Photos: Citizen scientists capture the impact of climate change on southern Africa’s landscape
Old photos hold the secrets to the climate change gripping southern Africa, and could hint at what the future holds.
Scientists expect Africa to be hardest hit by climate change: its dependence on agriculture, hot temperatures, and poor infrastructure mean its citizens are likely to feel the pressure of a changing climate more than most others. But there are big gaps in our knowledge of how ecosystems and microclimates work.
“We don’t have an operating manual for the planet and we need one,” says Guy Midgley, a professor at Stellenbosch University who was part of the United Nations’ climate change panel. “It’s frustrating to see incomplete knowledge being implemented as policy.
Ben Freeman