climate changelatest news & developments
Women are disproportionately affected by climate impacts and economic exclusion. Photo: David Harrison/M&G

Presidential Climate Commission outlines people-centred just transition for 2026–2030

Commissioners emphasise a people-centred just transition, focusing on rural communities, workers and climate-resilient economic planning

“Extreme heat is not only a physical hazard; it affects mental health, air quality and the spread of infectious diseases, compounding the burden on vulnerable communities”. (Envato Elements)

Extreme heat is becoming Southern Africa’s defining climate and health threat, report warns

Extreme heat is no longer a future problem. A major new report warns it is intensifying inequality, illness and climate vulnerability across Southern Africa and the worst-hit are often those least able to escape it

The Olifants River supports mining, agriculture, and commercial forestry, while also flowing through the Kruger National Park—South Africa’s largest protected area and a vital tourism drawcard. Photo: Wikipedia

Olifants River faces extreme warming by 2100, threatening fish and macroinvertebrates

New research projects the Olifants River in the Kruger National Park could reach daily water temperatures of 42–44°C by the end of the century under a high-emissions scenario, putting fish, macroinvertebrates and freshwater ecosystems at serious risk

The KwaZulu-Natal province experienced a deadly series of natural disasters, exacerbated by heavy rains driven by inevitable climate change. Photo: X/KwaZulu-Natal government

Democracy should feed land hunger

It is shocking that a post-1994 dispensation, emerging from a colonial-apartheid liberation struggle whose core objective was the return of land, has presided over the increase of informal settlements from 300 to 4000

Human-made chemicals have become woven into the chemistry of the ocean, a major new led by Jarmo-Charles Kalinski (above) study has found

Human-made chemicals embedded across global oceans, major study finds

A groundbreaking analysis of more than 2 300 seawater samples shows that industrial chemicals dominate ocean pollution signals, even far from land

Extreme heat is increasingly affecting cities, with new data showing that the burden is rising fastest for poorer, densely populated communities.
(Envato Elements)

Urban heat hits poorest areas hardest, new street data shows

A new global platform maps urban heat at street level, showing how exposure is rising and falling disproportionately on poorer communities, while giving cities tools to test cooling solutions

Superbugs are a big public health issue. So is climate change. Put the two together and the problem becomes even bigger. (Dylan Bush)
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Superbugs plus climate change equals double trouble. Here’s why

As the Earth becomes hotter, we’re seeing more floods and droughts. Flooding can make superbugs spread faster and further. And heat helps germs adapt faster

President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS)

Climate change an existential threat, Ramaphosa says

President calls for urgent action to move South Africa’s just energy transition from commitment to delivery at the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Presidential Climate Commission

Mineral and petroleum resources minister Gwede Mantashe. File Photo

‘King coal is back’, says Mantashe

The minister framed coal, not as a relic of the past, but as a critical driver of energy security, industrial activity and employment

Komati Power Station decommissioned after serving for 60 years. The shutdown took place on 31 October 2022. The power plant will be converted into a renewable generation site powered with 150MW of solar, 70MW of wind and 150MW of storage batteries.

UPDATED: Komati illustrates the human cost of South Africa’s energy transition

What should have been a model for climate action has become a cautionary tale of what happens when communities are excluded from decisions that reshape their lives

In Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the floods killed at least 38 people. The Kruger National Park was forced to close. (SANParks)

Climate change and La Niña drove deadly southern Africa floods, analysis finds

The intensity of heavy downpours has increased by 40% since pre-industrial times, with some areas receiving more than a year’s rain in just days

The backstreets of Koudougou after rain. Photo: Sean Christie

Heavy weather and the mind of the West African farmer

A growing body of evidence suggests that unpredictable weather linked to climate change has the potential to injure people’s minds, leading to an increase in the development of common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety

In many regions, human–water systems are already in a post-crisis state of failure. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

World enters era of ‘global water bankruptcy’, UN report warns

Traditional talk of a water crisis and water stress no longer reflects the current reality

US President Donald Trump (Flickr)

Climate leaders condemn US withdrawal from UN frameworks

The US is set to exit the UN climate treaty and key global science institutions under a Trump directive, a move critics say will isolate the country and deepen climate and biodiversity risks

Developing cities like Cape Town are at great risk of climate risk, they need to plan smart

How cities in developing regions can build climate resilience

Developing cities like Cape Town are at great risk of climate risk, they need to plan smart

The handover of the G20 presidency to the United States will occur on Tuesday at the Department of International Relations offices. (GCIS)

G20 presidency handover to the US set for Tuesday, Dirco director general Zane Dangor says

Dangor said the US argument that if one G20 member was absent from the leaders summit, then there could be no consensus, had been voted down

WTO director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and President Cyril Ramaphosa. (X)

‘World not doing tit for tat with US,’ WTO head says at G20 summit

Director general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said South Africa’s G20 presidency highlighted the importance of trade within WTO rules and reforming the system through local mineral beneficiation

The G20 leaders summit was held in South Africa last week. (GCIS)

‘G20 declaration future-proofed, despite US non-participation’, says South Africa’s presidency

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said countries understood ‘that there’s a bilateral issue between South Africa and the US, but that must not, in any shape or form, undermine or imperil the work of the G20’

Kumi Naidoo, a leading voice for climate justice advocating for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and fair finance, has been calling for governments to act on the ‘moral failure’ of continued fossil fuel expansion (Photo supplied)

South African climate activist makes a desperate plea for urgent action, kneeling in a protest

Kumi Naidoo, a leading voice for climate justice advocating for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty and fair finance, has been calling for governments to act on the ‘moral failure’ of continued fossil fuel expansion

Emissions are still climbing. In 2024, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 2.3%, reaching 57.7 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent — a faster rate of growth than in 2023 and more than four times the annual average of the 2010s.

Off target: Unep warns that the world is still falling short of the Paris climate goals

A decade after the Paris Agreement united countries behind the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C, the latest Emissions Gap report from the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) delivers a sobering message: global efforts remain off target.  Despite new pledges and some policy progress, the world is still heading toward dangerous levels […]