Climate change affects us all, but it can be a confusing business. In this book, three scientists with several decades of experience in assessing the potential effects of climate change for the southern African region share their insights. Complex issues are dealt with in plain language, without oversimplification and with attention to accuracy. The material is up-to-date as is possible in such a fast-developing field. Climate Change: Briefings from Southern Africa takes the form of 55 'frequently-asked' questions', each with a brief and clear reply. It is illustrated with colour diagrams and photographs, and examples are tailored to the regional context. The authors' introduction provides an overview of current national and international policies aimed at regulating climate change. The content is divided into four sections, which take the reader through the science of how climate system works; the projected impacts in southern Africa during the twenty-first century; what this means for the South African economy and society; and what can be done to avoid harm. The briefings can be read alone or in sequence. The year 2015 is regarded as a watershed for global climate change action if a global average temperature rise of more than two degrees abbove the pre-Industrial level is to be avoided. This book provides compelling evidence that the impact on agriculture, fisheries, water resources, human health, plants and animals as well as sea levels will be dangerous. However, the book ends on a positive note by offering advice on how the world can avoid such bleak outcomes, while allowing a good life for all. The volume is aimed at interested non-scientists, including business people, decision-makers, ordinary citizens and students
Foreword by Minister Pandor; General introduction: How do governments
assess climate change? Earth system science - The processes that underlie
climate change; Introduction; Why is Earth habitable?; How do greenhouse
gases regulate Earth's temperature?; Is water vapour the most important
greenhouse gas?; Why are clouds the wild card in climate change?; Isn't
climate change just part of a long-term natural cycle?; Are climate
variations just due to volcanoes or other Earth processes?; How do El Nino
and La Nina events affect South African weather?; How hot might it get in
South Africa this century? How might the rainfall in southern Africa change
in the 21st century?; Are extreme weather events related to climate change?;
How do land-use changes and deforestation add to global warming?; What is
South Africa's contribution to global warming?; What happens to carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions?; Can ecosystems keep sucking up carbon dioxide (CO2)
from fossil-fuel burning?; Could ocean currents slow down or change
direction?; Is there any chance of runaway global warming?; Consequences of a
changing climate for the southern African environment; Introduction; Maps:
South African biomes, oceans; How resilient are ecosystems to climate
change?; How will South Africa's plants respond to climate change?; Could
rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations boost plant growth?; Is bush
encroachment caused by global change?; Will South Africa's land animals cope
with climate change?; Are South Africa's birds taking flight?; Will South
Africa run out of water?; How will climate change affect freshwater systems?;
How much, and how fast, will sea level rise?; What is ocean acidification?;
How will ocean acidification affect marine organisms?; How is climate change
affecting South Africa's coastal seas?; How is our marine life responding to
climate change?; Will coral reefs survive climate change?; How are Antarctica
and the Southern ocean responding to climate change?; Climate change at South
Africa's Prince Edward islands; Consequences of a changing climate for
society; Introduction; Is the South African economy vulnerable to climate
change?; How will climate change affect agriculture?; Will there be enough
food to eat?; Do cow-farts really cause global warming?; How will forestry in
South Africa respond to climate change?; How will climate change affect
marine fisheries and aquaculture?; What are the human costs of climate
variability?; How do climate and air pollution affect human health?; Is
climate change accelerating the spread of malaria in South Africa?; Should
South Africans worry about rising sea levels?; What can we do to avoid and
adapt to climate change?; Introduction; Is it cheaper to tolerate climate
change or prevent it?; Is carbon trading desirable or useful?; Is it possible
to take carbon dioxide (CO2) back out of the atmosphere?; Could ocean
fertilization fix climate change?; Could we reduce incoming solar radiation?;
Are there viable alternatives to coal for South Africa?; Can nuclear power
provide the clean energy we need?; Can we harness the sea's energy?; Can we
turn garbage into energy?; Do biofuels offer a solution?; Could spekboom save
our bacon?; Can we help plants and animals adapt to climate change?; Can we
build climate-friendly houses and cities?; How can I reduce my carbon
footprint?; Codicil: Is there a dangerous level of climate change?
Mary Scholes is a Professor in the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and is the SARChI (South African Research Chairs Initiative) chair with a focus on global change and systems analysis. Her climate change research focuses on agriculture and food security as well as impacts of acidic deposition resulting from the burning of fossil fuels.
Robert (Bob) Scholes is a Professor of Systems Ecology at the University of the Witwatersrand. He has worked on the issue of climate change since 1990, and was a Lead Author on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)s influential assessments in 2000, 2007 and 2014. His specialty is the interaction between terrestrial ecosystems in Africa and the global climate, and he is widely regarded as a world expert in this field.
Mike Lucas was an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town. He was the South African and African member of the International Scientific Committee of Oceanic Research (SCOR), a special committee of the International Council for Science (ICSU). His own research focused on how climate change affects the marine environment, particularly the Atlantic and Southern Oceans, and how this in turn affects global climate.
