Tropical Cyclones

Wits co-leads initiative to mitigate effects of tropical cyclones

R110m pioneering project aims to boost resilience to tropical cyclones in Southern Africa and Madagascar

Sheree Bega

Future shock: Huge waves at Durban seafront were caused by tropical Cyclone Irina which hit in 2012. Ancient sediment from the seabed off the city’s coast provide evidence of extreme tropical storms, and modelling suggests this is likely to happen again. Photo: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP

30 JAN 2022

Intense tropical cyclones could hit South Africa’s east coast in the future — study

Past climate conditions that led to intense tropical cyclones battering KwaZulu-Natal’s coast are similar to the ones projected now under global warming

Sheree Bega

4 min read

Trouble: People are rescued from flooding in Lephalale. A climate change expert cautions that 3°C to 4°C of warming from 2041 to 2060 would be catastrophic for the area. Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Gallo Images/Foto24

AFRICA CLIMATE ALLIANCE

31 OCT 2021

COP26: ‘We don’t want this terrible future’

Unless urgent action is taken, South Africa will suffer enormous socioeconomic and ecological harm from climate change in the next 50 years

Sheree Bega

7 min read

Drought equaliser: Cape Town residents queued to refill water bottles at Newlands Spring. This may soon be Gauteng’s future. (Morgana Wingard/Getty Images)

ARCTIC

15 AUG 2021

Climate crisis: ‘Day Zero’ drought risk for Gauteng

Long droughts may result in dams unable to adequately supply the industrial heartland

Sheree Bega

6 min read