Staff Writer The UN Climate Crisis Coordinator predicts a high likelihood of a shift to La Niña by July-September, with a 69% chance, increasing to 85% by the year’s end. La Niña is a weather pattern opposite of El Niño. It’s characterised by cooler-than-usual ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean. La Niña is part…
Staff Writer The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has committed 20% of all its financing of energy projects towards promoting safe alternatives to cooking with charcoal, wood and biomass. Speaking at a landmark summit on Clean Cooking in Africa held in Paris, AfDB Group’s President Akinwumi Adesina, pledged US$2 billion over 10 years towards clean…
Staff Writer Africa’s solar potential presents multiple opportunities for investors seeking long-term, scalable financial prospects in renewable energy, experts say. Boasting 60% of the world’s best solar resources, the continent has been called to leverage its solar potential to drive sustainable solutions. Speaking at the Invest in African Energy 2024 forum, panelists explored strategies to…
Staff Writer UNICEF has launched a US$84.9 million aid appeal to fund its emergency response aimed at assisting children and women affected by the El Niño-induced drought in Zimbabwe. The agency said the funding will provide life-saving interventions to 1.34 million people, including 866,000 children, amidst a complex humanitarian crisis exacerbated by water and food…
Staff Writer The Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa) has warned that the country faces a water security crisis as reservoirs and water bodies dry up due to the ongoing drought. The authority, that manages water resources in the country, said the number of towns, growth points and rural service centres whose raw water sources held…
Staff Writer The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has sounded the alarm on Zimbabwe’s declining water resources, warning that this could devastate households’ ability to earn a living. As the rainy season concludes, FEWS NET raised concerns over water availability and access challenges, especially in typical semi-arid areas. Over 80 percent of the…
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) says Zimbabwe will likely record significant maize imports due to a drop in production attributed to an El Nino induced drought. The southern African nation has seen production prospects for the 2023/24 maize crop taking a sharp downturn since the beginning of the year due…
Staff Writer The African Development Bank (AfDB) says Africa will need US$277 billion per year to address climate change, yet it receives only US$30 billion annually. Africa is responsible for only a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions but is suffering disproportionately from climate change. The World Meteorological Organisation says this is harming food security,…
Staff Writer Kenyan President William Ruto has called on the international community to respond to the declaration made by Zimbabwe on the state of disaster caused by the El Nino-induced drought. Zimbabwe declared a state of disaster earlier this month, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa highlighting that the southern African nation requires more than US$2 billion…
Staff Writer The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the current drought in southern Africa will put pressure on external balances and public spending. From January 2024, several parts of Southern Africa experienced significantly below-average rainfall. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mozambique and Botswana received less than 20 percent of the typical rainfall expected for February, with devastating…
