Climate change in Africa News

[Nile Post] Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has urged Members of Parliament to use their legislative, budgeting, oversight and representation roles to help Uganda prevent climate-related disasters and build resilience.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Nairobi County has stepped up preparations for heavy rains, with county teams deployed across the Central Business District (CBD) to clear drainage systems and reduce the risk of flooding.

[This Day] Jonathan Eze

[Daily News] Dodoma -- THE Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Dr Leonard Akwilapo, has urged local authorities, institutions and the public to take immediate measures to prepare for possible impacts of El Niño rains, warning against waiting for floods to strike before taking action.

[263Chat] A severe hailstorm has caused extensive damage to homes, vehicles and other property in Masvingo Town and surrounding rural areas with residents describing the weather event as one of the worst to hit the area in years.

[UN News] Should the world move away sharply from fossil fuels, or manage a slower, more careful retreat?

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- The government has activated a comprehensive national response plan ahead of the expected onset of El Niño rains, placing key emergency agencies and relief resources on standby across the country.

[IPS] Suva, Fiji & Srinagar, India -- Extreme heat is increasingly threatening pregnant women and newborn babies around the world, with almost all maternal health professionals surveyed across five continents saying they have cared for women or infants whose health was affected by high temperatures.

[New Times] A total of 276 households have been relocated from an area prone to landslides in Bugarama in Rusizi District to safer accommodation as authorities implement measures to protect residents during the rainy season.

[Daily News] Dar es Salaam -- THE Minister of State in the Vice-President's Office (Union and Environment), Hamad Yussuf Masauni, has urged residents living in high-risk areas along the Msimbazi River to relocate to safer places, warning that their lives and property are at risk.

[Dabanga] Kass, South Darfur -- Heavy hailstorms have caused widespread damage to farms in the Daous area, north-west of Kass locality in Sudan's South Darfur, destroying at least 3,750 farms.

[UN News] Rotting food waste is causing up to 10 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions - five times more than the entire aviation sector, the UN's environment agency warned this week.

[RFI] Thousands of years ago, farmers in West Africa took a wild ancestor of rice and turned it into a crop of their own. But it was difficult to harvest and, over time, globally dominant Asian rice pushed it aside. Yet African rice survived in some of the region's harshest growing conditions, coping with drought, deep water, poor soil, pests and punishing heat. Now, researchers in China may have found a way to make its hard-won traits easier for breeders to harness.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Nairobi City County has entered the second day of Operation Okoa Maisha, a multi-agency emergency simulation exercise designed to test the city's preparedness and response to the expected El Niño rains.

[This Day] The authorities can still do more to minimise the impact of floods

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Nairobi has begun testing its emergency response system ahead of the October-December rains, with national and county agencies setting up a joint command centre at Charter Hall.

[Daily News] Zanzibar -- IN preparation for potential impacts associated with El Niño weather conditions, the Community Health Workers (CHWs) Coordination Unit, in collaboration with the Health Education Unit, has conducted public awareness campaigns on prevention and precautionary measures in Gulioni, Mfenesi Mazizi and Mayugwani Shehias.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has called for the establishment of a sustainable African financing mechanism for climate action, warning that the continent must back its climate commitments with domestic resources and stronger laws.

[IPS] Dar es Salaam, Tanzania -- While the 10th Copernicus Ocean State Report documents the ocean's transformation with increased heat, rising sea levels and its acidity - Zanibar's seaweed farmers feel its impact with every crop.

[New Era] Eight countries sharing the Zambezi River Basin have agreed on priority interventions to strengthen food security, livelihoods and ecosystems as preparations advance for a proposed US$130 million regional climate-resilience programme.