Introduction

Facing up to global change requires extensive collaboration and integration of research efforts The CSIR has been involved in research into global change phenomena since the early 1990s, anticipating the growth in importance of these issues at national and international levels. With the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen in full swing, these research efforts are now coming into fruition. Pat Manders, acting executive director: CSIR Natural Resources and the Environment, highlights key research efforts.

DST's forward-looking strategy to address global change As global change research reveals rising evidence of climatic and associated changes, it is becoming clear that these changes are likely to impact many sectors of South African society. South Africa's Department of Science and Technology (DST) is meeting this challenge head on by means of an initiative to address global change.

Research

SA scientists argue for an African perspective on climate change Southern Africa's remarkable geographic, biological, social and economic diversity make the region ideal for the study and inculcation of the principle of improved earth stewardship - therefore the establishment of an Applied Centre for Climate and Earth Systems Science (ACCESS).

Climate change not the only threat In a presentation to parliament in Cape Town recently, a group of researchers described climate change "as an integrated and accumulated result of several of man's mistakes" now adding a quantum to these other threats - making the environment and modern society less resilient and more vulnerable to the impact of climate change.

A new-generation Atlas to inform global change solutions South Africa's Risk and Vulnerability Atlas, a project initiated and funded by South Africa's Department of Science and Technology, will be launched in the first three months of 2010, in electronic as well as hardcopy format.

South Africa has task as global citizen to understand role of Southern Ocean in climate change There is already evidence that the oceans are starting to change - it is no longer a question if or when it is going to happen, but rather what we, as global citizens, are going to do to understand the process in order to mitigate the impact.

South Africa's observation capacity in the Southern Ocean now on international standard When the SA Agulhas sets out on its annual trip to the Antarctic in December this year, it will have R6-million-worth of state-of-the-art equipment of the Southern Oceans Carbon and Climate Observatory programme on board.

SAEON and CSIR establish multi-dimensional environmental data platform The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) and the CSIR launched the third phase of their environmental data platform CoGIS (Collaborative Geographical Information Service) earlier this year.

CSIR uses novel techniques to fight global climate change South Africa is battling to keep its aerosol particles down, as can be seen by the country's aerosol loading having increased by a staggering 15% in the past 20 years.

Research should focus more on adaptation to climate change South Africa's research capacity for dealing with the economics and sustainability of global change should focus more on adaptation than on mitigating the impacts. At the same time current research capacity in this field is limited, uncoordinated and fragmented.

Biological control of invasive aliens saves South Africa billions every year If there had been no biological control of invasive alien plants in South Africa, the country would have lost R48.2 billion per year in terms of the services provided by ecosystems such as water, grazing and biodiversity.

Working for Water - controlling invasive aliens' impact on water since 1995 The CSIR played a leading role in the establishment of the Working for Water programme, implemented by government in 1995. It has since grown into one of the world's biggest programmes on invasive species and their impact on biodiversity and water resources.