22Jul2026

S20 in 2025 is hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
#S20SouthAfrica   #ASSAf_Official

22Jul2026

S20 in 2025 is hosted by the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)
#S20SouthAfrica   #ASSAf_Official

S20 South Africa

Earth’s healers
CLIMATE CHANGE
14 May 2025

Who Heals the Earth’s Healers? Ways to Avert Burnout for Environmental Advocates

Source: https://therevelator.org/burnout-environmental-advocates/

Caring about the environment can feel especially daunting these days. Even before our current political challenges, environmentalists faced long, drawn-out battles that take a toll on their mental health. With the continuous churn of anti-climate and environmental attacks, it’s no surprise that many people feel worn out, beaten, overwhelmed, helpless, and overpowered.

This is burnout, a very serious psychological state that you must attend to. It is not to be ignored.

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Deadly fungus
CLIMATE CHANGE
13 May 2025

Rising temperatures could spread deadly fungus, experts warn, and other health stories

Source: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/05/climate-change-spread-fungal-disease-and-other-health-stories/

Rising global temperatures will accelerate the spread of a fungus responsible for millions of infections and up to 2.5 million deaths globally each year, scientists warn.

The Aspergillus fumigatus species, in particular, could expand its range by 77% by 2100, reaching more northerly parts of Europe, Asia and the Americas, potentially exposing 9 million more people in Europe alone, new research projects.

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Climate Change Is Affecting the Economy
CLIMATE CHANGE
13 May 2025

Climate Change Is Affecting the Economy. But Proving So Is a Challenge

Source: https://www.cfr.org/article/climate-change-affecting-economy-proving-so-challenge

Several studies have attempted to model the effects of climate change on the economy, with varying results. But one fact remains certain: The costs of climate change will hit emerging markets and developing countries the hardest.

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Mental health downhill
CLIMATE CHANGE
12 May 2025

People’s mental health goes downhill after repeated climate disasters – it’s an issue of social equity

Source: https://insightplus.mja.com.au/2025/18/peoples-mental-health-goes-downhill-after-repeated-climate-disasters-its-an-issue-of-social-equity/

Across Australia, communities are grappling with climate disasters that are striking more frequently and with greater intensity. Bushfires, floods and cyclones are no longer one-off events. And this pattern is predicted to worsen due to climate change.

As it becomes more common to face climate disasters again and again, what does this mean for the mental health and wellbeing of people affected?

In a new study published today in the Lancet Public Health, we found experiencing repeated disasters leads to more severe and sustained effects on mental health compared to experiencing a single disaster.

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Soil health
CLIMATE CHANGE
12 May 2025

NM groups work to improve soil health, mitigate effects of changing climate

Source: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2025-05-12/climate-change/nm-groups-work-to-improve-soil-health-mitigate-effects-of-changing-climate/a96621-1

New Mexico’s decades-long drought combined with climate change have more farmers and ranchers embracing the six healthy soil principles, tailoring how each parcel of land is managed.

New Mexico’s farming practices date back at least 2,500 years but the state’s Healthy Soil Working Group said the arid climate and diverse ecology make a one-size-fits-all approach ineffective.

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Extreme weather Africa
CLIMATE CHANGE
11 May 2025

Extreme weather and climate change impacts hit Africa hard

Source: https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/extreme-weather-and-climate-change-impacts-hit-africa-hard?access-token=lFiZxtvNrlIhCKje2KKDuzcjXXq87MBRDs1Vslt1G2o

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia/Geneva – Extreme weather and climate change impacts are hitting every single aspect of socio-economic development in Africa and exacerbating hunger, insecurity and displacement, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) State of the Climate in Africa 2024 report.

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Grim Study
CLIMATE CHANGE
11 May 2025

Grim Study Details How Climate Change Will Affect Today’s Kids

Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/grim-study-details-climate-change-170000361.html

A stark new study published on May 7 in Nature laid bare the extreme climate crises that today’s children will face throughout their lives.

Researchers analyzed the increasing level of human exposure to extreme weather events such as crop failures, cyclones, droughts, floods, heatwaves, and wildfires. They determined that people born in 2020 are two to seven times more likely to witness “one-in-10,000-year events” throughout their lifetime than people born in 1960.

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Climate change-academia
CLIMATE CHANGE
6 May 2025

Is The Climate Change-Academia Relationship Changing Too Fast?

Source: https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/05/06/is-the-climate-change-academia-relationship-changing-too-fast/?informz=1&nbd=acde504d-0110-4842-abbd-f7da6aef164b&nbd_source=informz

Climate change is not something coming to us in ‘the future’, it is very much with us ‘now’. With this time dimension very much settled, the impacts of climate crisis also depend on where we are, in geographical terms, and who we are (e.g., our place within a social structure). That’s why the climate change reality of Nordic fishermen is quite different from that of women shrimp-fry collectors of Bangladesh’s coast. But, if academia is essentially (and potentially) a highly connected global community, does it have a unique, uniform relationship with climate change? In other words, does climate change affect academia irrespective of one’s discipline, geographical location, age, professional experience, and academic culture?

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Scientists touching blue earth and researching renewable energy with plant and icon ecology on blue background
CLIMATE CHANGE
24 April 2025

Nanoscience: powerful weapon against impacts of climate change

Source: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20250421150148889&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AFNL0492

Nanoscience and nanotechnology hold the future for Africa’s achievement of some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including health, clean water, food security, energy, and climate change, according to Professor Malik Maaza, a senior fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and the UNESCO-UNISA Africa chair in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

Presenting the first African Academy of Sciences (AAS) presidential lecture during a webinar on 27 March 2025, Maaza said Africa could overcome some of its pressing development challenges through emerging nanotechnology.

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Earth day
CLIMATE CHANGE
22 April 2025

Earth Day 2025: Expert Explains How Climate Change Is Fueling Global Health Risks

Source: https://www.onlymyhealth.com/how-is-climate-change-fueling-global-health-risks-12977829448

When we think of ‘climate change,’ we often picture melting glaciers or rising sea levels. But there’s an essential element that’s directly impacting our everyday lives: our health. Climate change isn’t only damaging the planet; it’s altering the way diseases spread across the globe. From infections spread by mosquitoes to respiratory conditions brought on by air pollution, the health threats are increasing. This Earth Day, it’s crucial to realise how the environment and our health are more intertwined than ever before.

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