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African perspectives on pioneering climate-change: Think global, act local & build green

African perspectives on pioneering climate-change & working together to preserve the environment for future generations.

Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. And should we continue our current trajectory of climate change and so be forced to adapt to a world with a 4°C higher average temperature, our reality may become stranger than science fiction.

By 2100 this scenario may well become our reality as today climate change is moving much, much faster than human activity to mitigate it, according to scientists’ consensus.

Current emissions and the weather systems’ delayed reaction means that any reduction in greenhouse gasses will only be noticed in several decades. It is expected that the earth’s atmosphere system will keep warming up and climate change impacts will become more severe until at least 2050. The very real threat that changes in the climate will be beyond our ability to adapt to, in thirty years’ time, can only be mitigated by action now.

Nations are working to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5° C but this will only happen if there are unprecedented changes in how land, energy, industry, buildings, transport and cities are governed, according to the IPCC, an authority for assessing the science of climate change.

For sub-Saharan Africa, which has already experienced more frequent and intense climate extremes during the past decades, this slight rise in temperature will be significant – especially as temperature increases in the region are predicted to be higher than the global average. This will lead to more droughts, heat waves and crop failures.

The historic 2015 UN Paris Agreement saw 184 countries commit themselves to limiting climate change to below 2° and in 2018 the countries met in Katowice, Poland, to finalise the rules of implementation of the agreement’s work programme.

Africa Climate Week 2019

Implementing climate mitigation measures requires global and regional alignment, and Africa Climate Week (ACW) 2019 held during 18-22 March 2019 in Accra, Ghana, will help participants to focus on how engagement between Parties and non-Party stakeholders can be further strengthened in key sectors for Africa, including energy, agriculture and human settlements.

It will showcase the role of future carbon markets to enhance climate change action towards the goal of sustainable development, and also facilitate the implementation of countries national determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

ACW is part of Regional Climate Weeks that are held annually in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific regions, and organized by the Nairobi Framework Partnership which supports developing countries in preparing and implementing their NDCs.

Few emissions, but harsh consequences in Africa

Energy, agriculture and human settlements are particularly relevant as the sectors which will need to be transformed to ensure successful adaption to a changing climate.

Within Africa, a scenario of 2°C or 3°C increase in global average temperature will have the following impact, according to IPCC projections:

The populous western Sahel region will continue to dry out with a significant increase in the maximum length of dry spells, while parts of Central Africa will have a decrease in the length of wet spells and an increase in heavy rainfall.

Lower crop yields and food production will characterise West Africa, with the resulting impacts on food security.

Southern Africa is expected to have droughts more often as well as a greater number of heatwaves towards the end of the 21st century.

At an increase of 1.5 °s C, there would be less rainfall in the Limpopo basin area and areas of the Zambezi basin, as well as parts of South Africa’s Western Cape Province.

However, at 2°C, Southern Africa will have 20% less rainfall and an increase in the consecutive number of dry days in Namibia, Botswana, northern Zimbabwe and southern Zambia. The expected result is a 5 – 10% decrease in the volume of the Zambezi basin.

In this scenario there will be an increase of temperature extremes in all sub-Saharan regions where temperatures are expected to rise faster than the new normal of 2°C. The southwestern region, including South Africa, and parts of Namibia and Botswana expected to experience the greatest increases in temperature.

Africa Climate Week is among a significant series of initiatives building on the progress made so far in the region as important climate mitigation measures grow increasingly more urgent.

Read all about it here

Individual Membership

Designed for professionals acting in their individual capacity, including single consultant-businesses.

Organisational Membership

Ideal for companies, government departments, and organisations.

  • Total Employees: 1 - 5 Employees - R 4080.00
  • Total Employees: 6 - 20 Employees - R 12570.00
  • Total Employees: 21 - 50 Employees - R 24690.00
  • Total Employees: 51 Plus Employees - R 43840.00

Lisa Reynolds

Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director

Lisa Reynolds is the CEO of the Green Building Council South Africa.

Lisa was the driver for the drafting of Energy Efficiency Standards and Regulations for Buildings and has been involved in Energy Efficiency since 2003. She serves on many committees in the SABS and within the energy management professionals’ space. She was President of the SAEEC from 2016 to 2019 and was the previous President of the ESCo (Energy Services Companies) Association. Lisa was instrumental in the formation of SAFEE (Southern African Females in Energy Efficiency) within SAEEC.

She has assisted the South African Government with its Green Building Framework policies, Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives and Energy Efficiency Strategies

Her passion for the “Green space” started with the birth of the Green Building Council in 2007. Lisa served on the Board and the Technical Committee of the GBCSA, as well as on several Technical Working Groups for Rating Tools and Criteria. Lisa. became CEO in June 2020.

Lisa has a BSc, an MBA and a CEM. Lisa’s awards include the 2007 ETA Award for Women, 2008 Individual Energy (SAEE), 2012 SABS Standards Writer Award; the 2014 Women in Energy (SAWIEN); and the 2016 Ian Lane Hall of Fame award.

Lisa is committed to growing the Green Economy within a Green Recovery.

Organisational categories

As an organisational member, you will fall into one of the below categories, and be charged according to specific size indicators. Please reach out to us for any further clarity on which category is best for your organisation

Property Developers

Annual Turnover

Investors, Owners, Property Managers

Total Asset Value

Major Corporate Tenants & Retail

Annual Gross Rentals

Building Contractors

Annual Turnover

Building Product Manufacturers & Distributors

Annual Turnover

Professional Services: Architects, Designers, Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, PM’s, Consultants, Legal

Number of employees

Research, Higher Education, NGO’S & Regulators

NGO or Research/Higher Education/ Regulators

Related Interests: Utilities, Financial, Insurance, etc.

Annual Turnover

Government

Local/ municipal/ provincial/ state 
Contact GBCSA to confirm your category