News

Climate change experts at UCT have identified several priority areas South Africa must urgently focus on over the next 10 years to reduce the negative impacts of climate change – especially for society’s most vulnerable.

Petra Holden, Gina Ziervogel and Anele Songo Benya, and Leigh Stadler, explore how climate change affects South African women unevenly and why inequality matters in shaping these experiences.

Researchers from 9 countries gathered in Cape Town for a 2-day research symposium to share research findings, insights and emerging questions on assuring water resilience in African cities.

Two postdoctoral researchers and a PhD candidate from the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) recently took part in a dynamic, continent-wide learning experience.

African countries must urgently explore alternatives to adaptation finance, with social innovation increasingly emerging as a promising pathway to advance climate action outcomes.

Researchers from UCT’s ACDI and Energy Systems Research Group identified priorities to secure water, protect settlements and roads, support farmers, and safeguard lives and the economy, says Anna Taylor

ACDI delegates returned from COP30 in Belém, Brazil with powerful insights into a climate summit defined by both technical progress and the lived realities of climate change in the Amazon.

Researchers from the ACDI and the Energy Systems Research Group (ESRG) at the University of Cape Town have delivered the core scientific and economic evidence informing South Africa’s second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC2)

Britta Rennkamp examines South Africa's G20 presidency and the progress towards sustainable energy in Africa.

Professor Mark New has been awarded the Mathieu Rouault Medal by the South African Society for Atmospheric Sciences (SASAS) in recognition of his outstanding contributions to climate and atmospheric sciences in Africa.

Researchers from the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) will participate in Adaptation Futures 2025, one of the leading international conferences on climate adaptation.

Dr Romaric C Odoulami, a researcher with the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has been named among the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders.

ACDI convened a collaborative workshop to explore the development of a proposed Climate Action Innovation Lab (CAILab). The session, brought together a diverse group from Cape Town’s climate ecosystem to shape this emerging concept.

Dr Nicholas Simpson, co-Director of the Climate Risk Lab, played a key role in the Second Lead Author Meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Climate Change and Cities

Climate Risk Lab researchers contribute to continent-wide analysis of public perceptions of climate responsibility

In June 2025, Cape Town played host to a unique international gathering that brought together two seemingly distinct worlds: climate science and sport, convened by the Climate Risk Lab.

Climate Risk Lab researcher Luckson Zvobgo participated in the recent Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) discussions at the June Climate Meetings (SB 62nd Session) in Bonn.

ACDI participates in the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit on 5 June. This global 24-hour event brought together institutions from across the world to address the intersection of climate change and human rights.

ACDI-based research project, Heat Adaptation Benefits for Vulnerable groups In Africa (HABVIA), recently participated in the HeatNexus convening, highlighting its work on heat adaptation in vulnerable communitie

Three University of Cape Town (UCT) students, supported by the ALBATROSS Project, have made a significant impact at the 2024 SDG Summer School in Geneva and the subsequent SDG Olympiad in Paris.