CLIMATE
CHANGE CONFERENCE
PROMOTES PUBLIC
UNDERSTANDING
The
newly established
Fynbos Foundation,
in association with
the Nieman
Foundation for
Journalism at
Harvard University
and the Nieman
Society of South
Africa, recently
hosted a climate
change conference at
Kirstenbosch that
saw global climate
change experts and
journalists gather
to promote public
understanding of
climate change and
its social
consequences.
During his opening
address, Minister of
Environmental
Affairs and Tourism,
Marthinus van
Schalkwyk, stated
that climate change
was now unavoidable
and that its impacts
on South Africa's
conservation and
tourism sectors
could be shattering.
"The longer we delay
taking action, the
greater the
mitigation and
adaptation costs
will be. These costs
are not only
measured in
percentages of GDP
or loss of habitat
or species, but most
importantly in terms
of the millions of
human lives that are
at risk," said van
Schalkwyk. He
further stressed the
importance of
avoiding the
unmanageable impacts
of climate change
through a global
response and that
world leaders, in
particular the
largest historical
polluter, the United
States of America,
will soon need to
show if they are
ready to rise to the
challenge.
South
Africa faces a
difficult decision
relating to its own
efforts to reduce
emissions in order
to mitigate the
effects of climate
change. The results
of a study on how
the country can
mitigate the
long-term impacts of
climate change was
presented to cabinet
this month,
providing options
for South Africa to
move away from its
heavy reliance on
coal for energy
generation towards
establishing a
low-carbon economy
with a much greater
energy mix derived
from non-fossil
fuels. Changing the
economic model is,
however, a big ship
to turn. A clear
message that stemmed
from discussions at
the conference is
that the country
needs a greater
sense of urgency
regarding climate
change, and that
civil society needs
to persuade and
pressurise
government to pursue
particular
environmental
policies.
