South Africa has stepped up efforts to reduce the country’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, says Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa.

“To ensure that our country’s food, water, energy security and infrastructure are not negatively impacted by climate change we have developed Long Term Adaptation Scenarios, and climate change vulnerability assessments, to assess sectoral, cross-sectoral and geographic impacts and adaptation options,” Minister Molewa said.

Delivering a public lecture on climate change at the University of Johannesburg, on Monday, she said the process which is aimed at mitigating against climate change has a specific focus on communities that are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, particularly the indigent, rural dwellers and women.

She said South Africa has finalised the ratification process of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol that was agreed to in Durban.

The Kyoto Protocol places legally binding commitments on developed countries to reduce their emissions in absolute terms and enable them to meet some of their legal obligations through investment in low carbon sustainable development in developing countries.

“Work has been done with business and industry and other stakeholders to analyse the emission reduction potential in key economic sectors, to establish a Desired Emission Reduction system, and to understand the potential social and economic opportunities and impacts of South Africa’s transition to a lower carbon economy and society,” Minister Molewa said.

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has approved two South African projects which will provide an opportunity for the country to learn how to develop and implement high impact climate change adaptation projects that make a real difference in people’s lives.

“The first, in the uMgungundlovu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal aims to increase resilience of vulnerable communities through interventions such as early warning systems, climate smart agriculture and climate proofing settlements,” she said.

The second project will deliver direct adaptation benefits in the Namakwa and Mopani Districts in Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces, respectively.

The Ministry of Public Works is also leading a programme to unlock the untapped potential for energy savings in public buildings at national, provincial and local level.

Minister Molewa said three years ago, renewable energy projects were small and lacking investment, but there is now a rapid uptake of large-scale renewable energy technologies through the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

“By 2030, we aim to have decreased fossil energy demand significantly, creating alternative renewables through new technological innovation, good behavioural practices and a public commitment to more efficient, sustainable and equitable energy use,” she said.