South Africa, having faced numerous challenges posed by climate change, has emphasised adaptation as its top priority to safeguard natural resources. At the recent Cop29 conference, the government, represented by the department of forestry, fisheries, and the environment, reaffirmed its commitment to addressing these pressing environmental issues on a global stage.
Farmers across the country have been battling with veld fires, consistent drought, and adverse weather conditions which has affected their operations.
Minister Dion George told Cop29 delegates that the gathering presented a vital opportunity for developing economies like South Africa to establish institutional infrastructure supporting ambitious climate action while addressing hurdles to sustainable development.
‘Urgent action needed to mitigate impact’
“Climate change threatens to derail development progress while failure to decarbonise risks economic marginalisation nationally, and disaster globally. Achieving these goals requires resources beyond our domestic capabilities.
“In South Africa’s context, we have experienced devastating impacts, including severe flooding in three provinces, frequent droughts, and extreme weather events, demonstrating the urgent need for action on both mitigation and adaptation.
“We support the UAE framework for global climate resilience and call for progress on adaptation indicators at Cop29,” he said.
George said when it comes to mitigation, the country’s nationally determined contribution (NDC) target is ambitious considering the circumstances.
“We are implementing policies to achieve our 2025 and 2030 targets while addressing poverty, inequality, and unemployment. We urge developed economy countries to fulfill their commitments, including the $100 billion per annum climate finance target through 2025.”
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George noted that Cop29 presented an opportunity to advocate for innovative and improved financial frameworks that can mobilise substantial resources more efficiently.
“Such a model must ensure predictable, accessible, and adequate funding, and address the shortcomings of existing systems and empowering countries like South Africa to implement ambitious climate actions,” he said.
Harvests lost due to climate change
Meanwhile, Zambia’s green economy and environment minister Mike Mposha said more than 50% of the country’s projected harvest has gone to waste because of climate change.
“We’ve heard many commitments from developed countries about climate action. Those commitments must now be turned into action.
“And we want to see finances that will go towards saving our countries, that will go towards the actual fight against climate change so that we don’t continue using our limited resources from developing our countries to fighting climate change,” he said.
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