The Integration of Climate Change Issues on Local Government Planning Processes of South Africa

Thanyani S Madzivhandila

doi:10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p941

Abstract

The establishment of Local Sphere of Government in South Africa was seen as a paramount step towards ensuring successful service delivery to the poor communities in the rural areas. Planning for service delivery at a local sphere is important to integrate and include the communities through participation. In recent years, climate change emerged as one of the greatest challenge to deal with in the entire universe. Its short and long term impacts are viewed as devastating particularly to the poor communities in developing countries. Issues such as floods, drought and unprecedented weather conditions which are sometimes disastrous and associated with climate change are seen to have a huge impact to the processes of delivering services such as water and electricity. Concurrently, economic activities and livelihoods which forms financial base for local economic development of a specific local areas are also affected. This article argues that, poor communities will continue to be vulnerable victims of climate change if measures to address its effect are not strategically placed in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) processes of local government. The purpose of this article is to provide a critical discussion on the impact of climate change on service delivery; environmental risks, hazards and service delivery; challenges faced in planning for service delivery in local government and the importance of integrating climate change issues in the IDP processes. The article concludes that in order to strategically deal with the effects of climate change on service delivery, the former should be integrated in all aspects of IDP in order to establish measure to eliminate its devastating impacts. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p941

Highlights

Achieving developmental local government is a major challenge facing municipalities across the globe
As a responsible global citizen with moral as well as legal obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, South Africa is committed to contribute a fair share to the global greenhouse gas mitigation efforts
The efforts of South African government are in line with the objectives of the Kyoto Protocol which was adopted at a meeting of the UNFCCC in Kyoto, Japan in December 1997

Summary

Introduction

Achieving developmental local government is a major challenge facing municipalities across the globe. The Kyoto Protocol sets binding targets for industrialized countries to reduce their combined greenhouses gas emissions by at least 5% compared to 1990 levels in the period 2008 to 2012 This legally binding commitment promised to produce a historical reversal of the upward trend in emissions that started in these countries some 150 years ago (Department of Environmental Affairs, 2011). The effects of climate change are driven from the notion that, the government believe that global greenhouse gas reduction efforts must work in cycle with a pro-poor adaptation agenda Such an approach will empower the poor and vulnerable and ensure human dignity, whilst endeavouring to attain environmental, social and economic sustainability. The article presents a discussion on the importance of integrating climate change issues in municipal IDP processes with specific reference to Polokwane, Molemole and Lepelle-Nkumpi Local Municipalities

Climate Change Impacts on Service Delivery

Challenges Associated with Planning for Service Delivery

Integration of Climte Change in Municipal Planning

Conclusion