The central message is straightforward: repeated extreme-weather losses are changing how insurers and reinsurers assess the Garden Route.
When climate risk becomes an insurance risk on the Garden Route
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Climate Crisis Insights
Climate induced collapse – a timeline
Earlier this month the Western Cape Government announced that the initial storm damage assesment following the recent extreme weather events had reached a staggering R9 billion, R1 billion of which was in the Garden Route District Municipality
Western Cape Storms: The urgent need for climate adaptation
Fallen trees damaged buildings at Beaumont Primary School in Somerset West. (Photo Credit) Since Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Western Cape has been battered by a series of devastating storms, leaving a trail of destruction and human suffering. The impacts have been severe and widespread: Loss of Life...
The opportunity to avoid increased climate chaos is still there – barely
UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2025 The chart above is a clear snapshot of where things stand. Under current policies, the chance of keeping warming below 2°C is very low. Even if countries follow through on existing commitments, the probability only improves to somewhere between about a quarter and a...
What an AMOC collapse could mean for South Africa and the Western Cape
A new study in Communications Earth & Environment looks at what would happen if one of the planet’s major ocean circulation systems shuts down. The system is called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC. It moves heat and carbon through the oceans and plays a central role in...
Nights are warming faster than days – a South African example
One of the more consistent findings in climate science is that temperatures are not rising evenly through the day. Night-time temperatures are increasing faster than daytime temperatures. This pattern has been observed globally for decades and is well supported by both measurements and climate...
Sunny-day flooding an early warning signal
We have all seen Waterfront Drive look like this during some high tides. These events often happen when the high tide approaches about 2 metres, especially if a small storm surge is present. It’s easy to dismiss them as an inconvenience caused by an unusually high tide. But in reality, these...
Living Well – Adaptation at 34° South
In the first article, we looked at why regions around 34° South have become less predictable. In the second, we explored why planning systems built for stability now struggle. This final piece is about something more personal. If an unstable climate is becoming normal, how do people live well...
When does a dry spell become a “Day Zero” risk?
This post will be Knysna specific to illustrate how water stress should be thought about. The town and its surrounds has just experienced its lowest annual rainfall in the 1979–2025 record. That is a serious data point. But a single record low year does not automatically mean that rainfall is...
The precautionary principle – why waiting is the real risk
Most of us were taught to act when there is proof of danger. But in complex systems, like the climate system, or when dealing with fire risk, or water supply, waiting for proof can mean acting too late. That is where the precautionary principle comes in. It says that: If something could cause...