South Africa is experiencing significant effects of climate change particularly as a result of increased temperatures and water variability. The observed rate of warming has been 2 °C per century or even higher – more than twice the global rate of temperature increase for the western parts and the northeast (DEA 2017a, 72). There is evidence that extreme weather events in South Africa are increasing. Heat wave conditions found to be more likely, dry spell durations lengthening slightly and rainfall intensity increasing. Climate zones across the country are already shifting, ecosystems and landscapes are being degraded, veld fires are becoming more frequent, and overused natural terrestrial and marine systems are under stress (DEA 2017a).
According to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) climate change is likely to increase the frequency and magnitude of many extreme events and will certainly increase the risk of slow-onset events such as sea level rise and drought (IPCC 2013). Climate change has the potential to redress the gains made on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and impede the country’s ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and also poses risks to opportunities for socioeconomic development. There is increasing international recognition that strong and sustainable socioeconomic development can reduce vulnerability to climate change and ensure resilience. Adaptation to climate change presents South Africa with an opportunity to transform the economy, strengthen the social and spatial fabric, and become more competitive in the global marketplace.
The National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (NCCAS) provides a common vision of climate change adaptation and climate resilience for the country, and outlines priority areas for achieving this vision. The NCCAS’s vision draws on South Africa’s National Climate Change Response Policy (NCCRP) (DEA 2011), the National Development Plan (NDP) (NPC 2011), the adaptation commitments included in its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), sector adaptation plans, provincial adaptation plans and local government adaptation plans.
Download the Report: National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Republic of South Africa Version UE4 24 October 2018
