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HOW LA’S WILDFIRES AND CLIMATE CHANGE COULD SET SOUTH AFRICA’S INSURANCE MARKET ABLAZE

The devastating wildfires that have swept through Los Angeles and other parts of California have highlighted the growing risks associated with climate change. These fires,…

Warning: People on the Greek island of Rhodes left fruit on scorched land to help animals survive after wildfires swept through the area this month. (Angelos Tzortzinis/Getty Images)

SA should prepare for hottest summer ever, climate experts warn

A study says extreme heat in North America, Europe and China in July were made more likely by human-driven climate change

ATHENS, GREECE – JULY 19: A fire erupted Tuesday on Mt. Penteli, in northern Athens, Greece according to fire department on July 19, 2022.The blaze, fanned by strong winds, moved quickly from burning low vegetation to wooded areas. (Photo by Dimitris Lampropoulos/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Hundreds evacuated as blaze engulfs Athens suburbs

The fire spread to the suburbs of Penteli, Anthousa and Gerakas, which is home to some 29 000 people

Young girls splash through a waterfall at a park in Washington, DC, on June 28, 2021, as a heatwave moves over much of the United StatesPhoto by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Searing Canadian heatwave unprecedented but five more extreme events went under the radar

Heatwaves need to be assessed in terms of local temperature variability because ‘a smaller absolute extreme may have more harmful effects’

Sinking feeling: The Roman ruins of Tipasa on the Algerian coast are a Unesco World Heritage Site and just one of 56 such sites under threat from climate change. (Michael Runkel/Robert Harding Premium/AFP)

Africa’s heritage sites under threat as sea levels rise

For the first time a study has identified 56 heritage sites on the continent’s coast that are exposed to a one-in-100 year coastal extreme event, flooding and erosion

Relief: A man uses fans spraying air mixed with water vapour to cool down in a street in Iraq’s capital Baghdad during June’s severe heat wave. Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

South Africa unprepared for intense heatwaves of the next 20 years

Garrith Jamieson and his paramedic colleagues were on high alert days before a scorching heatwave struck Durban earlier this month. With the mercury expected to soar to 40°C and…

Firefighters monitor a backfire they lit to stop the spread of the catastrophic Dixie fire in California, United States.  (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

Economic growth is destroying the planet

Ecosocialism will build solidarity with people to establish food and water commons, carbon-free public transport and community-owned renewable energy

(Paul Botes/M&G)

Climate change a ‘collective trauma of potentially epic proportions’ for South Africa

The effects of global warming are negatively affecting mental well-being and will only accelerate in the future, according to a new report

El Niño is expected to cause a loss of rainfall

No country, rich or poor, is immune from the health effects of climate change

A changing climate threatens to undermine the past 50 years of gains in public health

End despair: Artist Banksy’s 2019 tribute to the Extinction Rebellion, a movement that wants states to stop global warming, which causes extreme weather and disrupts ecosystems.  (Alberto Pezzali/NurPhoto)

Disaster preparedness can’t wait

But solutions can only be truly effective if funding and threat information reaches the local level

On June 6 the high court ordered that Santaco convene a conference to resolve the Western Cape taxi industry’s issues. (Nomfundo Xolo/GroundUp)

Extreme heat, wildfires and the cost of climate change

Environmental economics expert Sam Fankhauser discusses extreme weather events and says it will become ‘the new normal’

An antique car, part of a collection, lays in rubble in a devastated neighbourhood in Northern California where incontrollable wild fires have killed six people and destroyed hundreds of homes forcing thousands to evacuate (Gianrigo Marletta/M&G)

Death toll rises as tinder-dry conditions fuel deadly California fires

An army of firefighters from across the country struggled in California to control 17 large-scale blazes

There is little effort made to encourage men to report physical abuse to the police, says the writer (John McCann/M&G)

Scores dead as Greece wildfires blaze through villages

On Monday night, firefighters fought against the flames, which were fanned by winds of up to 100km per hour

The labour appeal court previously found in favour of the city that physical ability was an inherent requirement of the job and that all firefighters.

Hundreds evacuate as wildfire tears through LA countryside

A wildfire has raged in the countryside outside Los Angeles, forcing the closure of its coastal highway as hundreds of residents evacuated.

Choppers carrying water bombs circled the area on Tuesday.

Wildfires destroy parts of Western Cape’s wineland region

Runaway fires have savaged South Africa’s scenic winelands, stoked by "perfect conditions" of strong winds and hot weather.

Australia battles hundreds of wildfires in searing heatwave

Australian fire crews have been battling hundreds of wildfires and powerful, hot outback winds forcing hundreds to be evacuated out of their homes.

Wildfires sweep across Texas, charring 1 000 homes

Wildfires sweeping across Texas have destroyed more than 1 000 homes in the last several days as they move into more populated areas.

Deadly battle to defend Russian nuclear sites from wildfires

Deadly battle to defend Russian nuclear sites from wildfires

Russia fought a deadly battle on Tuesday to prevent wildfires from engulfing key nuclear sites.

Russia battles wildfires as death toll rises

Russia firefighters on Monday battled to prevent the worst summer wildfires in a generation from claiming more lives as 34 people were confirmed dead.

Wildfires rage in Cape

Wildfires continued to rage in the Southern Cape on Monday, with firefighters beating back flames at different blazes, authorities said.