Global Environmental Change in South Africa. Research Paper

Global Environmental Change in South Africa
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May 24, 2019
Introduction
Climate change has been one of the most pervasive threats that humankind has faced in the past century. The sheer amount and scope of its effects are felt all around the world, that almost every nation have dedicated intensive resources in order to mitigate its imminent effects. Yet, the issue is still far from being resolved. The established practices of mankind from their daily lives, to agriculture, and specially that in its manufacturing capacities have all been dependent to the use of materials that are detrimental towards the ecosystem, making it difficult to achieve the change needed to solve this global problem. However, it is a common misconception that climate change and its effects are only rooted upon the physical aspects of man’s practices. Rather, it must be noted that both the issue and its effects are rooted in the social, political, and economic aspects of man’s daily lives. To demonstrate these, both the physical and socio-political issues about Global Environmental Change (GEC) in South Africa would be discussed in greater detail. On the one hand, the succeeding chapter would initially show South Africa’s main contribution towards GEC as well as its sources. On the other hand, the article would also show the socio-political aspects affecting and resulting such contributions. All in all, the author believes that although climate change is a phenomenon brought about by the collective actions of every nation in the world, with the richest having the greatest contribution, its effects have been mostly pervasive amongst poorer countries in the world.
Contributions to Global Environmental Change
South Africa is a nation located in the southern tip of the continent of Africa. Although its neighbors such as Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, among others, are poor nations, South Africa enjoys an advanced economy among the region. In fact, the country is considered as an upper-middle-income country of the World Bank and is the second most industrialized country in the whole region CITATION CCSnd \l 1033 (CCSU.edu, n.d.). However, South Africa’s relatively bigger economy causes a greater effect on GEC, than its neighbors in the same region. As according to CDKN (n.d.), the “IPCC recognizes that Africa (excluding South Africa) has low levels of emissions”. The exclusion provided shows that the country has significantly more emissions as compared to other countries in the same region. In a study conducted by the USAid.gov (2016), it was shown that the main sources for South Africa’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions includes the energy, agriculture, industrial processes, waste, and land-use change and forestry sectors. However, the energy sector accounts for 84% of the country’s overall GHG emissions, while agriculture only comes second, accounting for only 7% of the total GHG emissions. In terms of CO2 emissions, recent reports showed that 15% of emissions of the country are generated by quarrying.
While South Africa’s contribution in GHG and carbon emissions are highest within the region, the same cannot be said when comparing it with other countries around the world. In a 2013 study conducted about the carbon emissions of every country (and regions) compared to their country and population, &lsqu...