Extreme weather batters South Africa

In January, historic floods killed at least thirty people in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, damaging thousands of homes and causing billions of rands in infrastructure damage.

Western Cape hit four months later

In May, the Western Cape was struck by severe weather, causing eleven fatalities, displacing over two hundred thousand people, and damaging the province's agricultural sector.

Super El Niño threatens worse

An unfolding Super El Niño threatens a hotter, drier summer marked by drought, wildfires, water shortages, food insecurity and heat-related illness across the country.

South Africa heads to COP31

As South Africa heads to the thirty-first United Nations Climate Change Conference in November, increased adaptation finance is among the country's top priorities in negotiations.

Africa's emissions are just four percent

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister David Maynier said Africa's emissions at only four percent paled against global greenhouse gas emissions, making adaptation a priority.

South Africa's three demands

South Africa's negotiators will push for a benchmark to triple adaptation finance by twenty thirty-five, operationalise the global goal on adaptation, and secure adequate loss and damage funding.

But South Africa is Africa's biggest emitter

While the country's global emissions sit at one point one to one point fourteen percent, South Africa accounts for roughly thirty-three to more than forty percent of Africa's total emissions.

Adaptation lacks clear direction

Maesela Kekana, the DFFE's deputy director-general responsible for climate change, said nations had clear directions on mitigation but not on adaptation, making measurement difficult.

“On adaptation, we don't really know where we are.”

South Africa seeks twenty million dollars

South Africa submitted a twenty million dollar proposal to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to restore flood-affected conservation landscapes in the Kruger National Park area.

Fund faces massive shortfall

While the FRLD supports developing countries affected by climate disasters, Kekana said there is a big gap between what is required to deal with permanent losses and damages and what is available.

“there's quite a big gap between what is required to deal with these permanent losses and damages and what is on the table”

Global Stocktake will assess progress

The second Global Stocktake will begin at COP31, assessing where countries are succeeding and falling short in meeting the Paris Climate Agreement over the next two years.