We are already seeing the changes that global warming will and is causing on our climate and earth. Glaciers are melting far more rapidly than predicted. Recently an iceberg seven times the size of Manhattan broke away from the Antarctic coast, and is now threatening to collapse an even bigger ice shelf that is “hanging by a thread” says David Vaughan of the British Antarctic Survey. “I didn’t expect things to happen this quickly. It’s happened twice as fast as we predicted” continues Vaughan. In former U.S.A vice president Al Gore’s eye-opening and controversial film ‘An inconvenient truth’, he examines the substantial changes that have already occurred. He lists a doubling of figures in the number of category four and five hurricanes over the past 30 years and the spread of malaria being reported in places such as the Colombian Andes, 7,000 feet above sea level. The flow of ice from glaciers in Greenland has also more than doubled in the past decade and almost 279 plant and animal species have already read the signs of a changing climate and begun to move closer to the poles.

So what is global warming? In simple terms carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of our plant naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it helps to maintain the habitability of earth. However the problem has arisen by our use and burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil, as well the clearing of forests. This has dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere meaning that temperatures are rising.

According to some scientists Africa will be the hardest hit by global warming. With a predicted temperature increase of approximately 2.5 degrees and rising sea levels, studies conducted by the University of Pretoria estimate a loss of $25 billion due to crop failures. As the greenhouse effect acts within a lag system, the sun’s energy stored today will take 20 to 30 years to redistribute throughout the system. Thus what we see today is due to atmosphere contamination that occurred before we were born. At the current level of contamination, the global average temperatures are likely to rise by as much as 5°C. The likelihood of increased extreme weather events, including flooding and droughts, will compound the problems that South Africa is already facing. If South Africa is not able to deal with the likely effects of climate change it will most certainly set back the countries efforts to eradicate poverty. In spite of this President Thabo Mbeki only made a fleeting mention of the global warming issue in his recent state of the nation address.

While there is no ‘quick fix’ to curbing global warming. Al Gore believes that “there is no doubt we can solve the problem. In fact we have a moral obligation to do so”. The Country Studies Programme identified the health sector, maize production, plant and animal biodiversity, water resources and rangelands as the areas of highest vulnerability to climate change. Two key cross-sector adaptation options that link these various sectors are – the establishment of improved national disaster coordination and management, and the raising of awareness of the potential effects of climate change. Global Climate Model (GCM) computer simulations were used to develop regional climate change scenarios and to assess the potential effects of a changed climate

Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions requires greater energy efficiency. Industrialists and governments have a key role to play here. South Africa is renowned for being one of the biggest polluters per capita on earth. This is because the country generates 90% of its energy from burning low grade coal. It is therefore the country’s responsibility to find long-term solutions that will benefit our environment as well as the global environment South African business is already responding to pressure as they find it increasingly difficult to find international buyers who are more concerned about the environment. But what can you as an individual do?

• Reduce electricity consumption.
• Use lift clubs, public transport, bicycles or your feet for transport.
• Reduce, re-use, recycle, and save energy - the manufacture of all products requires energy.
  For more tips on how to reduce your own carbon imprint and help make a difference to curbing global warming visit our ‘Green Tips’ section.