Several NGOs are active in the field of climate change in South Africa. Information is provided here on the SA Climate Action Network and WWF South Africa.

The South African Climate Action Network The South African Climate Action Network (SACAN) is a network of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and individuals with an interest in climate change-related issues. Its main aims are to facilitate the participation of local civil society organisations in responding to climate change at national, regional and international levels, and to promote government, industry and individual action to limit human-induced climate change and reduce vulnerability to climate impacts.

The objectives of SACAN are as follows:

• To coordinate information exchange on national, regional and international climate policies and issues, amongst civil society organisations and with other interested parties.
  
• To formulate national, regional and international policy options and position papers on climate related issues.
  
• To undertake further collaborative action to promote effective NGO involvement in efforts to avert the threat of global warming.
  
• To initiate civil society capacity building and public awareness raising to promote government and individual action, to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels and develop capacity to adapt to climate change.
  

SACAN aims to have a positive interaction with the South African government at national, provincial and local levels. SACAN has been represented on the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) since 2000. Members of the network have volunteered to serve on the NCCC working groups on greenhouse gas emissions, technology transfer and capacity building. SACAN members have also made constructive input to various policy documents, including South Africa's Initial National Communication on Cllimate Change, the National Cllimate Change Response Strategy, and the Sustainable Development Criteria for the Designate National Authorirty (DNA) of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

SACAN and its members provide materials on climate change issues ranging from research to briefing documents, fliers and posters, with the aim of creating awarness and stimulating debate on climate change issues in South AFrica. SACAN also produces a quarterly newsletter called 'Climate Action News' on climate change issues in South Africa which is distributed free of charge.

SACAN is a national node of the Climate Action Network (CAN) International - a worldwide network of over 365 NGOs. SACAN includes 19 organisational and 10 individual members who subscribe to the CAN charter. SACAN also recently helped to establish the Southern African Regional Climate Action Network (SARCAN) and is currently serving as the regional node.

For more information on SACAN, contact:
SACAN Facilitator: Elin Lorimer
c/o SECCP, Earthlife Africa, Johannesburg
PO Box 11383, JOhannesburg 2000
Tel. +27 11 339 3662
Fax. +27 22 339 3270
E Mail: sa-can@earthlife.org.za
Website: www.earthlife.org.za/sacan

World Wide Fund for Nature - South Africa (WWF - SA).
WWF SA runs a climate change programme. More information on this programme and the global climate change programme run by WWF International can be found on http://www.panda.org.za/climate_toxics.htm