Energy Research Centre • University of Cape Town
 

Completed research projects
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Review of the energy and climate change strategy and the preparation of an adaptation framework

Client:  City of Cape Town

Period: Apr  - June 2006

Mitigation - review and incorporation of stakeholder comments

A review of the draft report, City of Cape Town Climate Change and Energy Strategy, will be made and will focus on the mitigation issues. Relevant stakeholder comments will be incorporated into the draft report as part of the review.

Adaptation – physical and socio-economic impacts

The draft strategy document currently does not reflect  the  the short to medium term impacts of climate change in the metropolitan area. These impacts both physical and socio-economic will be assessed and included in the review.

The parameters of weather and climate that show greatest historical variation and/or that are predicted to change the most in the future, will be identified from historical weather data as well as the latest scenario projections. To the degree the information is available for existing reports, this will include issues of the incidence or frequency of weather or weather related events leading to excessive build up of air pollution, extreme weather (storms, droughts, floods, etc.), fires, and increased evapo-transpiration and water resource stress.

Data and information will be collected from available literature. We would take a broad-brush approach to all sectors including: 

  1. Water: Analyses of vulnerabilities with respect to:
    Water demand, given trends and projections of population growth,
    Incidence of drought,
    Incidence of flooding

  2. Biodiversity: Analysis of the vulnerability of key components of the species-rich western Cape natural ecosystems, and aspects of their function, such as fire frequency and severity using fire assessment tools (including an assessment of interactions with stresses induced by alien species invasions and land-use change) and the functioning and biodiversity of estuaries and coastal ecosystems

  3. Livelihoods: including potential impacts of impacts on nature-based tourism, impacts of fire and other disaster management implications, implications of sea-level rise for the built environment and coastal-zone management.

  4. Human health, such as impacts of possible heat waves or changes in sanitation practices induced by water limitations or cost.

The above analysis will allow an objective assessment to be made regarding the quantification of impacts, as well as prioritise specific areas of attention and action to be included in the next section.

Adaptation – strategy identification

Where possible, opportunities available to the City of Cape Town to mitigate the effects of short and medium-term climate change will be identified.

ERC project team: Pierre Mukheibir  (Project leader), Harald Winkler, Gina Ziervogel (CSAG)

Reports for download