Meet the chook of the yr
BirdLife South Africa has introduced the 2024 chook of the yr, and it is the endangered bateleur.
The chook of prey is also called the berghaan in Afrikaans, ingqungqulu in isiZulu and ingqanga in isiXhosa. According to BirdLife International’s knowledge on the species, it is considered globally endangered.
A 2020 classification by The International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2020 additionally labeled the chook as endangered, in its Red List of Threatened Species.
Among the explanations given is that its inhabitants has undergone “fast declines” throughout the previous three generations or 46 years. This is because of “deliberate and incidental” poisoning, pesticides, and nest or habitat disturbance.
BirdLife South Africa equally famous that the chook tends to scavenge, which places the species susceptible to indiscriminate poisonings, particularly by small-stock farmers. “Illegal harvesting of this species to be used within the muti commerce is one other recent pattern, which must be additional investigated,” BirdLife South Africa added.
Habitat transformation additionally negatively impacts the availability of prey for the bateleur, particularly outdoors protected areas.
“There is an estimated inhabitants discount of over 50% over the previous three generations (40 years), leaving a regional inhabitants dimension of fewer than 1 000 mature people,” BirdLife South Africa mentioned.
Andy Wassung of BirdLife South Africa famous the chook’s endangered standing however mentioned this isn’t the one issue thought of in deciding on the chook of the yr.
Among the opposite concerns is whether or not a broad vary of South Africans would recognise and have the ability to join with the species, whether or not it may very well be included into college studying materials, whether or not the organisation has hyperlinks to the species by means of its work or companions and if it has an related conservation story or want.
The bateleur is understood for its distinctive plumage – a mixture of black, white, and a vibrant red-orange on its face and legs, BirdLife South Africa mentioned. It is discovered within the bushveld of the Kruger National Park and equally so within the arid Kalahari.
An adult-female bateleur.
Supplied Melissa Whitecross, BirdLife South Africa
BirdLife South Africa runs the annual competitors to boost consciousness of the nation’s birds.
Previous winners embrace the African penguin (2007), the African fish eagle (2012), the blue crane (2015) and the secretary chook (2019).
Hotter temperatures worsen inequality in SA
Hotter temperatures linked to local weather change are worsening inequality in South Africa, a brand new examine exhibits.
The examine, revealed within the Environmental Research Letters journal this week, exhibits that in South Africa, the inequality hole widens when the temperature threshold of 15°C to 17°C is breached.
“The Gini coefficient in South Africa is predicted to extend by three to 6 factors, leading to a possible welfare lack of roughly 50% when mixed with the affect of warming on GDP,” the report learn.
Lead creator of the report, Shouro Dasgupta, an environmental economist on the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, mentioned that the report exhibits local weather change is “already affecting inequality in South Africa and globally.”
“Climate change not solely will increase inequality but additionally exacerbates many climate-induced societal impacts by means of elevated publicity and vulnerability,” Dasgupta added.
READ | Hotter temperatures worsen inequality in SA – examine
Shark obstacles made in SA for use within the Bahamas
Shark obstacles developed by marine biologists from Stellenbosch University and manufactured within the Western Cape are actually getting used on a non-public island within the Bahamas.
The obstacles – often known as the SharkProtected BarrierTM – mimic kelp forests and make use of a magnetic area to discourage sharks with out harming them or different giant marine species.
They’re a safer or eco-friendly possibility than nets, that are accountable for the deaths of 1000’s of sharks and different marine life a yr, mentioned Dr Sara Andreotti, extraordinary lecture at Stellenbosch University and founding director and chief operations officer of the SharkProtected Barrier.
The set up within the Bahamas is the primary business one for the corporate. It can be the “first step” in bringing the expertise again home (to South Africa) and changing the “detrimental shark nets with an eco-friendly different”, mentioned Andreotti.
READ | SEE | These magnetic SA-made shark obstacles are actually used within the Bahamas
University of Cape Town launches new local weather analysis centre
To deal with analysis gaps about local weather change impacts in Africa, a brand new centre was launched by the University of Cape Town this week.
The African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development is a place the place scientists, researchers, policymakers and civil society can be a part of fingers to create options for local weather change mitigation and adaption, mentioned director Dr Chris Trisos.
“The centre will concentrate on every part, together with the affect of local weather change on well being, biodiversity, agriculture (and the like). To put it merely, it is about local weather change and the way we reply to it,” mentioned Trisos.
This is the primary synthesis centre centered on local weather change in Africa and goals to concentrate on the continent’s challenges and options. According to the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change, knowledge access is more and more restricted on the continent. Africa only received 3.8% of the climate research funding globally between 1990 and 2019.
The centre will put the highlight on African priorities. “It challenges the notion that Africa is data-scarce. We are fairly data- and knowledge-rich [when it comes to climate change],” mentioned Trisos.
South Africa and different creating areas have change into more and more vulnerable to the affect of local weather change.
“Weather phenomena such because the floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the water drought in Cape Town had been worsened by the El Niño mixture,” mentioned Trisos.
