Award for climate change biologist
Nearly 1 million species face extinction. The award to Dr Shannon Conradie by the Jennifer Ward Oppenheimer Research Grant boosts interventions.
Witsies appointed to the Presidential Economic Advisory Council
Two Wits academics and several alumni are among the economic thought leaders appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Will the COP29 climate talks tackle injustice?
Developing nations are least responsible for climate change but cop it worst. Who is responsible for climate change?
Climate change: women’s role in the economy is key to a just transition
Evidence suggests that a low-carbon transition could worsen gender inequalities if not properly addressed in climate policy.
One community at a time, says Miss Earth SA Runner-Up
“I choose to be an ear and eye for the environment, educating my peers and working together to find solutions,” says eco-warrior and third-year student.
Who cares? Climate crises and care crisis are worsening
The concept of care can serve as a powerful focal point for understanding the climate challenge and for policies toward a sustainable and equitable future.
Caring for trees and the future
The Services Department commemorated Arbor Day with a special initiative emphasising continuity and sustainability.
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Imagining a pathway out of climate doom
To attune to the planet will take the power of stories, the power of people and returning to old wisdoms
Climate change: how capitalism and colonialism fit in
Amitav Ghosh has used his storytelling prowess to outline the historical and political roots of climate change within systems of power and oppression.
Four urgent reasons to tackle inequality in South Africa
Inequality is bad for politics, the economy, society and climate change, and South Africa has a huge gap between rich and poor.
Sappi Chair marks a milestone year of climate action
The Wits research team is spearheading sustainability efforts to bolster climate resilience in the forestry industry.
Social grants: A hand up, not a hand-out
The child support grant and proposed pregnancy grant give children a healthier start in life and make democratic and economic sense.
What environmental equality in Africa really looks like
As countries move to adopt green technologies to fight climate change, the Global South is left at a disadvantage in this new revolution.
A better Africa needs interdisciplinary research
Emerging Mastercard Foundation WESAF Fellows urged to bridge the knowledge deficit in climate change research and move beyond the hard sciences.
Africa is no longer the carbon sink of the world
In only nine years between 2010 and 2019, Africa has turned from being a net carbon sink, to being a net carbon source.
Students commit to sustainability projects
Members of the Green Campus Initiative, located within Wits residences, are determined to create a sustainable campus, working alongside their peers
Rooftop projects boost clean energy
There are 14 solar installations across Wits to promote environmental and financial sustainability. This is in addition to the hybrid hot water system.
Solar benches facilitate outdoor learning
Benches hardly spark conversations but the new benches on campus are hitting the right notes with students.
The ‘Sociology Madala’ who shaped the way we think
Eddie Webster was the ultimate socially engaged academic who played a key role in the labour movement.
There’s hope for the future
Dr Jane Goodall is positive that we will overcome challenges such as climate change and biodiversity devastation.
Climate change and me
First-year student at Wits says climate change and its impact on our world are more than just distant concepts—they're personal.
Microplastics found in Nile River’s tilapia fish
The Nile, one of the world’s most famous rivers, is not immune to the same pollutants that affects rivers all over the world.
Mission impossible? Not for these postdocs
8 Postdoc Fellows join Wits to boost research on the intersecting themes of climate change, just transition, sustainability, and inequality.
Water and sanitation problem-solvers win
Wits students among top teams at the Sustainathon 2023, bringing home great prizes.
More COP input needed from Global South universities to draw attention to region’s needs
The lack of academic representation from climate justice conferences such as COP28 by Global South universities is worrying
Pivotal moment for humanity as tipping point threats accelerate
Wits professor at COP28 says that business as usual is no longer possible
Top 10 Climate Science Insights Unveiled
Global experts in social and natural sciences unveiled the annual 10 New Insights in Climate Science Report.
Insights from SA's renewables procurement
There are many unknowns about how societies will manage the climate transition. And the associated energy transition from fossil fuel-based to renewable energy.
The road to COP28 — key debates and expectations for South Africa
Discussions and negotiations on climate change will take place at COP28 after another year of record-breaking climate events and extreme weather changes.
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New trees for a sustainable and healthy campus
The addition of fruit trees promotes food security and reminds Witsies about the critical role that trees play in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Green thinking is needed to save beaches
Coastlines need to be recognised as dynamic, shifting environments rather than as environments that need to be controlled and managed.
UN body proposes new social contract
A new eco-social contract is necessary to create a sustainable and just future, responsive to multiple and intersecting crises.
Wits GCI co-leads pioneering initiative to fight the impact of tropical cyclones
The new R110 million project aims to improve early warnings and enhance resilience to changing tropical cyclones in southern Africa and Madagascar.
Climate change journalism in SA misses the mark
The kind of coverage favoured by South African media probably doesn’t do much to improve the public’s understanding of climate change.
Wits and Sappi launch new Sappi Chair in Climate Change and Plantation Sustainability
Through the Research Chair Professor Mary Scholes will identify critical research needs and develop research outputs related to climate change.
Africa is getting hotter
Continued extreme heat exposure is affecting the health of vulnerable groups in communities.
Column: Ensuring a just energy transition is complex
Focusing on the dynamics in the electricity sector, Professor Imraan Valodia outlines the challenges South Africa is facing and what can be done.
Wits rolls out Save Our Resources campaign
Engagement with staff on climate change and its implications is crucial to creating a more sustainable campus collectively.
No time for business as usual
Central banks find themselves at a crossroads of holding to old mandates but having to face up to new world challenges.
Climate change a time for Africa to roar back
The battle for power and profits is on as the world moves towards the green agenda.
Climate change solutions must incorporate development and equality
Energy, water and food security must be prioritised, as global warming puts millions of vulnerable people, particularly in developing countries, at grave risk.
Creating a thriving and regenerative environmental ecosystem at Wits
Wits University is committed to imagine how waste, including food waste, can be better utilised in service of people and the planet.
Informal settlements could drive solar revolution
Solar would provide their dwellings with power, but also a source of revenue if power is sold back to the grid.
Heat stress is rising in southern Africa
Southern Africans are experiencing heat stress more often than in 1979. Climate experts show where and when it’s the worst.
Climate change can be beaten – why some scientists are hopeful
Can our planet recover from climate change? Commissioning Editor, Kofoworola Belo-Osagie, asked scientists to share the reasons they believe there is hope.
How we treat animals is key to human health, just look at 网易体育
‘Scientivist’ says planetary health must be foremost on all agendas because the ill-treatment of animals and delicate ecosystems plays havoc with human health.
We are in ‘an abusive relationship’ with nature
Earth became our servant, and we need it to be our family, says Research Professor Matthew Chersich in delivering his inaugural lecture.
How we can sustain all life forms
Repairing Earth as a whole, together, is a precondition for human durability.
COP27 explained: why should we care
It's that time of the year again when the world gathers to negotiate international climate change agreements.
Coke and dagger — Coca-Cola named sponsor for COP27
The beverage company has a questionable record not only when it comes to planetary health — its record on human health is abysmal.
World’s leading thinkers debate inequality
"We can improve the quality of life if we focus on what works – education, strong institutions, robust legal, social and fiscal systems." - Piketty
Longest daily weather record for the South digitised
A project examining the Dutch East India Company’s day registers reveals unique information on the Cape’s past climate.