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Risks to electricity supply due to impact of climate change on water availability (for cooling)
SRM: Landcare: CLIMATE CHANGE
Download this page in- Afrikaans: Klimaatsverandering Feiteblad Laai .pdf af
- English: Climate change fact sheet Download .pdf
- isiXhosa:
Table of Contents:
- Facts, threats and solutions
- What is climate change?
- Conclusions by leading researchers
- Short term scenarios and the expected impacts of climate change
- What you can do to mitigate the impact of climate change
- Additional resources
SHORT TERM SCENARIOS
SOIL
Loss of land suitable for production as a result of desertification- Soil loss due to wind and water erosion
- Decrease in soil quality as organic content, soil life and minerals are lost
- Extreme natural disasters (floods, landslides, earthquakes, etc.) will lead to erosion
- Increased frequency, intensity & unseasonal fires will damage soils & plants leading to alien plant invasion and wind erosion
- Soil moisture will decrease due to loss of cover and accompanying loss of organic content in the soil
HUMAN HEALTH
Environmental degredation leads to reduced quality of life and productivity- air pollution,
- sanitation problems due to stress on storm water drains,
- heat stress for outside workers, etc.
ATMOSPHERE
Climate change induces practises that lead to increased carbon emissions and radiation- Increased temperature and temperature extremes
- Loss of required cold units essential for fruit & vineyard production
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
Loss of biodiversity leads to an unstable environment- Degradation of natural zones leads to loss of environmental services such as soil formation, water retention and flood attenuation, pollinators and soil life
- Changed alien invasion patterns increase threat to biodiversity and productive potential.
WATER
Increase in frequency and extremity of natural disasters- Erratic rainfall patterns leading to extreme droughts and rainfall events e.g. storms and floods (Photographs of recent flooding in Southern Cape
- Reduction on quantity and quality of groundwater and the recharge rate
ENERGY SUPPLY RISKS
Climate change will have severe impacts on all energy sectorsRisks to electricity supply due to impact of climate change on water availability (for cooling)
- Risk of delayed action in the energy sector technologies – opportunities
- Continued use of fossil fuels resulting in polluted products for exports, e.g. irrigated crops
THE EXPECTED IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
- Risks of continued dependency of diminishing oil – will be very expensive later
- Dependency on Eskom (Western Province generated 1% of national total), could something happen to Eskom because of climate change?
- Risk of discriminated South African products – proceeds of dirty technology
- Energy demand will change due to extreme weather events and increased urbanisation
