A unified effort from multiple stakeholders is needed to effectively address the effects of global warming on agriculture, food security, electricity outages, and infrastructure damage caused by natural disasters. These were some key observations from
speakers during the
Fifth National Global Change Conference (GCC5) at the University of the Free State (UFS) from 30 January to 2 February 2023.
Topics discussed during the four-day conference included climate change and biodiversity, alternative energy, ocean monitoring, resilient cities and communities, technologies for global change, etc.
Consensus decision-making strategy
Looking at South Africa's current energy crisis,
Prof Dawid Serfontein, Professor in the Renewable Energy Research Group
at
North-West University (NWU), told delegates that power outages could be managed more effectively if role players in the coal and solar sectors and communities work together
to address this problem.
“The prospects of electricity generation in South Africa are clouded by disagreements and competing ideas among those with access to resources. The market has been transformed – while cheap and high-quality coal and labour were readily available
in the past, all the top-notch coal has been depleted. The coal that is used today is 40% lower in quality and is causing harm to power plants. Nuclear energy, on the other hand, has become an unaffordable option due to stringent regulations. This
poses challenges for those who need access. However, by collaborating, we can improve access and affordability of renewable resources such as solar panels, despite the coal shortage," said Dr Serfontein.
Happy Khambule, Manager of Environment and Energy at
Business Unity South Africa and former adviser to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Climate Change Commission, echoed similar sentiments and said that addressing the effect of global warming requires a unified effort from multiple stakeholders to ensure the success of these
strategies.
“To tackle the impact of global warming on food security and agriculture, it is important to be practical and consider all relevant factors. This necessitates collaboration among multiple stakeholders for effective implementation of these strategies,"
Khambule indicated, referring to the 2030 National Development Plan and the Climate Change Policy.
Expectations and outcomes
Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, also spoke about
the effects of climate change in his welcoming address at the start of the conference. He told delegates that high temperatures, extreme weather, droughts, floods, the depletion of water resources and biodiversity, soil erosion, and decreased subsistence
economies could impact human health and safety, food and water security, and socio-economic development.
The attendees also conducted a tree-planting ceremony in honour of the late Profs Maarten de Wit, Earth Stewardship Professor at
Nelson Mandela University (NMU) and founder
Director of the African Earth Observatory Network (AEON), and Bob Scholes, former Professor of Systems Ecology, a Director of the
Global Change Institute (GCI) and a
Distinguished Professor at
Wits, recognising their significant contributions to climate-change research.