The Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2023: Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report) has summarised what scientists know about the state of the earth system and made clear what we must do to avert large-scale disruption of lives and livelihoods. The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook 2023 has noted that fossil fuels have already raised the global average surface temperature to 1.2 °C above pre-industrial levels, created air pollution, and triggered extreme weather events, while GHG emissions have not yet peaked. Access to electricity and clean cooking is still limited in less-developed communities, especially in Africa. But, the emergence of a new clean energy economy, powered by solar PV and wind turbines and employing electric vehicles (EVs), provides a path towards a cleaner, more sustainable future. In 2023, Kenya hosted the first African Climate Summit and COP28 was hosted by the United Arab Emirates in Dubai. Both reflected progress but delivered outcomes that fell short of our needs and ambitions. Great challenges lie ahead in both mitigation and adaptation.
Speakers
- Professor Nina Callaghan, Deputy Director at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University, will frame the challenges and set out what we need to do to achieve aggregate net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.
- Maesela Kekana, Deputy Director-General, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, will speak on on the outcome of COP28 and the implications of the decisions taken, and those avoided, for policy at global, African and South African levels, are of vital importance to all of SAIIA’s constituencies.
- Alex Benkenstein, SAIIA’s Programme Head for Climate and Natural Resources, who will interrogate the options, discuss the obstacles, and explore solutions that Africa should seek at COP 29, and through the G20, during Brazil’s presidencies in 2024, and that of South Africa in 2025.
Cost
- Entrance is free.
We look forward to your attendance and participation.