The Catholic Parliamentary
Liaison Office, hosted a roundtable discussion on the South African draft
National Adaptation Strategy in Cape Town on the 24th February,
2017.
Upon the publication of the
National Climate Change Response Policy (NCCPR) White Paper, all provinces and
multiple local governmental entities prepared individual adaptation strategies.
This is in conjunction with the adaptation strategies that have been developed
in the private sector. In order to align the various adaptation strategies,
found both regionally and throughout the private sector, South Africa’s Draft
National Adaptation Strategy was developed to reflect a more unified,
cross-sectoral approach to climate change adaptation.
Assoc.
Prof Gina Ziervogel (Adaptation and Vulnerability Specialist, University of
Cape Town) provided an assessment of the draft National Adaption Strategy which
has been produced by the Department of Environmental Affairs of South Africa.
Strategic aspects of the Adaptation Strategy were openly discussed and
presented with diverging opinions regarding the overall content from the
various parties present. Strengths of the draft included recognition of the
broader developmental context within South Africa, the cross-sectoral
approach, attention to monitoring and evaluation, recognition for capacity
building, on-going stakeholder consultation, and the role of science and
academics. Concerns included terminology, for example the term ‘resilience’
covers too many areas, the relevance of the criteria used to assess and map
vulnerability, ability to capture data and learning in practice, and the
suggested institutional architecture regards where to house climate change
within government. The discussion culminated in a round-table discussion with
individuals expressing the role their respective organisations are playing in adaptation
strategies.
