Africa Burning

It's been a cold winter in Cape Town -- far away from the world, on the southern shores of Africa. Yet relying purely on observation, one would be able to tell that there is a global crisis. The sunshine has cast a yellow hue for a long time, and a fine yellow ash has fallen over the city. A shop assistant said to me, "No doubt someone's field has gone up in flames." More likely, I should think, the world has gone up in flames. OBSERVATION: 85 million hectares burned across sub-Saharan Africa during the peak early season of 2026 -- more than half of all burned land globally in a very bad year worldwide.