A forest of power pylons outside the port of Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal. Questions are emerging on whether sufficient electricity will be available to power and to cool down digital data centres. (Image: Tony Carnie) By Tony Carnie – 10 Feb 2026 Data centres have a gargantuan appetite for electrical power. But many also consume large…
What is Table Mountain? A story of Deep Time
Cape Town’s beloved and world-famous Table Mountain in all its majestic beauty. (Photo: Supplied) By Don Pinnock – 23 February 2026 Geologist John Compton invites us to see the mountain not as a postcard peak, but as an ancient, ongoing process that can recalibrate how we think about time. He also wants Capetonians who live…
Fascism shattered Europe a century ago — and historians hear echoes today in the U.S.
Photo left by John Partipilo/ Tennessee Lookout ©2024; photo right by Fotoarchiv für Zeitgeschichte/Archiv, 1935, via AP. Illustration by Neil Freese After the mass death and destruction of World War I, with their economies shredded by inflation and unemployment, Italy and Germany turned from democracy to dictatorships. UC Berkeley scholars see troubling parallels in contemporary…
Geothermal – a constant, clean power source deep within the Earth – could replace almost half of the EU’s fossil fuel power [Grist]
![Geothermal – a constant, clean power source deep within the Earth – could replace almost half of the EU’s fossil fuel power [Grist]](https://obs.org.za/cms/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/13fc16d3-d20f-25b2-b3f1-4fa9767b1ac0-1024x768.png)
Photo by Joey Clover on Unsplash From Grist.org: If you’ve ever been to a hot spring or geyser or volcano, you’ve seen the future of energy. Earth’s innards are hot — really hot — and that heat sometimes bubbles to the surface. If engineers dig holes in these geologically active places, then pipe water…
BAN PLASTIC BAGS
Hallelujah. Greenpeace has joined the #breakfreefromplastic movement. Not against just the plastic bag, but against ALL single-use plastics pushed out by our South African supermarkets. Why? Because we’re getting bloody poisoned, that’s why 😡 PLEASE sign the petition (it’s a start 😬) and share 🙏🏼 >> https://act.gp/4qwMeFg
Slow violence against children: The invisible toll of chronic pesticide exposure
Mourners at the funeral service in Naledi, Soweto, on 13 October 2024 for children who died after after ingesting a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide. (Photo: Gallo Images / Sharon Seretlo) By Paola Gabriela Viglietti – 22 Feb 2026 Chronic pesticide exposure is a ‘silent pandemic’ of neurodevelopmental harm in South Africa. The current regulatory system,…
Proposed new stops in Observatory and Cape Town CBD
New MyCiTi bus stops are proposed to extend the 102 route to connect with the Riverlands development in Observatory via Albert Road and Malta Road. A new MyCiTi bus stop is also proposed on Christiaan Barnard Street close to the intersection of Louis Gradner Street in the CBD. This follows an assessment of various public…
Invasive weed watch on the Liesbeek: Lythrum salicaria
During summer months the Friends of the Liesbeek actively clears invasive lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) along the riverbanks. This fast spreading plant invades wetlands and stream banks and can quickly crowd out indigenous vegetation, sometimes forming near-monocultures. Lythrum salicaria is listed as a Category 1a invasive under NEMBA, meaning it’s a targeted species that requires…
