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Ecocide: Neighbourhoods targeted in airstrikes reportedly carried out by US and Israeli fighter jets in March 2026. Photo: Behnam tofighi

When war poisons the earth

The conflict in Iran is causing severe environmental damage, from black rain and toxic smoke to threats to water, soil and climate, warn faith leaders and environmental experts

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
The findings of the Green Drop 2025 report, released alongside the latest Blue Drop and No Drop progress assessments, highlight mounting strain across the country’s water sector. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

SA is moving backwards with water, says WaterCAN

The latest Green Drop report shows how the country’s rivers are being “turned into sewage channels”

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read
“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

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
Freshwater ecosystems are rich but fragile. Of the new fish species discovered, many are critically endangered. Among the standout species is Yang’s plateau loach, a cavefish from China’s Yunnan Province whose expanded swim bladder chambers protrude visibly from its body, giving the impression of a built-in lifejacket.

From Congo to China: 309 freshwater fish species uncovered last year

Freshwater ecosystems are rich but fragile. Of the new fish species discovered, many are critically endangered

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read