Failure to act against climate change could lead SA to grim future, experts again warn
Parts of the country are increasingly experiencing serious drought, while changes in rainfall patterns result in severe storms, landslides, and flash flooding in other parts of the country.
A vehicle is submerged in water following heavy rain in Johannesburg on 5 March 2025. Picture: Supplied/@CityofJoburgEMS on X
JOHANNESBURG - Some climate experts have again warned that a failure to act fast to prevent climate change could lead South Africa to a grim future.
The latest warning comes as the country takes stock of the impact of climate change.
Parts of the country are increasingly experiencing serious drought, while changes in rainfall patterns result in severe storms, landslides, and flash flooding in other parts of the country.
The Presidential Climate Commission met in Johannesburg on Friday to discuss disaster preparedness and climate targets.
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In the dry areas, the drought results in significant reductions of dam levels, which cause chronic water shortages in urban areas.
The shortage of water also negatively affects crop yields and livestock, which in turn negatively impacts food security, especially among the urban poor who are unable to adjust to the resultant increases in food prices.
Flooding in parts of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and North West has also impacted infrastructure, damaging roads, and bridges, and displacing thousands of residents from their homes.
Leading global climate scientist Sir David King said if South Africa doesn’t ramp up its early detection systems and its response systems, then the worst is yet to come.
“It is possible that without intervention, we are going to see irreversible transformation ahead of us. In other words, I am saying, even if we hit net zero emissions tomorrow, some of these might already be in train.”
To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.
This week, South African authorities confirmed that the United States (US) had withdrawn from an agreement to help developing countries transition to a low-carbon economy.
Washington had already walked away from the Paris Agreement and has now withdrawn from the International Partners Group, which it founded with Germany, the United Kingdom (UK), and the European Union (EU).
The move sets South Africa back by $1.5 billion in climate financing, bringing the overall international Just Energy Transition pledges to South Africa from $13.8 billion to $12.8 billion.
It is also expected to affect Indonesia, Vietnam, and Senegal.