Programme Director
CEO of the South African Weather Service: Dr Linda Makuleni;
Representatives from the World Meteorological Organisation;
Representatives from other African States;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning
I would like to extend our most sincere greetings and warmth welcome to all the delegates attending the World Meteorological Organisation workshop on Climate Monitoring including the implementation of Climate Watch Systems on behalf of the Republic of South Africa and the Department of Environmental Affairs.
It is well documented that the warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global average sea level. The science also tells us that the observed warming will have in all probability far reaching consequences to our weather and climate in the subcontinent, which could lead to changes in precipitation amounts, wind patterns and extreme weather occurrences such as droughts, heavy precipitation and heat waves.
We can conclude that it will be the most vulnerable of society that will carry the brunt of the consequences of climate change. We also observe that climate projections indicate that sub-Saharan Africa is one of the regions of the world that will be hardest hit by changes in climate caused by global warming. This, together with the fact that in our region all national economies can be considered to be in a developmental phase, makes it imperative that we learn to adapt to the consequences of climate change, as we realise that the current changes in our climate is irreversible.
In our region, a large portion of the population depends on subsistence farming and less than optimal infrastructure, making them particularly vulnerable. While indigenous communities have over a long period of time developed adaptation strategies to cope with the large spatial and temporal variability of the southern African climate, climate change with its associated extremes will cause these to become less efficient.
In light of these facts, the South African Government has put various mechanisms in place to mitigate climate change, but more importantly to adapt to the consequences thereof. These are reflected in the various programs of different national and provincial departments, but most importantly in the National Development Plan.
This Plan acknowledges the probable consequences of climate change to our economy and the well-being of our citizens, and calls for, amongst others, an independent climate change centre, which will serve as a repository of all climate change related information. This will then serve as a source for the public and private sector to make informed decisions regarding the actions required to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
We commend the World Meteorological Organisation and the South African Weather Service for organising this workshop and it is our sincere hope that it will be the first steps towards a continuous assessment of climate change related risks, to provide decision-making organisations, such as governments, agricultural agencies, emergency management services, and water resource management agencies with the necessary information. A climate watch system for this sub region will ensure that the necessary actions can be taken to mitigate the effects of significant climate anomalies that can cause extremes such as droughts, floods and heat-waves.
We realise that given the advances in climate monitoring and long range forecasting during the last two decades, it is now feasible for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services to issue climate watches to help reduce socio-economic vulnerability by improving preparedness procedures for adverse climatic conditions.
To our colleagues in the region: We welcome you in light of the fact that weather and climate knows no boundaries. The implementation of a climate watch system will assist us to tackle the challenges of climate change in a regional, coordinated manner, which is imperative with the limited resources at our disposal. Many examples can be mentioned where weather-related disasters in the region were addressed in a spirit of collaboration. The envisaged climate watch system strengthening of monitoring our changing climate can only strengthen the way in which we have cooperated in the past. We expect that with the knowledge of best practices in delivery, provision and evaluation of climate watches a huge difference can be made in how we work together as a region.
In conclusion, I would like to wish you well in your deliberations during the workshop.
I thank you.
