{"id":2889,"date":"2022-04-26T12:25:04","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T12:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/?p=2889"},"modified":"2022-07-13T06:44:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T06:44:56","slug":"climate-change-in-south-africa-effects-of-deforestation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatetransform.com\/climate-change-in-south-africa-effects-of-deforestation\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Change in South Africa: Effects of Deforestation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The consequences of climate change in South Africa will be more severe than most places in the world. The African continent contributes the least greenhouse gas emissions, and yet, it is the most vulnerable to climate change.<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Deforestation is a significant contributor to global warming in South Africa and elsewhere. It is responsible for about 10 percent of all global emissions<\/a>.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span> In addition, it can lead to desertification, soil erosion, flooding and decreased rainfall.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span> To address the climate change emergency, we need to massively reduce deforestation and all carbon emissions whilst planting more trees.<\/p>\r\n

How much of South Africa is forested?<\/h3>\r\n

South Africa\u2019s government claims that their forest resources cover over 40 million hectares.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This would equate to around 31 per cent of the country\u2019s land area.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span> However, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN estimated that only 8.9 million hectares of forests covered South Africa in 2004.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This represents just 7 per cent of their land area.<\/span>7<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF) is the custodian of South Africa\u2019s forests.<\/span>8<\/sup><\/a><\/span> The forestry sector contributes about 1 percent of the country\u2019s GDP and supports 652,000 rural people with livelihoods.<\/span>9<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n

What is the extent of deforestation in South Africa?<\/h3>\r\n

Between 2001 and 2019, South Africa lost 1.42 million hectares of tree cover.<\/span>10<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This represents a 24 percent decrease in tree cover since 2000.<\/span>11<\/sup><\/a><\/span> From 2002 to 2019, the total area of South Africa\u2019s humid primary forest decreased by 8.3 percent.<\/span>12<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This is an unsustainable rate of deforestation. Most of it occurs around densely populated areas to supply city dwellers\u2019 cooking and heating needs.<\/span>13<\/sup><\/a><\/span> This is unsurprising given that charcoal and raw wood provide as much as 80 percent of southern Africa\u2019s energy.<\/span>14<\/sup><\/a><\/span> It also means that the vast proportion of South Africa\u2019s deforestation is avoidable. The uptake of more efficient cookstoves would alleviate the pressure on forests for charcoal.<\/span>15<\/sup><\/a><\/span> A transition to using clean energy sources would hugely reduce the dependence on deforestation.<\/p>\r\n

Deforestation and climate change in South Africa<\/h3>\r\n

Deforestation fuels climate change<\/a> by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.<\/span>16<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Trees absorb and sequester CO2 as they grow.<\/span>17<\/sup><\/a><\/span> By storing it in their branches, leaves, trunks, and in the surrounding soil, forests act as a carbon sink.<\/span>18<\/sup><\/a><\/span> They subsequently keep the greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere and trapping heat, resulting in global warming.<\/span>19<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Chopping trees down prevents them from removing any further CO2.<\/span>20<\/sup><\/a><\/span> It also releases the CO2 they have already sequestered, producing further carbon emissions.<\/span>21<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

South Africa is one of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters in Africa.<\/span>22<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Deforestation is both contributing to this whilst preventing the country from offsetting more of its emissions. The effects of climate change in South Africa are already evident. Their average annual temperature has increased at least 1.5 times more than the global average of 0.65\u00b0C over the past 50 years.<\/span>23<\/sup><\/a><\/span> In a country with typically high temperatures and low annual rainfall, any temperature increase could be disastrous.<\/span>24<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

For example, South Africa\u2019s development depends on agriculture and forestry, both of which are highly climate-sensitive.<\/span>25<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Desertification as a result of a hotter climate would also devastate the country\u2019s biodiversity.<\/span>26<\/sup><\/a><\/span> Not only would this result in the extinction of animal and plant species, but it would also damage tourism \u2013 another key development driver.<\/span>27<\/sup><\/a><\/span> In a country with high levels of poverty and inequality, the effects of climate change are dire challenges to development.<\/span>28<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The consequences of climate change in South Africa will be more severe than most places in the world. The African continent contributes the least greenhouse gas emissions, and yet, it is the most vulnerable to climate change. Deforestation is a significant contributor to global warming in South Africa and elsewhere. It is responsible for about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":2891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,263,27],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nClimate Change in South Africa: Effects of Deforestation - Climate Transform<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Climate change in South Africa is of critical importance. 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