Clearing alien trees from mountain catchments is a more cost-effective approach to providing water than building and maintaining desalination plants.
Articles on Cape Town drought
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Clearing alien trees before the drought hit could have reduced the impact of climate change on water supply during the ‘Day Zero’ drought.
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Academic research can have a direct impact on people's lives. It's crucial to come together to deal with problems like climate change. If we don't, the poor and vulnerable will suffer the most.
Artificially dimming the sun, by injecting reflective particles into the upper atmosphere, could reduce the risk of Day Zero level droughts in Cape Town by more than 90% in the future.
Cape Town’s new climate strategy is a good start. But it falls short when it comes to nature.
Regional tourism took a huge knock from the Day Zero experience in Cape Town, South Africa. Here are the lessons learnt.
Examining old vegetation sediments to learn about shifting weather patterns and climate change.
The real crisis with water supply is that South Africa doesn’t know what it doesn’t know.
South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation has plans in place to ensure adequate water supply until 2040 and beyond.
Cities need to pay attention to how extreme weather events effect their resources.
If the pattern of drought continues in South Africa it’s likely to affect the country’s financial standing too.
Cape Town’s draft strategy on water supply is out for comment, but important elements are missing from it.
Water supply systems weren’t designed to deal with altering weather patterns brought about by climate change. This needs to change.
Faced with a drought, it’s tempting for cities to reduce the amount of space that needs water. But this is not a good idea.
Cape Town faced down “Day Zero” earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean its water system is resilient. Other cities should also take note.
Bangalore’s forgotten water wells are being revived, to help the city overcome centuries-old supply issues.
In South Africa, Cape Town fears “Day Zero”, when the city will have to ration water drastically. The phenomenon threatens other cities as well but solutions exist.
Small solutions done properly can play a huge role in dealing with water scarcity.
The drought in Cape Town has taught the city some valuable lessons.
In many Mexican cities, water is treated as a political bargaining chip – a favor that public officials can trade for votes, bribes or power.
Top contributors
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Global Change Institute, University of the Witwatersrand
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Research Chair, African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town
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Senior Scholar in Environmental & Geographical Science, University of Cape Town
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Visiting Adjunct Professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior Researcher in Hydro-Climatology, University of Cape Town
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Senior Researcher, Agricultural Research Council
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Director of African Climate and Development Initiative, Professor in Environmental and Geographical Science, University of Cape Town
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Distinguished Professor of Conservation Ecology, Stellenbosch University
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Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Cape Town
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Doctor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia
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Visiting professor, University of Saskatchewan
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Senior Researcher, University of Cape Town
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Senior research scientist, Stellenbosch University
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Associate Professor, IRES, Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, University of British Columbia
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Newton International Fellow, University of Sheffield