Forest cover loss is a headache for many African countries where logging by big companies and clearing (for biomass energy or small-scale agriculture) continues to grow. Malawi for examples has been losing about 33,000 hectares of forest every year since 2001. According to Global Forest Watch, Malawi lost 14.7kha of natural forest, equivalent to 5.30Mt of CO₂ emissions in 2001. This is not big by global standards, but it is still a big concern. Some people are trying to change that.

Cheick Fadel Wade has been a very busy man these last few weeks. The co-founder and President of Solidarité Ci Sutura (Solidarity and respect) in Bargny, Senegal has been working hard to amplify messages about the importance of an urgent just transition to low carbon economies at home and abroad to a number of different audiences. For him, protecting the environment for present and future generations is not a choice - it is his destiny.

Residents of eThekwini municipality (which encompasses Durban and surrounding areas) in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa shall remember the month of April 2022 for a long time. Starting on Saturday April 9, heavy rain pummeled the city and, a few days later, on the night of Sunday 10 April 2022, eThekwini received over 300 millimeters (30cm) of rainfall in the space of 24 hours. In other words, it received more than a month’s worth of rain in one day.

In line with the current pace of global warming and rate at which glaciers are melting, the United Nations’ (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) adjusted sea-level predictions to a new high-end risk scenario where global sea-level rise is projected to hit 2m by 2100 and 5m by 2150. What does it mean for a city like Cape Town?

An architect shares her experience and the challenges of being a part of the design team of Africa’s first 'Living Building Challenge Certified Green School in Paarl, South Africa. The school is the third to be established in a network of Green Schools around the globe. 

Unlike traditional schools where issues of climate change and the environment only come up in a handful of lessons, Lynedoch is unique as it prides itself in implementing a Montessori-led curriculum which focuses on imparting learners with knowledge on sustainability practices.

In the past six years, the Western Cape in South Africa has been experiencing droughts and water shortages, which have affected people and particularly farmers. Angus McIntosh, whose farm is situated on 126 hectares of irrigated pasture at Spier Wine Estate near Stellenbosch, is using sensitive smart-agricultural practices to cope with these climate change catastrophes.

Namibia is one of the most arid countries in the world, with a high rainfall variability that makes it no stranger to drought. As the climate changes, the planet becomes warmer and drier, making arid countries even more susceptible to drought. The year 2013 was declared the driest year of the last three decades.

The encroaching sea has wiped out many communities along the Senegalese Atlantic coast. Salinisation is also making it impossible for rural communities to grow rice, a staple food in the area. Some people are fighting back. They are planting trees, changing diets and alerting the world to the changes that are already happening right now in Senegal.

Cattle may be the last act for some of humanity’s first people, the Ju|’hoansi. This picture essay tells the story of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy. Located in remote northeastern Namibia, close to the Botswana border, the 9000km2 Nyae Nyae Conservancy is one of the last two remaining San lands. Because of this land, the Ju|’hoansi San still practice hunting with bow and arrows and are able to maintain their culture. But the world’s oldest culture is now under threat from pastoralists.

Many communities in South Africa use coal as a source of energy. Daveyton, a township East of Johannesburg, is amongst one of the communities that rely on coal for personal and private use by local businesses and  street vendors.