CSAG is a leading international climate research centre based in Africa with broad research skills and competency in both physical and social dimensions of climate, a strong experience in engaging with society, and an excellent track record in capacity development. We prioritize societally relevant research to support responses to climate variability and change.

This blog is an extended version of the article published in GroundUp The nature of Cape Town’s water crisis remains a hotly contested issue. There is drought, of course. But there are also possible other reasons brought up in the public discourse, particularly in the social media, such as population and water demand growth, unreported… Read more »

When I was asked to write a blog that might contribute to a platform of knowledge and skills to address complex social and environmental problems, I had been grappling with several such problems in my own life. To note two in particular; the protests at the University of Cape Town (UCT), calling for free higher… Read more »

Piotr Wolski has produced a tool to assess the current and projected state of the Western Cape Dams: The “Big Six Monitor”   The “Big Six Monitor”  – http://cip.csag.uct.ac.za/monitoring/bigsix.html shows the amount of water in the major Western Cape Water Supply System (WCWSS) dams currently and in the recent past. Additionally, it shows the storage… Read more »

By Piotr Wolski Originally published by GroundUp Journalists and the general public are asking many questions about the Western Cape drought. What is meant by a drought? Why is the drought happening? Where exactly is the drought occurring? Is this drought caused by climate change? Could it have been predicted? Should we not expect it… Read more »

Piotr Wolski has written an article titled: What about rainwater harvesting? for the UCT News Site. “The winter rains of 2017 are effectively finished. Recent analyses indicate that, with current use and without further interventions, water currently stored in the Western Cape’s water supply system dams will not last until the next significant rains, which are… Read more »

At this stage we all know the context, and I don’t think there is a need for extra explanations. So let me be as brief as possible. Drought. Big city. Disaster management plan. Day Zero. Everyone blames everyone. There. You have it. From my perspective (rooted in data and facts) the time has come to… Read more »

Are Droughts Predictable? Head over to this ARTICLE featured in The Conversation by our very own Piotr Wolski, Bruce Hewitson and Chris Jack. The forecast probability associated with above-normal and below-normal rainfall for 2016 (upper panels) and 2017 (lower panels).

APPLICATIONS FOR INTERNSHIPS 2018 NOW OPEN CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS: 14 NOVEMBER 2017   CSAG has applied to be a host institution for DST-NRF Interns for 2018-2019. CSAG invites young graduates who are interested in interning at CSAG for the period 2018-2019 to apply to the DST-NRF Internship program. Closing date for submitting applications: 14 November… Read more »