News
Infrastructure is critical to Africa’s development. But any infrastructure that is developed needs to be resilient – able to withstand challenges brought about by factors such as climate change, urbanisation and land-use change. A new guide helps decision-makers with resilience thinking when considering infrastructure projects on the continent. The guide focuses on energy, transport and water.
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The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) are set to work together to develop technologies and infrastructure to support socio-economic development in South Africa and Southern Africa.
The CSIR has released the findings of a life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) of grocery carrier bags in South Africa. LCSA is a useful tool that unpacks the environmental, social and economic impacts of a product throughout its life cycle. The study shows that reusable plastic carrier bags are the best option in South Africa, as they have a subtantially lower environmental impact compared to single-use bags – provided that consumers do actually reuse them.
Speculation linking 5G mobile telephony and data networks to a range of health threats, has been rife. Some claims even go to the extent of attributing the current COVID-19 pandemic to the initial rollouts of 5G networks. Unfortunately, a lot of opinions aired do not come with a high degree of credibility and amount to no more than flights of fancy. Some of them even claim that there is no virus and that all the health effects are caused by 5G. Read more...
Media statement
The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the CSIR are strengthening their partnership through formalised technical cooperation to accelerate technology development in Africa.
The renewed cooperation covers the conduct of applied research, development and innovation (RDI) with a strong focus on localised transformative technologies and accelerating their deployment for socioeconomic transformation.
Around the world, the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is raising many questions among the public, as well as in the water supply and wastewater sector. This information sheet aims to provide the general public, and water and wastewater service providers, with answers to some of the frequently asked questions.
As part of its commitment to the inclusive advancement of society through youth empowerment in South Africa, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has entered into a partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES) to prepare young people for employment by providing them with technical skills and relevant work opportunities.
The CSIR and YES recently signed a Sponsored Host Placement Agreement that would see them working closely together in addressing the pressing issue of equipping South African youth with skills that will prepare them for the workplace.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the COVID-19 Information Centre, a data centre set up to monitor and track the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. Read more...