When Albert Pati moved closer to the sea to open a beach bar overlooking the Mediterranean in Albania, he never imagined that the sea would also be moving closer to him, now eroding the soil around his restaurant floor. Even before the outbreak of Covid-19, families and businesses around the Adriatic Sea were faced with a serious threat. One of the countries hardest-hit by … [Read more...]
Celebrating the end of Mad March
What a month March has been! First we had a burglary and my son was assaulted in the house in the middle of the day. My life changed in an instant. Nothing can be as intense for a mother as having your child’s life threatened. How are people so brazen to commit crimes in broad daylight? Why did my big and uber defensive German shepherd not protect him? Was she drugged? How I … [Read more...]
Climate Change Bill published for comment
The Draft Climate Change Bill was published for comment earlier this week. It’s stated objectives are the following: provide for the coordinated and integrated response to climate change and its impacts by all spheres of government in accordance with the principles of cooperative governance; provide for the effective management of inevitable climate change impacts … [Read more...]
South Africa’s “aspirational goal” on adaptation
South Africa’s goal on adaptation is to build resilience and adaptive capacity to respond to climate change risk and vulnerability; whilst providing guidance on the integration of climate change responses into current and future development objectives; through optimising policy, planning, and implementation coherence of climate change adaptation actions. The draft National … [Read more...]
Adaptation is the only fair way to tackle climate change
As COP20 concludes, climate consultant Mike Edwards argues that delegates need to consider the need for ‘adaptation’ as well as ‘mitigation’. In early November 2013, I was in San Francisco teaching a cohort of business graduates a course I had cheerily titled: 'Global Crises'. As it was early in the course, I was setting the scene with an introduction to climate … [Read more...]
Climate change happening now on every continent
Climate change is no longer a projected future scenario, it is happening today on all continents and across all the oceans, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on Monday in Yokohama, Japan, at the launch of a report which is “one of the most ambitious scientific undertakings in human history.” The world is ill-prepared for the risks from changing … [Read more...]
Delaying climate action a crime of global proportions
Decisions resulting from the UN COP17 climate summit in Durban constitute a crime against humanity, according to Climate Justice Now, a broad coalition of social movements and civil society. Here in South Africa, where the world was inspired by the liberation struggle of the country’s black majority, the richest nations have cynically created a new regime of climate … [Read more...]
What are local governments going to do now?
At the Durban Local Government Convention, 114 Mayors and other elected local leaders representing over 950 local governments from around the world have adopted the Durban Adaptation Charter, a political commitment to strengthen local resilience to climate change. The Durban Local Government Convention: adapting to changing climate towards COP17/ CMP7 and beyond, ran in … [Read more...]
COP17 groups say Africa must reject carbon markets
Over 100 civil society organizations from Africa and around the world sent a letter earlier this week to African negotiators attending the UN global climate talks in Durban, calling for them to reject efforts to place agricultural soils within a carbon market. Countries in Durban will consider whether to advance a separate agriculture work program within the global climate … [Read more...]
Durban pioneers initiative ahead of COP17
Ahead of the opening of the COP17/CMP7 Conference on climate change in Durban on Monday 28 November, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, performed her first ‘official’ function at the launch of the Durban CEBA (Community Ecosystem-Based Adaptation) Initiative at Durban’s Paradise Valley at the weekend. The … [Read more...]
9 Million rands invested in water catchment
WWF-SA's Water Balance Programme recently received R9 million from Nedbank to invest in South Africa's critical water catchment areas. The Water Balance Programme aims to challenge and empower corporate South Africa to help create a water secure future by reducing demand, increasing supply and maintaining the health of the country's high water provisioning catchments. Dr … [Read more...]
Adaptation governance essential in Africa
'Climate change will undermine development efforts in Africa and the rest of the developing world.' 'Developing countries are the most vulnerable to climate change due to their low adaptive capacity and growing dependence on resources sensitive to changes in climate,' according to the publication Climate Governance in Africa - Adaptation Strategies and Institutions. The … [Read more...]
How do we become fit to survive?
So you're already switching off lights, driving less, flying less, putting a timer on your hot water geyser and only ordering green-SASSI-listed fish to eat. Well done. You are already doing a lot to mitigate future climate change. But are you building flood defences, increasing your insurance against extreme weather events, and putting contingency plans in place when … [Read more...]
