This African Nation Has Named Its First Chief Heat Officer. Here's What It Means
Eugenia Kargbo has been appointed as Africa's first chief heat officer in Sierra Leone, to shield her city from the dangerous effects of climate change. Miami and Athens have already appointed heat officers: Jane Gilbert and Eleni Myrivili.
Kargbo wants her two children to be able to walk the city streets without fear of heatstroke. In this role, she has one year to make a difference to peoples' lives in her city.
Coastal Deforestation Fuels More Frequent Storms In West Africa, Study Warns
Storms are hitting the densely populated coastal pocket of West Africa twice as frequently as 30 years ago, a new study says. Declining forest cover is fueling this increased storm frequency in the coastal regions of southern West Africa. With the loss of forests, the daytime temperature difference between land and sea is widening, generating stronger winds and feeding convective storms.
Rediscovered’ Coffee Could Boost Farmers’ Livelihoods
Scientists have rediscovered rare wild coffee species in West Africa with tolerance to high temperatures and fine taste, potentially setting the region on course to staging a comeback in the global coffee industry, a study says.
The rediscovery of ‘lost’ Coffea stenophylla in Sierra Leone after years of searching, the scientists say, could be a game changer in an industry currently dominated by Coffee arabica species, which faces threats from climate change. C. arabica is popular because of its superior taste but, not only does C. stenophylla has an equivalent taste, it can also grow in harsher temperatures.