A number of monitoring
programmes and research projects closely
related to the issues of climate change are
currently underway or under development
within South Africa. Various government
departments, private sector companies and
research institutions are also actively
involved in projects to identify the
vulnerability of South Africa to climate
change and to develop strategies for
adaptation to climate change. The purpose of
this page is to provide some brief
information about these projects/programmes
and to provide links to websites containing
further information.
This page is not intended to be inclusive of
all research projects and programmes
currently being run in South Africa - but
should provide some useful contacts through
which more information can be gained. If you
are involved with climate change research
that is not reflected here and you would
like it to be included in the page, please
contact us with details.
More information on what is happening in
climate change research in South Africa can
also be found on the '
Activities'
section of this site.
Types of
research:In 2001, CSIR carried out a
survey of the climate change related monitoring
and research work that was being carried out in
South Africa ( CSIR de Wit 2001). This survey
identified research work in two categories: work
directly related to the Climate Change Country
Studies and the First National Communication;
and work being done in response to key issues
for South Africa at international negotiations.
The following research topics were
identified as falling within these two
categories:
- GHG Inventory
- Vulnerability and Adaptation
- Mitigation
- Policies and Measures
- Systematic Observation and Research
- Education, Training and Awareness
- Adverse effects on the environment
- Adverse effects on economy
- Kyoto Mechanisms (CDM, AIJ/JI, IET)
- Technology Transfer
- Land Use Change and Forestry
- Policy Development
Institutions Involved The
following institutions are or have been involved
in climate change related research in South
Africa. Follow links to specific information
held on their websites (if available).
Government projects and
programmes:
In addition to work being
carried out by research institutions and
industry, the following projects and programmes
are also being implemented by government
agencies and departments.
SA Weather
Services carries out monitoring and
research of the ozone layer, solar radiation and
monitoring of atmospheric trace gases and ozone
depleting gases. The Weather Forecasting
Research programme focuses on the consolidation
of methods to evaluate and improve weather
forecast accuracy. Ongoing research on cloud
seeding is being conducted to enhance rainfall.
The Agricultural
Research Council (with funding from the
National Department of Agriculture) maintains a
number of databases that store and process
climatic data and other environmental
parameters.
The National Department
of Agriculture has launched a number of
research projects intended to assist the
agricultural sector in minimizing the effects of
climate change. These include: an investigation
into more effective water use in irrigation
systems and evaluation of a number of irrigation
models; the development of a national standard
for potential evaporation; general of water
saturation index values that can be combined
with a vegetation index to indicate the status
and severity of a drought; investigating water
harvesting techniques to conserve rainfall;
determining appropriate tillage practices; and
compiling a provisional carbon map for South
Africa that illustrates the organic carbon value
of the soil.
The Department of
Health: is planning to implement an
effective response mechanisms for the
identification and control of epidemics at the
national, provincial and local government level.
The Medical
Research Council has also established an
atlas of the spatial epidemiology of malaria in
Africa fir strategic planning for Malaria
control.
A number of projects are being
conducted to investigate the potential for
renewable resources of energy and the use of
energy efficiency mechanisms. These include
projects that have been initiated by the Department of
Minerals and Energy (e.g. Guidelines for
energy efficient buildings and effective energy
use). Eskom is also
undertaking various feasibility studies on the
potential use of wind and solar energy, as well
as the promotion of efficient lighting
technologies.
The Cleaner Production
Scheme has been introduced by the Department of
Trade and Industry(DTI) to promote the
development and implementation by industry of
environmentally friendly technologies.
Organizations, which represent industry, have
developed standards to improve environmental
performance and raise awareness of environmental
management.
The Southern
African Regional Science Initiative (SAFARI
2000) was initiated in July 1999 to acquire
a better understanding of the links between
emissions from both natural and anthropogenic
sources, as well as of the mechanisms
responsible for transporting the emissions over
the subcontinent and the impact of emissions on
the environment.
Towards a
comprehensive list of all research
projects/programmes in SA
DEAT has as
part of its climate-change mandate, a
responsibility to prepare and maintain a list of
all climate –change related research projects
being carried out in South Africa. We would very
much like your help to achieve this. If you are
involved in climate change research – either
through one of the institutions or departments
listed above or via any other organization,
please contact us with details. We simply need
the name of the institution, the name of the
project, a short description of the project and
its objectives, a note of funding source, the
time frame of the project and projected
completion time.
Please contact:
bthahlamohlaka@deat.gov.za
with this information. Please also let us know
if this information is confidential in any way.
