Selected data concerning the Late Quaternary climatic history of the southern hemisphere demonstrate that thermic and hygric changes cannot be used as chronostratigraphic reference boundaries. During the Late Quaternary, a globaI temperature trend is apparent that can be superposed by regionaI temperature trends. The same applies to the hygric development. Keywords: Namibia, Namib Desert, Kuiseb River, Kalahari Desert, geomorphology, arid environment, calcretes, carbonates, landform evolution, palaeoclimate, Quaternary, radioactive isotopes, speleothem morphology, palaeoenvironment, climate change, aridification, atmospheric precipitation, sea-level changes.