Scores of firefighters, volunteers and Working on Fire crew were deployed to temper the fires in the Franschhoek Mountains. Friends rose to the occasion with the generous donation of bottled water, beverages and food.

Fires are something we are all too used to in Africa. But each year, as rising temperatures from climate change force weather to get more and more extreme, so too do the intensity and frequency of our fires.

Hunger and poverty go hand in hand. Every cent saved could mean a lot to a starving child; so reduction of fuel costs could mean the difference between going to bed without food or having a meal.

Indonesia’s Minister of Agriculture Suswono has praised sustainable palm oil practice in Dosan village, and says this initiative is a perfect example of the way large palm oil producers can remain profitable without further destroying the forests.

Khayelitsha's BM section was ravaged by fire on New Year's Day, leaving 800 shacks destroyed and more than 4000 people displaced.

“Imagine fuel without fear!” In a fast-paced and riveting TED talk, Amory Lovins inspires his audience with an audacious vision – the USA weaned off oil and coal by 2050, making a “richer, fairer, cooler, safer world” not only possible, but practical, and even profitable.

Deforestation is just one of many crises facing the world. It is closely related to environmental crises such as climate change. Modern human relationships with nature are profoundly dysfunctional and, on the current trajectory, can only lead to a global ecological catastrophe.

On Friday afternoon we were about to hit ‘send’ to release this issue, when a thick smoke invaded our office like a ghost. We ran outside to see the wetland beyond our wall go up in flames – fanned by a strong wind blowing in our direction.

30% of the earth’s surface is affected by fire. Fire destroys forests and vegetations which are our sources of food – it is both a driver and an indicator of climate change.

The recent fire in the Somerset West area that destroyed ten homes and parts of the Helderberg Nature Reserve has put the spotlight on controlled fires once again.

When blankets and woolly socks just don€™t cut it anymore during winter time, we switch on our carbon-emitting heaters. This is no good for our already disturbing carbon escalation, so alternatives we have to find,. Which is what we did this week when we discovered a new closed fire eco-heating stove by T and T Energy Solutions.

The invention of fire tens of thousands of years ago was one of the most powerful developments in all of human history.