The City of Cape Town’s draft Climate Change Strategy is available for public comment from 1 to 30 September 2020. Climate change is a global threat and Cape Town is particularly vulnerable. Residents and interested parties are encouraged to please participate in this process. It is the City’s vision to create an urban environment that is climate resilient, resource … [Read more...]
Large-scale home cooling initiative commences across SA
Having been awarded a $100 000 grant by the international Million Cool Roofs Challenge last year to deploy solar-reflective roof coatings, the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) is now underway rolling out this low-tech cooling solution to communities across the country. This initiative is driven by the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP) with … [Read more...]
How can we take action to fight climate change?
The words ‘climate change’ are known by 41% of South Africans, according to a recent August 2019 Afro barometer Survey. However, there is quite a stark difference between having a term in our lexicon, and knowing what it means. There seems to be a stream of never-ending news on events like the April 2019 KwaZulu-Natal floods, and severe drought leaving several provinces … [Read more...]
Africa grapples with rising demand for destructive energy source
A whopping 70 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa still relies on charcoal as well as other solid biomass fuels for energy —80 percent when excluding South Africa. The charcoal use generates tiny soot particles that create and exasperate respiratory diseases and contribute to climate change. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than four million people die annually … [Read more...]
Finding smart insulation for a hot house
Another summer almost over … hope to goodness the worst heat is over. How clueless was the building industry about energy efficiency when most of our houses were built! Who does not want to save energy now – and it is indeed all our duty to relieve the pressure on the national energy supply. Our double storey really cooks upstairs, where we work. Ancient traces of insulation … [Read more...]
Dealing with heat exhaustion and heatstroke
As we melt our way through the SA's climactic summer, heat exhaustion and heatstroke are two potentially serious conditions that can occur if you get too hot. This overheating can also be caused by very strenuous physical exercise. Heat exhaustion is where you become very hot and start to lose water or salt from your body, which leads to the symptoms listed below and … [Read more...]
SA sets temp record while tropical cyclone brews in Arabian Sea
Earth's hottest temperature ever recorded in the month of October occurred on Tuesday, October 27, 2015 in South Africa, when Vredendal hit a remarkable 48.4°C (119.1°F). According to weather records researcher Maximiliano Herrera, this is also the highest temperature ever observed at Vredendal and the third highest temperature in South African history. The new global … [Read more...]
These are the countries most at risk from climate change
Climate change can affect countries and regions in terms of economic and environmental impact. Standard & Poor's has assessed the effects of climate change on a country's economy by evaluating the percentage of population living in coastal areas, the percentage of agriculture that makes up a country's gross domestic product and the vulnerability index developed by the … [Read more...]
First three months of 2015 were warmest on record
March this year was the third hottest month in global climate records, according to reports from NASA GISS. The reading — at +0.84 C above the 20th Century average — fell just behind March of 2002 (+0.88 C) and March of 2010 (+0.87 C). With El Nino firing off in the Pacific and polar amplification pushing to ever-greater extremes in the Arctic, 2015 is following hot on the … [Read more...]
Are we learning from the fires?
As the fire from Stellenbosch jumps across the Helderberg mountains and spreads down onto the Lourensford estate, Somerset West, everyone’s talking arson. That might be one of the reasons, though I think there is an obvious contributor that is conveniently left out of the discussion: climate change. We know that changing land uses and patterns of dryer and hotter climate has … [Read more...]
Employing aliens to capture carbon
Imagine turning thirsty alien invasive trees into biochar. Biochar is charcoal created by pyrolysis of biomass. This differs from charcoal only in the sense that its primary use is not for fuel, but for biosequestration or atmospheric carbon capture. If created under specific conditions it can also be suitable as a soil amendment. In a forest near Pietermaritzburg there is … [Read more...]
Extremely high fire danger conditions expected
The South African Weather Service has issued a warning of extremely high fire danger conditions in the Northern Cape and on the West Coast. City of Cape Town Disaster Management spokesperson, Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, says temperatures have increased into the mid 30's in some areas. "Disaster management teams have been placed on high alert to deal with issues where … [Read more...]
How do heat waves affect our bodies?
Some might like it hot, but extreme heat can overpower the human body. An expert from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains how heat kills and why fans are worthless in the face of truly high temperatures. Climate change promises to bring with it longer, hotter summers to many places on the planet. With more heat waves on the horizon, the risk of … [Read more...]
