News
Scifest Africa has taken part of its event to the township, making it easier for the local township learners to experience the laws and nature of science.
Since Scifest kicked off on Tuesday 2 March, about 300 learners from different schools in Jozana, have poured through doors at the local indoor sports centre to participate in the exciting event. This while the main festival is taking place about 4.5km away in Grahamstown.
The fourth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES - 4) was held on 22-26 February 2016 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The aim of IPBES 4 was to consider and adopt full reports and approve summaries for policy makers of the Platform’s first full assessments on: pollination and pollinators associated with food production; and a methodological assessment of scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
The CSIR has partnered with local and international institutions to co-host the 6th International Conference on Sustainability Science (ICSS) on 2 – 3 March 2016 at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies. This annual meeting of sustainability experts across the globe will seek answers to the question: How can sustainability science help tackle some of the pressing sustainability challenges that Africa is facing?
Operation Phakisa, a South African Government initiative, was designed to fast track the implementation of solutions on critical development issues. The first implementation phase of this initiative, which is led by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), focuses on unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans.
Eastern Cape-based Adventure Power has been making strides in the local and international wind energy market. The company is the only local manufacturer of medium-sized wind turbines in South Africa and was recently the recipient of a Firm Technology Assistance Package from the Technology Localisation Implementation Unit (TLIU). The TLIU is a Department of Science and Technology initiative, hosted by the CSIR.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Botswana Institute for Technology Research and Innovation (BITRI) have signed an agreement which will see the two entities working together on dynamic spectrum access research.
Spectrum refers to the airwaves over which all wireless communication devices communicate.
The CSIR's state-of-the-art earth observation technologies reveal the extent and severity of the current drought in six of the nine provinces, showing the Free State and North West provinces as the most affected.
On Tuesday, 2 February 2016, the global community celebrated World Wetlands Day under the theme, Wetlands for our future: Sustainable Livelihoods. In South Africa, wetlands are of strategic concern and are important in various sectors such as the environmental sector, planning sector and water sector to mention a few. Thus, the CSIR is committed to conducting multidisciplinary research aimed at protecting, enhancing and rehabilitating wetlands in South Africa.
Climate change poses a serious threat to human development and prosperity, with potentially wide-ranging implications for water, food and energy security, just to name a few. Some of the climate change-related threats are prevalent in many parts of the world, including South Africa, where cases of severe wave storms and erosion have been reported over the years, with the current drought being the most significant threat to the country as a result of climate change.