GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Garden Route Environmental Forum (GREF) approached Dr Roy Marcus, a systems and design thinking specialist, to address the 29 June annual GREF Climate Change and Environmental Management Indaba on the projected impacts of climate change in South Africa.
The impacts are becoming more real every day and are amplified by real-time socio-economic pressures and the systemic collapse of governance, high levels of corruption, violent crime, political instability in major municipalities and severe and sustained power blackouts in South Africa.
Marcus says there is limited evidence of any discussion relating to the harsh realities South Africa will face going forward with severely restricted electricity and water security risk on the rise.
He makes use of a mapping system for visualising a future South Africa to better understand the socio-economic and political relationships, challenges and opportunities facing the country, for example the Just Energy Transition away from coal-based energy generation towards green energy.
According to GREF convener Cobus Meiring, much of the 2017 series of wildfire disasters, recent drought in the Karoo, flash floods in the Southern Cape and especially KZN, as well as measurable sea-level rise along the Mossel Bay coastline are the result of a changing climate.
This is the case not only for South Africa but globally, where out-of-control wildfire disasters have destroyed millions of hectares of land and infrastructure in Canada, Portugal and California.
"In view of these realities, it is suggested that a way of gaining some insight into the effect of the current impacts, as well as testing some ideas that may go some way in alleviating the burden, is to produce a systems map.
"Such a map will go a long way to "tell the story" and present some ideas as to what the implications of various actions could be on the long-term future of the country," says Meiring.
The indaba will be held at the Nelson Mandela University George Campus from 08:30 - 16:00. Interested persons must RSVP to cobus@naturalbridge.co.za.
Dr Roy Marcus, systems and design thinking specialist.
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