The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa is one of the leading scientific and technology research, development and implementation organisations in Africa. It undertakes directed research and development for socio-economic growth.
With the current focus on global and climate change, we want to make our science in this area accessible to all.
“The impact of global change on our climate will not be managed or mitigated by any single stakeholder. It requires a society that is aware of the implications of its actions for the way we live; it requires political will – informed by credible and rigorous research.” - Dr Sibusiso Sibisi, CEO.
World Development Information Day is observed annually on 24 October to draw attention of worldwide public opinion to development problems and the need to strengthen international cooperation to solve them. Segopotso Moshapo, a researcher at the SAP/Meraka Unit for Technology Development (UTD) is passionate about the potential of information and communications technology (ICT) for people living in developing countries to find ways to solve longstanding problems.
CSIR climate change researchers have now published an easily accessible and understandable handbook on climate risk and vulnerability specific to the southern African region. The Climate Risk and Vulnerability Handbook for Southern Africa was conceived and designed with the intent to provide decision-makers with up to date information, appropriate for country planning, on the impacts and risks of climate change and variability.
The IPCC Fourth Assessment Report cites 28,586 studies demonstrating significant biological changes in terrestrial ecosystems. Already high extinction rates, driven primarily by habitat loss, are predicted to increase under climate change. Yet there is little specific advice or precedent in the literature to guide climate adaptation investment for conserving biodiversity within realistic economic constraints. In this Letter, published in the prestigious journal Nature Climate Change, CSIR Fellow Dr Brian van Wilgen and others present a systematic ecological and economical analysis of a climate adaptation problem in one of the world's most species rich and threatened ecosystems; the South African fynbos.
In many countries, decision-makers are seeking information from a wide range of disciplines on the potential impacts of climate change on environmental and socio-economic systems. This handbook is designed to present future climate change scenarios and possible impacts of these changes in an understandable and accessible manner. It also presents the necessary background information on the processes of global change and climate change. The handbook will also serve as a basic reference guide to those currently engaged in impacts and adaptation research.
Research literature cites examples of information and communications technology for development (ICT4Dev) initiatives that have failed. This paper focuses on an alternative approach: The establishment of a network of community-based, ICT-enabled, sustainable, micro service enterprises where development through enterprise is the key.
