Page 48 - UGU Dstrct Mun IDP Report '21-22

3.2.7 Climate Change
The climate of Ugu DM has been categorised into three distinct climate zones in the Ugu Climate Change Vulnerability and Response Strategy (CCVRS). These are coastal, inland north and inland south:
u The coastal climatology is influenced largely by the proximity to the warm Agulhas Ocean current. The thermal heat
retentive capacity of the ocean reduces the diurnal temperature range and thus results in more mild temperatures along the coastal areas. The warm ocean current along the eastern coast provides water that is more predisposed to evaporation. Coastal areas therefore experience high humidity and significantly more precipitation than inland and west coast areas.
u The inland climate zones do not receive the mitigation effect of proximity to the ocean and therefore have a larger diurnal temperature range. This is particularly noted in the northern inland areas which as the highest annual average daytime temperature. The inland southern areas partly cover higher altitude areas and will therefore have a reduced annual average temperature with increased altitude inland. The precipitation profile is very similar between the inland northern and southern areas and both exhibit reduced precipitation from that which is noted toward the coast.
The effects of climate change in South Africa are not limited to increased water scarcity in some parts of the country and drastic qualitative changes in the water supply, but extend to losses in biodiversity and rangelands, which impacts in the farming and agricultural sector, as well as possible increases in infectious and respiratory diseases. Climate change will have a significant impact on food availability, food accessibility and food systems stability. Climate change affects the large proportion of South Africa’s population who have a low resilience to extreme climate events due to poverty, inadequate housing infrastructure and location.
Climate change affects the decision-making processes of the vulnerable poor people in South African communities, such as; where they choose to live and which areas are sustainable for their livelihoods. In some households people survive on subsistence farming as they may not have the opportunities to access formal employment channels; neither are they close to any public facilities which could enable them to access employment opportunities. Therefore, in such cases subsistence farming becomes a way of life and survival. However, because of climate change, this form of livelihood is mostly threatened leaving subsistence farmers vulnerable to drought or forced to relocate from one area to another, where there is rainfall or access to water in order to survive. In some cases, the inability to access potable water forces people to relocate into other areas where water is available.
These patterns then directly affect settlement patterns, in terms of where most informal settlements tend to conglomerate within an Ugu area of jurisdiction. Furthermore, they determine which parts of municipal areas have the most sporadic development of informal settlements despite efforts by planners and local authorities to curb housing backlog and demand. Climate change may also influence the switch from subsistence farming as a form of livelihood to people moving closer to areas in which they can access public facilities or areas of mobility such that they have access to economic opportunities in the market. Cities are also required to deal with the rising threats of climate change and dwindling resources. These constraints mean that cities that do not plan adequately will face higher costs to residents, a decline in welfare, and reduced economic competitiveness. Preparations for these circumstances typically require decades of forward-thinking development guidance. Climate change is recognized as the major environmental problem facing the globe. Escalating greenhouse gas emissions contribute towards climate change and will ultimately impact on human health, food security, natural resources, sea level rise, land loss and coastal infrastructure.
Climate change embraces far more than temperature change and may include changes in rainfall patterns, sea level rise, the spread of infectious disease such as malaria, increase alien vegetation invasion and loss of biodiversity:
• An increase in the frequency and intensity of floods and drought;
• A decrease in water availability due to changed rainfall patterns and increased evaporation; this will affect subsistence dry
land farmers the most.
• An increase in erosional capacity of river courses, resulting in the loss of more topsoil, thus decreasing the agricultural
value of land and increasing siltation in dams.
• Infrastructural damage as a result of extreme weather events causing flooding, affecting human wellbeing and safety as
well as insurance costs;
• An increase in erosion of coastal areas due to sea-level rise;
• Higher energy consumption due to increased residential cooling load;
• An increase in economic losses due to property damage and decreased tourism revenue;
• An increase in heat-related vector-borne (e.g. malaria) and water-borne (e.g. cholera) illnesses;
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