africa

Africa Has a Troubling Shortage of Ventilators, Masks and Soap

Africa Has a Troubling Shortage of Ventilators, Masks and Soap

The glaring lack of adequate medical resources is becoming increasingly pronounced as developing nations try to prepare for a COVID-19 outbreak. In Africa, for example, there are fewer than 2,000 working ventilators in public hospitals across 41 African countries, the World Health Organization says, compared with more than 170,000 in the U.S., as The New […]

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    Worst Locust Swarm to Hit East Africa in Decades Linked to Climate Crisis

    Worst Locust Swarm to Hit East Africa in Decades Linked to Climate Crisis

    East Africa is facing its worst locust infestation in decades, and the climate crisis is partly to blame. The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said that Ethiopia and Somalia had not seen a swarm this bad in 25 years, while Kenya was facing its largest infestation in 70 years, BBC News reported. “Vulnerable families […]

    ‘Heartbreaking’ Vulture Poisoning in South Africa Raises Alarm

    ‘Heartbreaking’ Vulture Poisoning in South Africa Raises Alarm

    By Fred Kockott Another mass vulture poisoning incident has ended the year on a sour note for Wildlife ACT rangers in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal. Soon after releasing two rehabilitated vultures, rescued from a different poisoning scene earlier this year, WildLife ACT was alerted to another incident on Dec. 23, on Rolling Valley […]

    African Wetlands a Major Source of Methane Emissions, Study Finds

    African Wetlands a Major Source of Methane Emissions, Study Finds

    Methane emissions are a far more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide – about 28 times more powerful. And they have been rising steadily since 2007. Now, a new study has pinpointed the African tropics as a hot spot responsible for one-third of the global methane surge, as Newsweek reported. Satellite data captured a large […]

    Biggest Ever Seaweed Bloom Stretches From Gulf of Mexico to Africa

    Biggest Ever Seaweed Bloom Stretches From Gulf of Mexico to Africa

    By Nik Martin A vast expanse of brown seaweed stretching across the Atlantic is a threat to tourism but a boon to marine life, U.S. researchers have said. A report by the University of South Florida, published on Thursday, showed satellite images of the biggest ever bloom of the sargassum seaweed, which last year extended […]

    Just One Elephant Remains in the Knysna Forest

    Just One Elephant Remains in the Knysna Forest

    A sobering 15-month study on the declining population of the southernmost herd of African elephants has determined only one elephant, a mature female, is free-roaming in the Knysna forest in South Africa. The analysis—titled And Then There Was One—was recently published in the African Journal of Wildlife Research. Research conducted by SANParks scientists has confirmed […]