2°C rise would hit SA hard

We have been warned – there are only 12 years left to stop global warming in its tracks.

And if we are not able to keep the warming to a maximum of 1.5°C since pre-industrial times – we have already hit 1°C – we could expect a horror show of extreme heat‚ floods and droughts‚ and an ecology so out of sorts that life could become unbearable.

A shocking landmark report released by the UN has shown how hitting a 2°C rise would spell doom.

The consequences include:

● Days of extreme heat and heat-related deaths would become much more common;

● Hundreds of millions more people would be food insecure;

● 50% more people globally would be water-stressed; and

● Plants and insects would be twice as likely to lose 50% of their habitats.

The UN Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change report says urgent and unprecedented changes are needed.

At the University of Cape Town on Monday‚ a panel discussion focused on the significance for southern Africa.

Professor Mark New‚ who heads the African Climate and Development Initiative‚ said a 2°C rise would have a particularly harsh impact on the mean temperature and rainfall in southern Africa, which is a “hot spot because it is semi-arid and is water-stressed”. –