Climate Change

Photo by Chris Kirchhoff
Over the past decade, public awareness of climate change and its impacts has grown immensely resulting in more urgent action at the local, national and international levels. The Sustainable Development Programme of the HBS seeks to maintain and increase the current awareness of climate change, and through its international network of offices to provide a platform for African voices to be heard at the international level and conversely to create local awareness of the global discourse on climate change.

Our ultimate aim is to contribute to the development of just and equitable responses to climate change at local, regional and international levels. The climate change component of the programme focuses on: 

  • Mitigation - particularly by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency as sustainable solutions to climate change; 
  • Adaptation  - by highlighting the expected impacts of climate change in the region e.g. on the water resources of the region; 
  • Finance and technology transfer – by seeking to understand and promote the most suitable finance and technology solutions for the region.


Climate Change

PARTNER ACTIVITY

Engaging Renewable Energy

February 15, 2012 - This video presents the events organised by Idasa's Electricity Governance Initiative South Africa which aimed to promote informed and sustainable engagement between parliament and civil society on energy and climate issues. more»

PUBLICATION

Myth of Nuclear Power

 - To address the myths of nuclear power, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has commissioned renowned international nuclear experts to deliver reports that provide the public with an overview of current facts and nuclear-critical know-how. more»

PUBLICATION

Climate Governance in Africa - Adaptation Strategies and Institutions

 - Our four Africa offices commissioned studies to evaluate the state of preparedness for climate change adaptation in seven African countries. What are the impacts of and vulnerabilities to climate change in Africa? To what extent do existing adaptation policies, strategies and plans respond to the vulnerabilities identified? By Masego Madzwamuse more»

ANALYSIS

Climate Policy in 2010: One Step Forward and Two Sideward

 - The year 2010 offered mixed results concerning global climate policy, with serious setbacks as well as some small victories. This publication offers regional analysis of climate policy in 2010 and the UN climate conference in Cancun (COP 16). more»

EXHIBITION

Climate Change in Africa: Artists Speak and Connect

- November 29, 2010 - This cross continental interactive exhibition forms part of a larger creative dialogue between African artists, climate experts and delegates attending the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 16), in Cancún, Mexico, in December 2010. The exhibition was put together by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Southern Africa, through support from the COPART movement and the Arterial Network. more»

DOSSIER

Energy Policy in South Africa

 - This dossier sheds light on the current state of energy policy in South Africa. It examines three inter-related issues: the possibility of a low-carbon future, the great energy policy disconnect within government, and the prospects for renewable energy in South Africa. more»

PARTNER ACTIVITY

Climate Change and the Zambezi River Basin

 - November 26, 2010 - The Climate Change and the Zambezi River Basin research and documentation project is funded by the Henrich Böll Foundation and implemented by the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre (SARDC). The goal of the project is “improved access to information on the impacts of climate change on the water resources of the Zambezi River Basin is made available to decision makers and civil society actors”. more»

ANALYSIS

Climate Change and Democratisation: A complex relationship

 - July 29, 2010 - The paper examines whether democracy at the country level and global climate change matter for another. It raises the question of how to support democracy’s advance in the face of multiple challenges that include the adverse effects of global warming and extreme weather events merits much more attention than it has received so far. By Peter Burnell more»

ANALYSIS

Drowning Voices: The Climate Change Discourse in South Africa

- Significant attention has been given to improving our understanding of the real and imminent impacts of climate change. It is accepted that rising temperatures, changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather events, changes in sea levels and changes in biodiversity will have significant consequences on the world economy, rural livelihoods and development in general. Africa in particular will be hardest hit by climate change yet its adaptive capacity remains low. By Masego Madzwamuse more»

STUDY

Gender and Climate Change in Southern Africa

 - Although various studies have focused on climate change impacts and adaptation opportunities in Africa, few have focused on the household level and in particular on gender differentiated impacts of climate change. This study, commissioned by Heinrich Böll Stiftung, provides an analysis and summary of the findings of eight case studies carried out in four southern African countries. Furthermore, the study aims to identify various policies, programmes and activities that could address these issues. more»

SEMINAR

Will Copenhagen deliver? Aspirations and Reality

 - December 2, 2009 - WILL COPENHAGEN DELIVER? – That was the question dominating debate at a recent seminar convened by the Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS) in Cape Town. Attended by representatives of local government, business, civil society, academics, researchers, students and the media, the seminar sought to shed light on the prospects of reaching a comprehensive international climate deal when parties meet for the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 in Copenhagen from 7 to 18 December. more»

DOSSIER

On the road to Copenhagen

 - From 7 to 18 December the UN climate change conference 2009 took place. With this Dossier the Heinrich Böll Foundation aimed to provide accessible analysis from a South African perspective and a wider range of background information on the road to Copenhagen. more»

PUBLICATION SERIES

Perspectives #02/2009: On the road to Copenhagen

 - November 10, 2009 - The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen between 7 and 18 December will be extremely critical in determining the global actions to curb climate change in the future. This issue of Perspectives covers some of the key issues and implications of the negotiations as they are viewed from (Southern) Africa. more»

REPORT

Training and Strategy Building Workshop for African Negotiators

- October 23, 2009 - The Heinrich Boll Stiftung Regional Office for Southern Africa hosted a Training and Strategy Building workshop for negotiators from eastern and southern African in Bangkok, Thailand from 21 – 23 September 2009. This report presents the results of that workshop. more»

PARTNER ACTIVITY

Climate Change Hearings

 - October 13, 2009 - The Environmental Monitoring Group (EMG) and Oxfam hosted Climate Change Hearings on the 5th and 6th October at the Common Ground Church, Rondebosch, Cape Town. The aim of the Hearings was to suspend the big climate change questions for a while, and take the time out to really listen to the experiences of ordinary people and how vulnerable their lives are to changes in the climate. more»

PUBLICATION

Toward a Transatlantic Green New Deal: Tackling the Climate and Economic Crisis

- The grave financial and economic crisis that broke into full view in the fall of 2008 has dominated not only headlines but also government and business deliberations. Bailout efforts and stimulus packages of unprecedented scope have taken center stage, as attempts to stave off the specter of a second Great Depression unfold. In sharp contrast with the laissez-faire attitude of the past three decades, the question now is not whether government can play a useful and central role, but what the specifics of government action should be. more»

PUBLICATION

"Boiling Point" - the Impact of Climate Change in South Africa

 - Leonie Joubert, a renowned journalist and photographer, reports on the impact of climate change in South Africa. Her essay is accompanied by striking photographs of  South Africa’s vulnerable landscapes and of the people depending on them for their livelihoods. more»

Appeal

Climate Justice for Africa!

 - Africa speaks up on Climate Change is an appeal about the threat climate change poses to Africa. Immediate political action is needed. The film Hotspot Africa shows how severe the problems really are. more»
EVENT
People’s Power, People’s Parliament: A Civil Society Conference on South Africa’s Legislatures

When: 25-26 July

Where: Cape Town

For more information click here>>

Reaching Boiling Point?
Partners Sustainable Development
HBS Africa Offices
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