Articles
Award-winning plastic pollution research
PhD candidate Takunda Chitaka has been investigating exactly what is being washed up on Cape Town’s beaches, from straws and sweet wrappers to bottle lids and cotton bud sticks.
Sustainability and the straw
Food Focus caught up with KFC following the news of their commitment to eliminating plastic straws in their 900 restaurants. We wanted to find out more about their sustainability efforts.
Sending surplus food to charity is not the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Giving food that would otherwise go to landfill to hungry people does little to ensure the well-being of Canadians who are food insecure.
WHO says climate change could have considerable food safety impact
Climate change is likely to have considerable impact on food safety, placing public health at risk, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Climate change could make food less safe
As the planet warms, governments must pay more attention to food safety, and address the issue in their action plans to tackle climate change, officials and researchers say.
In 100 years’ time, maybe our food won’t be grown in soil
It takes a lot to make a room of soil scientists gasp. Last month, I presented at the National Soils Conference in Canberra, and asked 400 colleagues a simple question: do you think soil will play as significant a role in food production in 100 years as it does today?
Crisis proofing South Africa’s water security
South Africa is often referred to as the 30th driest country in the world, a claim that’s based on its average annual rainfall of 500mm compared to the world average of 860mm. National rainfall averages have a purpose…
Yes, eating meat affects the environment, but cows are not killing the climate
Removing animals from agriculture would lower national greenhouse gas emissions to a small degree, but it would also make it harder to meet nutritional requirements. Many critics of animal agriculture are quick to point out that if farmers raised only plants, they could produce more pounds of food and more calories per person. But humans also need many essential micro- and macronutrients for good health.
How changing the world’s food systems can help to protect the planet
Going into debt with nature is a dangerous thing. When our stocks of water, land and clean air are spent – we don’t have a second planet to borrow from. But that’s exactly the way that Earth is heading.
Does South Africa have a microplastics problem? Research says yes
The dangers of plastics, and more specifically microplastics, is increasingly grabbing the world’s attention. A growing body of research shows that plastics and microplastics in the marine environment are having a devastating effect on life in the sea.
Climate change, water and the spread of diseases: Connecting the dots differently
Half a century ago concerns about climate change, environment vulnerability, population density and the sustainability of earth systems reached a broad audience. This was clear from books like the Silent Spring published in 1962, and The Limits to Growth published 10 years later.
Plastic is killing our oceans: The issues, facts, and possible solutions
Approximately 40% of the world’s 7.6 billion people live within 62 miles (100km) of an ocean coast. For the other 60%, some of whom may never have even seen an ocean, the seas still play a vital role in their lives. Most importantly, the ocean is vital to the food chain.
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