By Philda Essop
Cape Town - The Western Cape is likely to have to fork out billions of rand over the next 20 years to limit and adapt to the effects of climate change.
The Environmental Affairs Department's director for strategic and environmental management, Mark Gordon, told the Cape Argus on Wednesday that the money would be needed for new power stations, desalination of sea water, new dams, changing crop cycles, finding new export revenue streams and the effects on housing and coastal development of possible rising sea levels.
Other expenses would include sanitation and communicable diseases, he said.
'When it gets warmer there is always the likelihood of more disease' "When it gets warmer there is always the likelihood of more disease, so more money will be spent on healthcare. Introducing other forms of renewable energy will be more costly than the cheaper coals we are using."
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Gordon said that doing nothing would cost more in the long run.
"Plans to reduce the effects of climate change are now being developed by the department in consultation with other departments and stakeholders," he said.
The findings of the study on climate change commissioned by the provincial government are to be released at a climate change conference in June by the MEC for Environmental Affairs, Development Planning and Economic Development, Tasneem Essop.
Speaking to the Cape Argus after the standing committee on community development met at the legislature, Gordon said the priority areas for mitigation and adaptation on which the Western Cape would focus were water and energy resources, transport and alternative agricultural crops.
"The West Coast will become drier, so we need to look at the use of water and alternative crops," Gordon said.
"To reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars, we need to look at a reliable and affordable public transport system.
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