- Last week, the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal province was undergoing damage recovery efforts after being hit by unexpectedly heavy rains. That's nearly 50 times the normal daily average in 24 hours.
- Experts say political will is needed to buffer communities against such extreme weather events, which occur more frequently and become more intense as the Earth's climate changes.
- But climate change has received little attention in election negotiations. Voters say this is not okay.
- For climate change news and analysis, visit: News24 The future of climate.
As 4.2 billion people in 50 countries (nearly half of the world's population) vote for the next government this year, “the greatest threat to national security ever faced by modern humanity” will be at the top of election negotiations.
However, politicians' campaigns spend far less time talking about global climate change.
Reading the manifestos of the 16 largest political parties in South Africa's elections this year, they realize how deeply intertwined the relationship is between the country's efforts to tackle climate change today and its prospects for future prosperity and social security. It is clear that they understand. It's worryingly shallow, but voters are much better informed.
Last week, KwaZulu-Natal's south coast was working to repair damage after being hit with unexpectedly heavy rain over the weekend, amounting to almost 50 times the normal daily average in 24 hours. do.
Experts say changing weather patterns are likely to cause around 250,000 new deaths a year from around 2030, especially when extreme weather events such as heat waves, storms, floods, droughts and wildfires occur. , says infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV are likely to spread more easily. It happens more often and is more intense.
For example, floods, extreme temperatures, and drought alone killed almost twice as many people and caused economic losses more than in previous years, even though there were slightly more such events in 2022 than the global 20-year average. It increased by $36 billion (approximately R695 billion). It accounts for nearly 9% of South Africa's gross domestic product.
Read | Opinion | Political parties ignore climate change 'adaptation emergency' in manifestos
Looking at numbers like these, it is difficult to understand the low political priority given to climate change. Especially considering that humanity may only have six years left if we continue pumping greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the air at our current rate. To achieve the reasonable goal of preventing the Earth's air from becoming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than it was before the Industrial Revolution in the mid-19th century.
Climate experts say this temperature rise is the limit that can be mitigated before ecosystems, water and food supplies, and people's health and livelihoods are seriously threatened. That means serious action is needed now.
As part of a research project called Money Talks, we surveyed 30,000 people in 15 countries, both rich and poor, to find out what they think about public investment to address climate change. was conducted and questioned 2,000 South Africans of various ages, incomes, and incomes. Racial and gender groups come together from across the country to add their voices.
The results completely surprised us. Here are three of the most enlightening discoveries.
1. Climate change ranks high as an election issue
Unemployment, corruption and the cost of living are top priorities for South African voters, with between a third and almost half of respondents worrying most. Nearly a third of the country's adults are unemployed, state occupation has eroded public services and trust in them, and prices for food, consumer goods, and services such as electricity and health care have soared. Considering that, we weren't surprised. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and global conflicts.
But what surprised us was that climate change was one of the top 10 priorities for voters, with 11% of participants saying climate change was one of their top three issues .
Beyond issues such as water and sanitation, they gained access to social security (such as pension funds and government subsidies) and national energy policies. Given that almost a third of the population depends on monthly social grants, and given the dire consequences that power outages have on the economy and people's lives, we believe that these last two issues should receive greater attention. I expected it to be.
2.The effects of climate change hit home
Polling data shows that respondents, regardless of their age, education level or where they live, are genuinely concerned that climate change will make their lives worse in the future. Their biggest fear was running out of water due to living in hotter conditions, food becoming more expensive, and droughts becoming more likely.
On a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 means not stressed and 10 means very concerned, South Africans have an average score of 8.0 for concern about the negative effects of climate change, lower than wealthier countries. almost 18% higher than the average for people in the world. , Italy, France, Canada, etc.
This is similar to the level of concern in other developing countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina, even though these countries are far less affected by changing weather conditions than high-income countries. Research has shown that the impact of changes in weather conditions is a major blow to climate change.
3. Is it worth spending money on climate change now?
Upon further probing, respondents said that investment to address the impacts of climate change may be difficult now due to the cost of solving more pressing issues such as load reduction in South Africa; It turns out that we think it's a necessary investment in our society. Overall, about the future.
This is of great significance. Because ordinary people are more concerned about how climate change is related to making life harder than politicians are of their assessment of how climate change is related to making life harder, and how climate change will continue to threaten well-being in the years to come. Because it tells us what we understand much better.
Furthermore, support for climate spending can increase by up to 15% if voters feel that the choices available to them will improve the environment and make people's lives more comfortable.
This is, quite simply, how investing in ways that address the causes and effects of climate change will lead to a more stable economy today and better, more reliable services such as healthcare. This means that South African voters respond well to political messages that indicate And even if in the future there is an increased possibility of poor health due to bad weather.
Impact of climate change on public health in South Africa
When extreme weather events damage water supplies, sewage systems, power lines, roads, etc., it becomes difficult for people to maintain their health. This has practical implications for how public health systems are organized to adapt to how climate change affects our well-being.
For example, severe flooding in KwaZulu-Natal in 2022 left many people without homes and belongings or forced to relocate. This made it difficult for people with chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and HIV to become infected. their medicine.
Floods also added stress and anxiety to people's lives, increasing both the risk and incidence of mental illness. Add to that the impact of not investing in preparing for the impacts of climate change, if an already stressed health system has to deal with a lot of diarrhea, for example because water supply and sanitation systems have been destroyed. grows like a snowball.
In areas such as the Mpumalanga Plateau and the Vaal Triangle, power plants and factories rely on burning and processing fossil fuels such as coal and oil, and people living near these industries breathe extremely polluted air. Because of this, many people develop lung disease and heart problems, such as: Asthma worsens.
In these areas, people who have lost their jobs due to layoffs or are unable to work due to illness rely on government hospitals and clinics. But public health systems are strained, and it is important to make system changes that address the root causes of poor health, such as providing people with the right care and switching away from coal to clean energy sources. is difficult.
Our research does not examine whether South Africans feel their political parties are prepared to do what is necessary to help adapt to climate change.
But this survey shows that people are not only concerned enough to put climate change in their top 10 voting priorities, but also that they want politicians to take climate change seriously for a better future. It means they want to hear it.
This story was created by Bexisa Health Journalism Center.Please sign up for Newsletter.