Research initiatives on the centre will begin in 2024.- Na’ilah Ebrahim
Climate group bids farewell to Dr Saleemal Huq
Climate scientist and advocate for local weather justice and the loss and harm fund, Dr Saleemal Huq, has died.
It is with heavy hearts that we inform you concerning the passing away of our director, Prof. Saleemul Huq, on 29 October, 2023.His unmatched legacy will stay as a shining instance for years and generations to return. pic.twitter.com/C45D0Ky3tC
— ICCCAD (@ICCCAD) October 28, 2023
In its tribute, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) famous Huq’s work that centered on methods to adapt to local weather change and mitigate or reduce its results, particularly for least creating international locations. Huq was additionally a co-author of three of the IPCC’s evaluation experiences. The IPCC is the foremost physique on local weather science.
Huq was additionally “instrumental” to the groundbreaking settlement to ascertain a loss and harm fund on the local weather summit, COP27, held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, final yr. The fund envisions having wealthier nations present the finance that nations most vulnerable to the extreme impacts of local weather change require. The particulars of how the fund will work are to be decided at COP28, which kicks off within the UAE later this month.
“He revealed lots of of scientific in addition to in style articles and was recognised as one of many prime twenty world influencers on local weather change coverage in 2019,” the IPCC’s tribute of Huq learn.
Huq was the director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), primarily based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The centre is a research and capacity-building organisation centered on local weather change.
The 71-year-old was additionally a professor on the Independent University of Bangladesh and in 2022, was honored with the Order of the British Empire for his efforts to fight local weather change.
He was additionally recognised as one of the top 10 scientists in the world by the respected science journal Nature.
Schools shut as poisonous smog engulfs India’s capital
Schools had been shut throughout India’s capital on Friday as a noxious gray smog engulfed the megacity and made life a distress for its 30 million inhabitants.
Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, automobile exhaust and manufacturing unit emissions mix each winter to blanket New Delhi in a choking haze.
Delhi, one of many largest city areas on this planet, can be frequently ranked as one of many world’s most polluted cities. Levels of probably the most harmful PM2.5 particles – so tiny they will enter the bloodstream – had been on Friday almost 35 occasions the day by day most advisable by the World Health Organization, in response to monitoring agency IQAir.
New Delhi final month launched a “Green War Room” to fight air air pollution. It consists of 17 specialists monitoring big screens livestreaming air pollution hotspots, beaming in NASA satellite tv for pc imagery and updating air high quality index (AQI) sensors.
“As quickly because the AQI worsens, we alert our groups on the bottom they usually take motion instantly,” mentioned the battle room’s environmental engineer Anurag Pawar.
War room officers say they’re doing what they will – like monitoring experiences despatched by way of a “Green Delhi” telephone app, which permits residents to ship geolocated pictures of air pollution issues. – AFP
Climate funding adaptation hole increased than estimated
The funding hole for local weather adaptation is 50% increased than beforehand estimated, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) mentioned.
Developed international locations pledged in 2009 to supply $100 billion a yr in local weather finance to poorer nations, and mobilising funds will likely be a key speaking level in COP28 negotiations in Dubai on the finish of November. The $100 billion pledge, which has not been totally secured, was geared toward serving to poorer international locations not solely mitigate local weather change by reducing greenhouse gasoline emissions but additionally to adapt to rising temperatures and sea ranges.
Flows towards adaptation fell 15% in 2021. The 2017-2021 financing amounted to about $3 a person, and annual flows dropped 15% in 2021, defined Georgia Savvidou, a researcher at Chalmers University of Technology and a co-author of the UNEP report. “We really want formidable adaptation motion this decade, and if not, we’ll improve losses and harm,” she mentioned.
Every $1 billion spent on tackling coastal flooding, for instance, would assist keep away from $14 billion in financial harm, the UNEP mentioned.
UNEP estimated that creating international locations required $215-$387 billion per yr till 2030 to adapt to local weather impacts, with the determine set to rise considerably by 2050. – Reuters and AFP
Warm climate retains migratory cranes in Hungary longer
The plains of jap Hungary have seen a report variety of cranes staying over in unusually heat climate this autumn, with greater than 194 000 roosting within the shallow marshes at a time, with no inclination to go away for Africa.
Hungary’s Hortobagy National Park is likely one of the most essential staging areas globally for the widespread cranes, which cease over there on their flyway from northern Europe to Africa, to feed and collect energy earlier than the lengthy journey. This autumn their stopover doesn’t appear to finish, with an estimated over 163 000 cranes nonetheless roosting within the nationwide park over the previous weekend.
Attila Szilagyi, a nature safety guard on the park, mentioned this was attributable to heat temperatures of above 20 levels Celsius in October, and since there was loads of meals available this yr on close by corn fields, opposite to 2022 when a drought hit the area.
“The regular migration cycle of the cranes lasts from mid-September till end-October, early November. Now it is November already, and the cranes are right here in lots.” – Reuters
Comedian Nish Kumar interprets local weather science
A venture to speak local weather science in a means that’s extra accessible to folks from all walks of life has launched a brand new video. It options comic Nish Kumar, who interprets the science behind excessive climate, as informed by local weather scientist Dr Friederike Otto.
Watch it right here:
