Tag: climate crisis
-
South Africa’s energy shift: How the just transition is shaping the future
As the world races to embrace new technologies to avert climate disaster, South Africa is rolling out a plan to ensure its energy transition doesn’t leave communities or workers behind. With global goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050, scaling up clean energy sectors has become…
-
Beef vs veg: The carbon footprint of your food choices
Food production and processing have their own negative effects on the environment, but some products carry a greater impact than others. Animal-based foods usually carry a higher greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint compared with plant-based foods. A study of 38,700 farms and 1,600 processors, packaging types and retailers across 119 countries found that beef and mutton…
-
Famine looms in Southern Africa: El Niño-driven drought has caused maize shortages
In Southern Africa, maize makes up about 20% of the average diet, consumed as pap, sadza and nshima. The recent decline in production across the region because of the dry and hot weather caused by El Niño is having devastating implications for the people who live in the region. Three countries have already declared a…
-
Cholera outbreaks highlight the need for Africa to make its own vaccines
There is a worldwide shortage of cholera vaccines, and only one WHO-approved producer in the world, EuBiologics in South Korea. In February 2024, Doctors Without Borders, a medical humanitarian organisation, reported that the global cholera vaccine stockpile had been exhausted. Already in October 2022 a decision was made to temporarily reduce the dosage of vaccine…