A regulatory approach will place an unnecessary burden on bio-innovators. This will discourage local investment for in-house R&D, as well as projects in the public sector.
If South Africa wants to improve air quality and meet climate change goals, it needs to move away from coal.
Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images
To improve air quality, a combination of efforts is needed including reducing Eskom’s emissions, investing in cleaner sources of energy, and reducing emissions.
Accurate address data is vital for public services, including health monitoring.
TippaPatt/Shutterstock
Address data are maintained in silos at different government entities. There is limited coordination and adherence to international standards; good practice is lacking around information management.
By opening data, monitoring and reporting on air quality can be complemented by data from various sources to create more localised and relevant decision-support solutions.
Jako Nice, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The study of two hospitals was a first for researching the microbiology of the built environment in South Africa – a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding how to design healthier buildings.
The science to policy process that was developed to guide climate mitigation decisions can be applied to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, without having to be reinvented.
A fire rages through wetlands close to Cape Town in February 2017.
EPA/Nic Bothma
Christo Venter, University of Pretoria and Gary Hayes, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
South Africa needs to review its approach to rolling out Bus Rapid Transit systems as the current model is proving to be too expensive and unsustainable.
South Africa’s Karoo has shale gas and could be the location for fracking exploration.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
South Africa has been considering shale gas development in the Karoo region. The gas, will be expensive to explore and extract, will be used as part of the country’s energy mix.
Ocean gliders are being used to study the Agulhas Current. They bring enormous benefits.
SOCCO/SAMERC
Marjolaine Krug, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The Agulhas Current is important to South Africa for a variety of reasons. Studying how it impacts the coast has been difficult using traditional methods. But gliders are changing that.
Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa that has a serious air pollution problem.
Reuters
Africa has largely been ignored when it comes to official global air quality programmes. Yet low-income countries like many of those in Africa are particularly affected by air pollution.
South Africa’s oceans offer numerous economic opportunities, if ocean acidification is dealt with properly.
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Louis Celliers, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
South Africa has the opportunity to benefit from its ocean economy. But to do that, the country needs to put better policies in place to counter ocean acidification.
Health issues from extreme heat are a reality for many in Africa.
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Rebecca Garland, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Africa must find ways of dealing with extreme heatwaves or suffer a range of health problems, including fatalities.
Mountains overlooking the Hex river valley in the Western Cape, South Africa. The country has been experiencing inclement weather this summer.
EPA/Nic Bothma
Willem Landman, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
The upcoming El Niño event may see an even bigger drop in the water level of Lake Kariba. This will have terrible consequences for the people using the river.
Legislation in South Africa needs to be updated to accommodate the development in stem cell research and therapies.
Reuters
South Africa may have legislation broadly guiding stem cell research and treatment, but these laws must be updated and clarified for it to be effective.
Impact Area Manager for Inclusive Smart Settlements and Regions, CSIR and Visiting Professor at the School of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences, Wits University, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research