The Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment, alongside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has launched a survey aimed at gauging public perceptions of climate change in South Africa. The results of this survey will inform future policies and recommendations to foster transformative action against climate change.
The survey, which takes approximately 10 minutes to complete, comprises 15 questions across four sections. South Africans are urged to participate before July 17, 2024.
This survey is crucial for understanding how the public perceives climate change, which will help shape the departments’ future strategies.
A recent report by the University of Cape Town, titled ‘Climate Change Impacts in South Africa: What Climate Change Means for a Country and Its People’, highlights the severe impacts of climate change on South Africa.
Compiled by researchers including Dr Peter Johnston and Prof Bruce Hewitson, the report outlines the cascading effects on livelihoods, food and water security, and the overall cost of living.
“South Africa is a well-resourced country with a strong agricultural and biodiversity heritage.
Climate change and socio-economic risks threaten to bring about a huge change to this status,” explained D. Peter Johnston from UCT’s Climate System Analysis Group.
Small-scale and commercial farmers are particularly vulnerable, with many already implementing adaptation strategies such as soil carbon enhancement and indigenous rainwater harvesting.
However, these efforts may not suffice under future climate scenarios. “To farmers, crops are important; to insurers, payouts are important; and to a man living in an informal settlement, his house matters, but we all have to work together to address the crisis,” said Luckson Zvobgo from UCT’s African Climate & Development Initiative.
South Africa’s role in international climate negotiations emphasises a "just transition“, advocating for social justice and urging high-income nations to fund decarbonisation efforts.
“Given the contribution of the agricultural and conservation sectors to employment creation in South Africa, climate responses in these sectors form an important part of the country’s just transition,” said Anton Cartwright, director at Econologic.
Combating climate change demands both adaptive measures and international co-operation to reduce emissions. The survey can be accessed here.
IOL