South African Climate Action Network

South Africa operates one of the ten most carbon intensive economies in the world, and therefore has a moral, if not legally binding, obligation to take the issue of climate change on board. South Africa's high emissions are largely due to the electricity sector, which is heavily reliant on coal, exacerbated by the number of energy intensive industries in the country. On the other hand, South Africa as a developing country is also likely to be hard-hit by the effects of climate change, which will not only negatively impact on the national economy, but will hit the poorest of the population hardest, as they are least equipped to deal with shocks and stresses.

Some of the effects of climate change predicted for South Africa include rising temperatures, particularly in the most arid areas; a reduction in rainfall in summer rainfall areas; increasing incidents of droughts and floods and a rise in sea level threatening low-lying areas. These changes will also accompany various negative health impacts from skin cancer to increased incidents of cholera and malaria. Climate change also threatens South Africa's already vulnerable water supply system and could exacerbate the problem of desertification, as well as threatening food security and South Africa's unique biodiversity.

National activity on the issue of climate change is largely co-ordinated by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), under the Directorate on Global Climate Change and Ozone Layer Protection. There are also two committees that co-ordinate cross-sectoral input on climate change issues - the NCCC and the GCCC. South Africa is a party to the UNFCCC and has ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and therefore has various obligations to the international community to take the issue of climate change on board, even though it as yet has no binding commitments for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. A National Climate Change Summit was held in March 09 as part of a national consultation towards policy development around climate change.