Bopaki Phogole

South Africa’s largest state-owned electricity utility, Eskom, is planning a rollout of smart electricity meters to all its customers between 2025 and 2029. The rollout of the smart electricity meters is envisaged to enable consumers to better manage their electricity consumption and allow Eskom to remotely monitor and adjust the electricity supply in response to demand pressure. However, the rollout of smart energy technologies in South Africa has previously faced resistance from households, which undermined the effectiveness of sustainable household energy technologies. Against this backdrop, we investigate the predictors of households’ satisfaction with the smart electricity meter. We collected data from 93 households with existing smart electricity meters to identify factors that influence their satisfaction with smart electricity meters. Then, we fitted three binary logistic regression models, each testing the predictors of household satisfaction with smart electricity meters. Results show that households have higher odds of being satisfied with smart meters if they perceive them to be safe (OR = 8.666; 95% CI: 1.289 – 76.325), reliable (OR = 8.999; 95% CI: 1.421 – 70.745), and with fewer billing disputes (OR = 15.668; 95% CI: 2.670 – 155.22). Given the deeply entrenched rejection of innovative household energy technologies in South Africa, the characteristics and utility value of smart electricity meters may encourage household satisfaction and acceptance.

Insect herbivory plays a critical role in shaping plant growth, fitness, and population dynamics, yet its effects across African ecosystems remain poorly understood due to fragmented, methodologically diverse, and geographically biassed research. To address this gap, we conducted an integrated bibliometric and systematic review of peer-reviewed studies on insect herbivory and plant performance in Africa. Searches of Web of Science and Scopus identified 1642 records, of which 312 met relevance criteria and 157 satisfied quality thresholds, including clear herbivory metrics and robust experimental or observational designs. Bibliometric analyses revealed modest but increasing publication rates, with research concentrated in Southern and Eastern Africa and primarily focused on savannas and agroecosystems. Montane forests, wetlands, and arid ecosystems remain underrepresented. Most studies examined Lepidopteran leaf herbivory, while fewer than 15% addressed root, stem, or seed damage, and research collaborations were largely regional. Systematic synthesis showed that insect herbivory generally reduces seedling survival, height, and biomass, particularly at early life stages, although some species display tolerance or compensatory growth depending on environmental conditions and plant traits. Reported effect sizes were highly variable (Hedges’ g = 2.1–3.4), reflecting differences in ecological context, herbivore guilds, and study design. Few studies incorporated multiple life stages, trophic interactions, or climate gradients, limiting inference on long-term population and ecosystem responses. We emphasise the need for harmonised methodologies, trait-based and guild-specific approaches, long-term manipulative studies, and expanded research across underrepresented ecosystems to better inform conservation and restoration under environmental change.

Urban Heat Island (UHI) effects are increasingly acknowledged as a critical urban climate challenge with far-reaching consequences for human health and overall well-being. However, the conceptual structure, temporal evolution, and intellectual landscape of studies examining the relationships between UHI and human well-being remain fragmented, thereby constraining the development of integrated knowledge frameworks needed to guide future research, urban adaptation strategies, and evidence-based policy interventions. To this end, a total of 4857 studies were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases and screened following the PRISMA guidelines. These studies were then analyzed using Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. The results reveal a rapid and exponential growth in scientific output, particularly after 2010, with the output reaching its highest level in recent years. These outputs were shaped mostly in China and the United States with a well-established international collaboration network, while the Global South remain significantly underrepresented in scientific productions. We also found that studies are primarily structured around four dominant research clusters: urban heat island, thermal comfort, land surface temperature, and climate change. Furthermore, early studies predominantly focused on urban surface properties and built-environment characteristics, while recent research has increasingly shifted toward human health impacts, thermal stress, heat vulnerability, and well-being. Emerging research directions further highlight growing interest in nature-based solutions for mitigating UHI effects, alongside the application of advanced technologies such as machine learning and remote sensing for high-resolution urban climate assessment. Overall, our findings indicate a transition toward a more integrated urban climate–health–well-being research framework, while simultaneously revealing persistent geographical and conceptual gaps, particularly across the Global South. We therefore advocate for increased empirical research, stronger international collaboration, and context-specific urban adaptation strategies to better safeguard human well-being under intensifying urban heat conditions.

