Climate change is increasingly recognised as one of the defining issues of the 21st century, drawing all elements of society towards the promotion of a prosperous, low carbon future. Even in times of economic recession, climate change has not fallen off the radar, with many major economies rather viewing ‘green' led investment as an engine for economic recovery.

South Africa has become increasingly involved in addressing climate change issues, from our involvement in international climate negotiations, the modelling of potential mitigation scenarios under the Long Term Mitigation Scenarios (LTMS) process, and the current development of the National Climate Change Response Policy. A significant amount of work has also been done to consider the direct impacts of climate change on the South African environment, including physical impacts related to higher temperatures, sea level rise, increased risk of wild fire and concerns over future water availability.  

To help address this gap, research commenced in May 2009 which considers the indirect effects that climate change could have on South Africa's economy, ranging from impacts on the tourism sector, aviation and food exports, through to commercial opportunities in low carbon technologies and the promotion of alternative carbon markets.

The research is aimed at providing a framework for assessing how climate change could impact on different sectors of the economy, both now and in the future, and to develop a set of case studies offering practical examples of how climate issues are being played out in a South African context.

To learn more about this project, click here.