‘We need real action on global warming’
South Africa’s Independent Online is reporting ‘We need real action on global warming’
It had become very clear that global climate change may hold far greater risks than previously believed, and the costs would be measured not only in dollars and species loss, but in human mortality.
This was said by Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk in a hard-hitting speech when he opened the working group 2 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Somerset West on Monday.
Climate change could result in sea levels rising faster than previously predicted, an increase in extreme weather, much less surface water, acceleration of desertification and greater threats to health, biodiversity and agriculture.
Van Schalkwyk said it was an “urgent priority” that the global community tried to convince all countries, especially the large, industrialised nations, to support the international effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As policy-makers, governments needed to be informed by scientists, not only about the impact of climate change on the environment, but also its impact on people.
“Climate change is a scourge and requires a multilateral response,” Van Schalkwyk said.
Emphasis added by me. The Article goes on to detail some of the forecast impacts of global warming on various regions in Africa. It concludes:
For developed countries this meant stricter emission reduction targets, and for developing countries, finding a way to provide incentives to encourage sustainable development and mitigate climate change.
The developing world has a chance to leapfrog our wasteful past and embrace a sustainable future. So long as the developed world doesn’t drown, starve, or shoot them first. — DS
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