South Africa Responds to GEC

South Africa Responds to GEC Name Institution Due Date South Africa Responds to GEC Countries all over the world are working hard to make sure they are responding to the climatic changes. Many have come together to seek solutions and help make sure they hold themselves accountable to the environmental changes experienced in the world. Currently, reports indicate that the world could experience a global temperature rise of more than 1° C. In a 2018 article written by Dan Shepard, the world is working towards limiting “global temperature rise to 1.5° C.” He continues to write that such a rise in temperature beyond 1.5 would mean enormous changes in the world, especially sub-Saharan Africa. A significant change in the global temperature will, of course, affect different places differently. However, in Africa, some regions will experience pronounced changes in temperature, especially regions that are “within 15 degrees of the equator” (Shepard, 2018). For South Africa particularly, any change in global temperature presents the region with major changes. An increase in the number of hot days and reduction in precipitation are but a few of the repercussions of an increase in global temperature in South Africa. The IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report indicates that South Africa will also experience losses in its yields, and this could be in excess of 30%. With increased climate and reduced precipitation, Africa as a whole will indeed experience a decrease in yields. Additionally, Ruppel et al. (2014) note that “changing weather patterns could expand the distribution of ticks causing animal diseases, particularly in East and South Africa.” They continue to say that East Africa and South Africa “would be particularly vulnerable to climate-related changes in tick distributions and tick-borne diseases.” This means that like other nations around the world, South Africa needs to make sure it is taking deliberate action and working with other countries to ensure that it does not become a victim of global environmental change. Responding to GEC requires careful planning, and South Africa needs to have a team in place to ensure that policies are not only enacted but also implemented. South Africa’s response to GEC has indeed been positive and the country is working towards making sure that it is a part of the countries working towards limiting global temperature increase to less than 1.5° C. In Africa, South Africa is among the largest if not the largest greenhouse gas emitter and is thus working towards making sure that its contribution to GEC is reduced. An article from the Climate Action Tracker (2018) notes that led by their new president Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s plans includes “a shift away from coal, increased adoption of renewables and gas, and an end to the expansion of nuclear power.” South Africa’s energy policy is highly dependent on coal, and this has been the case for the past few decades. Howev...