 and 2024 revealed a significant decrease in sea ice. (Photo by Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Climate change solutions not always good for biodiversity

‘Sticking plaster fixes’ such as geoengineering could have unwanted side effects

The cooling market in developing economies is expected to grow from around $300 billion to at least $600 billion per year, by 2050 (AFP via Getty Images)

Africa faces urgent need for sustainable cooling as temperatures soar

Around 3.5 billion people live in hot climates, but only 15% have access to cooling, mainly through air conditioning

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 (Photo supplied)

Kumi Naidoo appointed president of global initiative to phase out fossil fuels

Naidoo’s leadership in the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is seen as a critical step in the fight for a fair, sustainable future

Grazing and plant poaching are also factors leading to the rare Prince Albert vygie dwindling. (SAEON)

Drought and warming a threat to endangered Western Cape vygie

Grazing and plant poaching are also factors leading to the rare Prince Albert vygie dwindling, researchers said

South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan

SA’s progress on climate and just transition hindered by incoherent policies, weak governance and inconsistency

The Presidential Climate Commission’s new report says progress is not happening at the pace and scale required This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get…