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5. South Africa’s response

South Africa signed the 1992 UNFCC in 1993, ratified the convention in 1997, and became a Party to the Kyoto Protocol in 2001 as a non-Annex 1 country¹⁸. The South African Country Study on Climate Change was carried out in 1999, an initial National Communication on Climate change in 2003, and a National Climate Change Response Strategy in September 2004. In line with its approach to sustainable development, the response to climate change is one in which poverty is placed at the centre of the issue. In 2005 the Midrand Plan of Action was designed to lead South Africa’s climate change programme into the future, and the Climate Change Research and Development Strategy is currently being developed. In addition to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is playing a strong role in driving response to climate change, and has established of a network of various field stations and observatories for the long-term study of ecosystems and the prediction of environmental change. There are good indications of increasing political commitment to build on this early progress. However, there remains a need for comprehensive policies and supporting legislation, which is clearly recognised by political decision-makers. For example, policies targeted with meeting the needs of poor rural communities likely to be adversely affected by climate change are not yet in place, although work is underway towards this.¹⁹ Key national level structures for dealing with climate change are the National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC) and the Government Committee on Climate Change (GCCC). There is a lot of discussion on adaptation through the NCCC and South Africa has played a strong role internationally on pushing for uptake of adaptation issues. However, adaptation planning as such is in its infancy in South Africa, with a major focus still on re-defining the concept of adaptation.²⁰

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) has initiated development of a guideline document on how the different sectors can compile an action plan on climate change. Work on the action plans is expected to start in early 2008²¹, and a proposal for a second National Communication is being finalised. It is likely that this will suggest a focus on national adaptation and will lead to the development of a National Adaptation Plan, in line with UN FCCC requirements.²² A climate change business network²³ has also been established, and a number of research institutes, NGOs and CBOs have been proactive in the field of adaptation to climate change. There is political commitment to develop a national policy on climate change in the near future, in order to provide some direction on ways forward with both mitigation and adaptation. An integrated national policy is required that allows for a proactive response, as opposed to the more reactive response to date.
Given these developments to date, it is clear that work on adaptation at the national level has not yet progressed to the stage of developing actual tools. However, the DEAT is aware that in order to scale up response to climate change, changes to existing tools for integration of sustainability issues will need to be made. One such possible change is the need for environmental impact assessment (EIA) to go beyond a consideration of current impacts – for example with respect to transport projects, future emissions need to be factored in. Reportedly there has not yet been much progress on integration of climate change considerations into the frameworks guiding information tools such as EIA and strategic environmental assessment (SEA).
Recently, the Minister of Environmental Affairs has called for "Biodiversity considerations [to be] integrated into macro-economic, trade, industrial and tax policy" and there are processes underway in this regard at both Treasury (on environmental fiscal reform) and the DTI (on promoting Environmental Goods and Services). These represent further possibilities for ensuring integration of climate change adaptation into economic policy and activity.
Towards translating national principles and strategies at the provincial level, a number of provinces have started this process. The 2005 preliminary Status Quo report for the Western Cape was the first provincial impact study²⁴. The Western Cape Province appears to be the furthest advanced in its response to climate change, with the 2007 development of the Western Cape Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. At the local level, a number of municipal governments have engaged proactively – for example, in the City of Cape Town, the Energy and Climate Change Strategy is one of four lead strategies of the Integrated Metropolitan Environmental Policy (IMEP). The development of capacity regarding all aspects of climate change across all sectors of government and civil society was identified as one of the priorities in government’s response to climate change²⁵, some of which have been taken up by the South African Climate Change Action Network (SACCAN)²⁶. eThekwini was the first municipality in South Africa to undertake scientific research in partnership with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to better understand the impact of climate change on the long-term development and sustainability of the City²⁷, towards developing a Climate Change Adaptation Plan for the city.

6. The community-level response

6.1 Introduction

This section explores actions taken at the grassroots level in two South African case studies: work with small-scale farmers in the Suid Bokkeveld, Northern Cape Province, and local adaptation strategies to climate variability in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province. While neither case study had a primary focus on development of tools, both are instructive in highlighting promising approaches and mechanisms. Drawing on these findings, key lessons regarding tools and tactics for integrating climate change adaptation considerations are synthesised in the following section.