Adrino Mazenda, University of Pretoriaù Climate change discussions in southern Africa often focus on farming, where the effects of environmental shocks are most visible. The debate frequently centres on droughts, floods, declining crop productivity and heat stress affecting livestock systems. This is largely because agriculture is a sector that’s directly exposed to extreme
Aleh Cherp, Central European University; Jessica Jewell, Chalmers University of Technology, and Tsimafei Kazlou, University of Bergen Just 1% of the world’s coastal waters could, in theory, generate enough offshore wind and solar power to provide a third of the world’s electricity by 2050. That’s the promise highlighted in a new study by
Piers Forster, University of Leeds and Debbie Rosen, University of Leeds 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
Derek Yu, University of the Western Cape and Simbarashe Murozvi, University of the Western Cape Child labour is a big concern across the world. It is particularly acute in countries in the global south, where it is estimated that about 160 million children are engaged in child labour, about 87 million of them
Alseno Kagiso Mosai, University of Pretoria and Hlanganani Tutu, University of the Witwatersrand Highly toxic metals are leaking out of nine abandoned mines in Krugersdorp, 32km west of Johannesburg, South Africa. The metals include uranium, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and mercury. This acid mine drainage – when water mixes with heavy metals in mines
ph. Ants foraging for nectar on a Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). Jacob S. Suissa, CC BY-ND Jacob S. Suissa, University of Tennessee Look closely at a plant in your local park, your garden or even your kitchen, and you’re likely to see some damage. Whether a caterpillar has chewed away part of a
Andrew R. Leitch, Queen Mary University of London There are eight species of baobab in the world, and they have a surprising distribution. Six are found in Madagascar, an island in the Indian Ocean; one is found on the continent of Africa; and the last is far away in Australia. The origin of
Sharon Fonn, University of the Witwatersrand and Marta Vicente-Crespo The challenge for universities is to produce graduates who can work with others to produce knowledge and research that can change institutions and societies for the better. That is the basis on which the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (Carta) began developing
ph. Jolanda Aalbers / Shutterstock Anniek Kortleve, Leiden University; Helen Harwatt, Harvard University; José Manuel Mogollón, Leiden University, and Paul Behrens, Leiden University The vast majority of the EU’s agricultural subsidies are supporting meat and dairy farming rather than sustainable plant alternatives. That’s the key finding of our new research, published in Nature
Alewo Idoko-Akoh, University of Bristol Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially be used to create disease-resistant animals. This could curtail the spread of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. In a recent gene editing study, my colleagues and I showcased the potential of gene editing to protect chickens from the