Western Cape Environmental Affairs and Development Planning has released a report which highlights the changes in the environment and the associated causes of these changes. The content of the draft Western Cape State of the Environment Outlook Report serves to inform and influence key decisions which will impact on the state of the environment with due regard for economic development and social welfare.
All interested stakeholders are invited to comment on the draft report. The commenting period has commenced and all comments must be submitted at the latest 10 July 2013. A stakeholder workshop, scheduled 20 June 2013, will afford interested stakeholders the opportunity to engage the project team when the report will be presented and discussed. The final report is due for release in September 2013.
Some of the key findings in the report have been highlighted as follows:
Firstly, population, energy, transportation and water resource management are considered the aspects with a significant influence over the state of the environment, but also as aspects that are very well understood in terms of their current nature and future development.
The population of the Western Cape has been rapidly increasing over the past few years. The consequence of this growth is increasing pressure on natural resources and the need for service provision. Population growth is therefore displayed with the highest level of certainty and highest impact on the figure. Closest to this is the need for diverse and sustainable energy sources, to sustain the growing population and economic development.
As a function of the efficiency of resource use, energy supply and demand furthermore determines to a great extent the environmental footprint of the Western Cape. Improved transport networks are also considered a critical foundation for sustained economic growth, but the nature of transportation networks will need drastic overhaul if the resource efficiency of the economy and society in general is to be improved.
Natural resources and the provision of goods and services are essential for economic growth (e.g. manufacturing industry), subsistence, ecological functioning, and adaptation to climate change, amongst other things. Of these, the availability and quality of natural resources and goods and services has the greatest impact.
Ecosystem services strongly influence the successes and failures of agricultural sector which, in turn, is vital for national food security and the export industry. Similarly, it determines the integrity of the tourism industry that is greatly reliant on the quality of the natural environment. However, understanding of where thresholds of over-exploitation or degradation of ecosystems lie is still limited.
Of all the issues that are identified through this State of Environment Report population growth is the most certain, i.e. the growth is certain to continue, and the aspect with the most impact on the overall environmental system. Environmental policy and decision-making must recognise the increasing pressures that population dynamics will place on natural resources.
These pressures will manifest as a need for increased utilisation or 11 State of Environment Outlook Report for the Western Cape province exploitation of biophysical resources as well as an increasing volume of waste or by-products that are disposed of in the environment.
Human induced accelerated climate change will result in higher average temperatures in the Western Cape, higher extreme temperatures and likely a drying trend.
This will impact on broad resource management strategies as the disagreement between resource availability and demand increases. It will also affect decision-making and livelihoods on a fine scale due to microclimatic shifts that will influence agricultural productivity, crop suitability, irrigation practices and pest populations, and consequently also food security, social harmony and social-ecological resilience.
A growing appetite for energy and expansion in the primary supply of energy is a certainty. This will go hand-in-hand with changes to energy supply infrastructure and shifts in the type of energy applied in different applications. The impact on the environment will be significant, especially in terms of the potential conflict between sensitive biophysical resources and sources of energy.
Four aspects need to be addressed at a strategic, political and macro-economic level:
- A shift from near complete reliance on 'dirty' fossil fuels to primary energy sources and energy carriers with lower GHG emissions, as well as an increasing contribution from renewable energy sources.
- Improvements in the efficiency of energy use, especially in terms of domestic energy use, transportation and the built environment as a whole.
- Access to appropriate energy types and sources relative to the application, such as micro-generation solutions for rural settlements versus bulk supply to energy intensive industries.
- Facilitation of the development of renewable energy generation facilities, balanced with the need for protection of natural resource quality and sense of place.
It is generally known that internationally our cities and urban settlements are inefficient in design and operation. It is also certain that urban growth will continue as migration from rural areas persists. Reform of our urban spaces will have positive impacts on environmental resources, through improved efficiency of resource use, improved social cohesion, more functional spatial patterns and greater valuing of ecological infrastructure with low capital and maintenance costs.
The biggest transformation is possibly in terms of rectification of spatial patterns. Improvement in residential densities and correction of spatial disjuncture will enable the roll-out of efficient urban services such as public transport, waste reduction strategies and innovative energy supply systems. The efficiency of energy use will improve as the energy intensity of urban operation drops.
Control over urban encroachment into natural systems will also ensure that natural biophysical features are integrated into the urban system as ecological infrastructure (e.g. stormwater management) and biological controls (e.g. pest control or microclimatic mediation). Natural systems that are shown to be under stress include watercourses, estuaries, the coastline and remaining intact habitats.
The full report can be accessed via the official website.
Media enquiries:
Aziel Gangerdine, Departmental Spokesperson
Cell: 071 866 9887
Tel: 021 483 4643
E-mail: aziel.gangerdine@westerncape.gov.za
