KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli said climate change was no longer a theory but a living reality in KZN. Picture: Supplied.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli on Thursday announced the launch of a Climate Change and Sustainability Council to combat extreme weather events following recent disasters in the province.
Ntuli announced the launch of the council during a briefing at his office in Durban on Thursday.
The Premier said since the 2022 floods, the province had experienced extreme weather events such as wildfires, tornadoes, and a recent snowstorm that resulted in damage and loss of life.
He said climate change was no longer a theory but a living reality in KZN.
“We can no longer behave as if everything is normal. Even scientists have warned us that our seasons will be wetter and hotter, we may have long droughts and rains in the wrong season, and this may lead to a long-term catastrophe. That is unless we act, and we act now,” said Ntuli.
The Premier said the provincial government agreed with the call for more research in order to mitigate factors that contribute to climate change.
“In the coming four weeks, I will launch the KwaZulu-Natal Climate Change and Sustainability Council that will create neutral channels for the engagement of a broad array of stakeholders,” he said.
The council will include representatives from provincial government, traditional and Khoisan leadership, South African Local Government Association, local government, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, business, the media, academia, and leading experts.
He said KZN currently does not have early warning systems to deal with climate challenges.
“As government we will lead our collaboration on the acquisition of weather predictive technology,” he said.
He said funds need to be secured to address climate change issues and mitigate their impact on lives and emphasised that spheres of government must budget accordingly.
“We are all not safe. That is why it is important that we now begin a dialogue that will make everyone aware, and that will introduce some mitigations towards the post effects of climate change.”
Climate expert Professor Tafadzwa Mabhaudhi, from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the KZN provincial government already had a Council on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, which was established in 2021 under the previous government, with the same membership profile.
“I am a member of that Council.
So, this is not necessarily a new body. What has lacked before was proper terms of reference and resources for the commission to be able to operate and government support,” he said.
Mabhaudhi said it was good that the new government intends to continue with the idea, which strongly aligns with the requirements of the Climate Change Act for provinces to establish such climate change forums.
“If properly resourced and supported, the Council could be an important mechanism for enabling a science-policy-practice interface, which will enhance the government's ability to plan, organise and implement urgent climate change interventions,” he said.
Mabhaudhi added that a major elephant in the room is access to climate finance to fund climate change adaptation and mitigation.
“This calls for partnership, collaboration and coordination across all sectors.
In that regard, the Council on Climate Change can be an important vehicle for facilitating access to climate finance and implementing interventions in an inclusive, equitable and transparent manner,” he said.
Professor Guy Midgley, who is the acting director of the School for Climate Studies at Stellenbosch University, said the formation of the Council sounded like a really useful initiative to encourage the kind of “joined up thinking” between stakeholders and areas of interest and expertise to develop the appropriate analysis of risks and opportunities to reduce serious weather events.
Midgley said that the Council’s priority should be to understand climate change risks and their likely evolution over the next 5 to 10 years primarily through responding to climate extreme events.
The Mercury