by pennyurquhart | Mar 11, 2026 | Africa, climate change, extreme events, Uncategorized
It feels like I am sitting in a marble cake of swirling temperatures. As the wind swings from landward to seaward and back again, I have the curious experience of having a front that is cooled while my back warms up – like a lizard swaying through moist grass on a...
by pennyurquhart | Nov 15, 2021 | climate change, climate justice, COP 26
COP26 banners at Glasgow Central train station. Copyright: Penny Urquhart I am truly glad that the Glasgow Climate Pact mentions the need to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. And I despair that this is the first time, in 27 years, that a final COP statement has...
by pennyurquhart | Aug 11, 2021 | climate change, extreme events, Uncategorized
It was a week like no other – so far – for the rich world. Astonishing scenes played out on 14th and 15th of July 2021 in western Europe, where raging waters inundated vast swathes of land as river after river in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and...
by pennyurquhart | Nov 13, 2020 | Africa, climate change, climate conversations, food security and climate change
Chef Pierre Thiam. Photograph provided by Pierre Thiam. “Fonio never embarrasses the cook.” Pierre Thiam, world-renowned Senegalese chef and culinary ambassador, is cooking this ancient African grain from his “Covid kitchen” in Berkeley, while I and some 30-odd...
by pennyurquhart | Oct 20, 2020 | adaptation, climate change, climate change policy, climate conversations, climate governance, Uncategorized
I met up with Professor Guy Midgley on a sunny winter’s day in August 2018 – in his office at the University of Stellenbosch. Formerly at the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), he was instrumental in developing South Africa’s policy responses to...
by pennyurquhart | May 4, 2020 | climate change, extreme events, Uncategorized
One month away from the official start of the Atlantic 2020 hurricane season, experts at Colorado State University predict a bumper harvest of eight hurricanes between June and November. Four of these will become major Category 3 to 5 storms. Predictions are...
