Mail & Guardian Online
THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Feb 10 2010 01:14 | LAST UPDATED Feb 10 2010 01:14
News | National | Environment

We must act on climate change, says Motlanthe

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA Mar 03 2009 15:26
comments 1 comment | Post your comment


Africa is one of the regions least responsible for climate change, but it is the most affected and least able to afford the costs of adaptation, President Kgalema Motlanthe said in Midrand on Tuesday.

Opening the second National Climate Change Summit, Motlanthe, citing a report by a Nigerian scientist, said an additional 100-million African people would go hungry by 2050 as a result of rising temperatures and lower rainfall.

"We must act. We owe it to the millions of people who will be directly affected."

Motlanthe said acting on climate change presented an opportunity to overcome the global economic crisis.

"As with climate change, this [economic crisis] is largely a crisis that is not of our own making but one which, like climate change, will affect us all and the poorest the most," he said.

"For us in South Africa, the climate change challenge is therefore not only one of climate stabilisation, but it is ultimately also about combating poverty and promoting healthy livelihoods, energy security and sustainable development."

It was the purpose of the summit to lay a firm foundation for the policy development process and ensure all stakeholders were clear on their roles and responsibilities.

Motlanthe said that while South Africa should be proactive and play a constructive role, it was a global problem and should be addressed accordingly.

This required a coherent and coordinated action by developed and developing countries under the leadership of the United Nations.

CONTINUES BELOW


"It is only through coordinated and comprehensive global action that humanity will effectively deal with this threat."

He said the government was addressing the problem seriously but South Africa could not do it alone.

"The worst impact of climate change can be avoided if the rest of the world takes up the challenge in a similarly serious way," Motlanthe said. -- Sapa
TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE

Related Articles

Tags

People

Comments

I wonder if the supposed warming as mentioned, will be the root cause of Africa's perpetual supposed struggle. I fear that it has more to do with education, and the African desire to blame the West.
Pasta Bag on March 3, 2009, 10:27 pm
You must be logged in to comment. Log in or sign up to comment
click here to log in

M&G Online Comment Guidelines In Brief

  • No hate speech;
  • No racist, sexist or homophobic remarks;
  • Keep it short;
  • Keep it on topic;
  • Show respect to all;
  • We reserve the right to remove or delete any comment without notice or reason.

Click here for the full Comment Guidelines

Advertising Links



LATEST ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION
POPULAR ARTICLES IN THIS SECTION
Kalahari.net
2,3-million titles to choose from.
iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!
46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now!
100s of new releases now in stock. Get the new Sade & Bon Jovi albums.
Widest toy range and unbeatable prices!




Follow the Mail & Guardian on Twitter!


Direct message us on our mailandguardian account to chat to the M&G Online team.
THIS WEEK'S PAPER

Advertisements


Advertising links