There is abundant evidence of the benefits of greenspaces to humans in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the mechanisms of these benefits remain elusive. Following a cross-sectional study design, we fill this gap by collecting relevant data on 1367 residents across South Africa for the period March to April 2023. Then, we fitted structural equation models to determine the link between greenspaces and COVID-19 health outcomes. We found that infection rates ( β =−0.172 ± 0.06; p = 0.002) and severity ( β =−0.393 ± 0.16; p = 0.013) are significantly lower among people who use greenspaces for physical activity, suggesting that the level of greenness exposure is an important pathway connecting greenness to human resilience. We also found that age ( β = −0.11 ± 0.05; p = 0.013), education level ( β = 0.1 ± 0.05; p = 0.039) and people’s perceptions of greenspaces ( β = 1.05 ± 0.09; p < 0.001) rather than greenspaces provision predict greenness exposure. Finally, we found that people with high income are more likely to be infected ( β = 1.07 ± 0.15; p < 0.001) and hospitalised ( β = 0.74 ± 0.35; p = 0.035) alongside people with comorbidity ( β = 1.51 ± 0.45; p < 0.001), whilst younger people ( β =−2.16 ± 0.62; p < 0.001) and people with higher education level ( β = 2.21 ± 0.51; p < 0.001) are more likely to be admitted to intensive care unit. Overall, our study identifies the pathways linking greenspaces to human resilience against COVID-19.

This study investigates the spatiotemporal trends of drought and its impact on child health in South Africa, focusing on low birth weight (LBW) and severe acute malnutrition in children under five. We collected data on child health indicators (LBW and malnutrition) and social determinants, including orphan status, child food poverty, proximity to clinics, water access, and sanitation access, from the Children’s Institute at the University of Cape Town. Environmental data, comprising the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), and maximum temperatures, were retrieved from MODIS, Global SPEI, and TerraClimate datasets, covering 2002 to 2022. We then fitted a series of linear regressions and combined them into a structural equation model to explore relationships between socio-environmental factors and child health outcomes. Results indicate that the Northern Cape, Western Cape, and Free State are highly vulnerable to agricultural drought, with NDVI showing a strong negative association with LBW and malnutrition. Orphan status emerged as a stronger predictor of malnutrition than drought. The impact of orphan status on malnutrition level is mediated by limited access to basic services such as water and sanitation. Proximity to clinics significantly influenced access to basic services, highlighting a double burden of healthcare and environmental deprivations. These findings expose the need for targeted interventions to enhance food security, water, and sanitation access, particularly for orphaned children, and to integrate drought mitigation into child health policies in South Africa.

Environmental crime is becoming a significant developmental and regulatory challenge, especially in developing regions. The increasing prevalence of wildlife theft, land and atmospheric pollution, and illegal mining, among others, has severe impacts on the economic and the sustainability of social and environmental ecosystems. Against this backdrop, this study aimed to analyse the spatial and temporal dynamics of environmental crime in South Africa to inform preventative and remedial actions. We collected time-series data from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) on the occurrence of environmental crime, classified into brown, green, and blue types, from 2017 to 2019. Our results show increasing trends in the occurrence of brown crimes, and a stable occurrence of green and blue crimes. Furthermore, the occurrence of environmental crimes is concentrated in the economic hubs of the country, such as the Gauteng and Western Cape provinces. It is envisaged that these results will aid the enhancement of environmental crime monitoring and law enforcement in the country.

Globally, issues related to desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD) are increasing, with a multitude of negative socioeconomic and ecological impacts reported. In particular, Africa is recognized as one of the regions that are most vulnerable to these negative impacts. In response, cross‐country collaborations to mitigate and build resiliency to DLDD are promoted, with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification playing a central role. However, the scope of the current research landscape of scientific knowledge on DLDD in South Africa is unknown or not well documented, hampering well‐informed policy development and actions. Through a thorough synthesis of over 970 research outputs on DLDD from 1928 to 2024, we found that the generation of existing knowledge is mostly led by two African universities with heavy collaborations with the northern hemisphere. We also revealed a recent but steadily increasing research interest in DLDD in South Africa, with relatively more interest in drought than land degradation and desertification, while policy and land restoration are glaringly neglected. These results have pertinent policy and programmatic relevance in South Africa, as they can be used to enhance the scope and relevance of DLDD research to adequately inform the design and implementation of interventions in the local and regional contexts. Thus, the mitigation and adaptation to the impacts of DLDD would be enhanced.

The COVID‐19 outbreak in 2020 resulted in rapidly rising infection rates with high associated mortality rates. In response, several epidemiological studies aimed to define ways in which the spread and severity of COVID‐19 can be curbed. As a result, there is a steady increase in the evidence linking greenspaces and COVID‐19 impact. However, the evidence of the benefits of greenspaces or greenness to human wellbeing in the context of COVID‐19 is fragmented and sometimes contradictory. This calls for a meta‐analysis of existing studies to clarify the matter. Here, we identified 621 studies across the world on the matter, which were then filtered down to 13 relevant studies for meta‐analysis, covering Africa, Asia, Europe, and the USA. These studies were meta‐analyzed, with the impacts of greenness on COVID‐19 infection rate quantified using regression estimates whereas impacts on mortality rates were measured using mortality rate ratios. We found evidence of significant negative correlations between greenness and both COVID‐19 infection and mortality rates. We further found that the impacts on COVID‐19 infection and related mortality are moderated by year of publication, greenness metrics, sample size, health and political covariates. This clarification has far‐reaching implications for policy development toward the establishment and management of green infrastructure for the benefit of human wellbeing.