Agri-food chains, especially fruit, produce about 10% of global GHG emissions, with more than half arising after harvest. Yet current methods, such as life cycle assessment (LCA), lack the spatial, temporal and physiological detail needed to resolve stage-specific drivers of environmental impact. We aim to overcome these limitations by developing a spatio-temporal, physics-based life cycle model that quantifies climate change (CC) and fossil resource use (RU,f) impacts for individual fruits and shipments across a transcontinental maritime supply chain. The proposed framework is demonstrated using a case study of the citrus supply chain connecting production in South Africa to consumption in the Netherlands. We show that variability among fruits and between shipments substantially alters CC and RU,f impact outcomes, demonstrating the need for dynamic rather than static supply-chain assessment. Energy use, maritime transport and food loss dominate impacts, with the farm-to-packhouse and overseas shipping stages contributing up to 0.5 kg CO₂-eq kg⁻¹ and 2 MJ kg⁻¹ of fruit consumed, depending on local conditions and cold-chain management. Stage-specific interventions, such as reducing field heat prior to forced-air cooling or increasing shipping temperatures from −1 °C to 1–3 °C under validated phytosanitary conditions, can meaningfully lower impacts. This dynamic framework offers a more realistic basis for identifying and achieving feasible decarbonization in global fruit supply systems.
While premodern hominins utilized highland landscapes in East Africa as early as 2 million years ago, the processes by which hominins first utilized southern Africa’s highest mountains - the Maloti-Drakensberg - are relatively unknown. This paper introduces a new site in these southern mountains, Likonong Shelter. The results of our luminescence dating and excavations establish Likonong as the earliest-known site in Highland Lesotho and demonstrate a hominin presence in the Maloti-Drakensberg Mountains as early as 242,000 years ago. This first suite of archaeological, geochemical and sedimentological data from Likonong charts the progression of hominin-highland engagements from ephemeral encounters during interglacial Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 7 to the intentional exploitation of the landscape under a broader range of environmental conditions. We suggest that social and demographic transformations during the Middle Pleistocene may have triggered highland occupation pulses and potentially cumulative cultural evolution, generating adaptive strategies that allowed for more sustained highland occupation during the Middle to Late Pleistocene transition (occupations dating from late MIS 6 to MIS 5c). Importantly, the stresses placed on foragers by sub-freezing temperatures, snow, and extreme resource stress would have required more innovative and collaborative solutions requiring both behavioral flexibility and the attainment of certain demographic preconditions.
Macroinvertebrates such as snails and crabs influence aspects of salt marsh structure and function through herbivory and bioturbation. However, the effects of physico-chemical variables and habitat composition on their abundance and distribution remain underexplored. This study examined the influence of environmental factors on snail and crab populations across salt marsh habitats in the Berg River Estuary on the west coast of South Africa, hypothesising greater abundance in the intertidal than in the supratidal zone, driven by salinity and elevation. Snail and crab abundance were assessed using manual counts in triplicate quadrats (10 & times; 10 cm for snails; 25 & times; 25 cm for crab burrows) across six transects. Physicochemical variables of sediment and groundwater were also analysed. Six snail species (Davisassiminea sp. 1, Davisassiminea sp. 2, D. capensis, D. globulus, Afrolittorina africana and Melanoides tuberculata) and one crab species (Hymenosoma orbiculare) were recorded. Crab burrow density differed significantly between habitats, with the highest abundance at creek edges (85.37 burrows m-2) and lowest in supratidal habitat (8.57 burrows m-2). Snail richness and abundance declined with elevation; Davisassiminea sp. 2 and D. capensis occurred only at creek edges. Habitat and environmental variables explained 32% of the variation in macroinvertebrate abundance, with sediment conductivity and organic content being key predictors. Generalised linear models indicated that species richness declined with increasing sediment redox potential (t = -2.25, p = 0.025), organic matter (t = -2.07, p = 0.040) and clay content (t = -3.07, p = 0.003). These findings highlight the influence of local environmental conditions in shaping and predicting species distributions under a changing climate.
Childhood maltreatment (CM) is thought to affect how individuals respond to social cues and interpersonal stimuli. Studies suggest that CM survivors prefer larger comfortable interpersonal distance (CID), but tend to exhibit low statistical power and focus on European populations, limiting generalisability to countries such as South Africa. This study sought to investigate the relationship between CM and CID in the South African context. 1048 South African adults completed measures assessing CID, CM, lifetime trauma exposure, PTSD, C-PTSD and depressive symptoms, social support, socio-economic status, and interpersonal stress. Mixed analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) were conducted to analyse data. Higher levels of physical abuse, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect were associated with larger CID. Findings suggest that lower levels of social strain and higher subjective socio-economic status may mitigate the negative impact of CM. Many participants answered in English regardless of home language, making comparisons between language groups impossible. Participants were not asked about ethnic group membership, limiting comparisons to other demographic variables. CM appears to play a significant role on CID preferences independent of the person involved. Social strain and subjective socio-economic status appear to be mitigating factors against the negative effects of CM. This finding is significant in the South African context, which is characterised by large wealth disparities and high levels of interpersonal violence.
Genetic testing and counselling are invaluable tools for preventative and personalised care. Unfortunately, utilisation of these services in South Africa, and continental Africa more broadly, has been limited. South Africa, which suffers from a unique epidemiological state, offers these genetic services, but accessibility is limited, as is education around this topic. Furthermore, coupled with the previous limitations, there is a prevalent distrust of the healthcare system and the stakeholders involved therein. This is largely due to the sociopolitical history of the country, which has resulted in severe economic inequalities and racial marginalisation of majority population groups. To effectively reduce the disease burden that South Africa is currently experiencing, it is necessary to increase the accessibility and uptake of these services, particularly genetic testing. While geographic and financial barriers could be tackled governmentally, other barriers, such as stigma towards genetic testing, Westernised medicine in general, and those that provide it, need to be investigated before investing valuable resources into infrastructure. Understanding these barriers would provide critical insight into the demand for genetic testing and how uptake and motivation could be improved. This narrative review discusses potential barriers to uptake and consumer demand in South Africa, and concludes by tying all identified barriers into an overarching concern regarding stigma (particularly intersectional stigma) related to genetic testing in a South African context. By doing so, we identify several key information gaps that future research could fill.
