The myriad of perspectives in SA

South Africans are acutely aware of their water scarcity and the impacts of climate change. This would be through being at the receiving end of some of the impacts of climate change. People have experienced water shortages, the spread of vector-borne diseases, floods, droughts, and freak-weather events. However, there is not as much awareness about the science behind it and its implications. People are not aware of how the burning of fossil fuels leads to climate change. In a country that is extremely vulnerable to climate change but continues to rely on coal, this is an important distinction. If people do not correctly identify their existing circumstances to the burning of fossil fuels, poor recycling efforts, heavy use of private transportation -- they may not be able to keep the government accountable about the policies they enact. 

The Durban city municipality has built its reputation as a model for building local awareness and enacting policies at the grassroots level. Durban, like other developing areas, has had to deal with the conundrum of preserving their environment and developing the infrastructure and economy. The city has had high rates of unemployment (over 40%), homelessness and HIV/Aids infection. Nevertheless, Durban has been proactive in dealing with environmental concerns and development issues. As a part of the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, Durban was already working on setting emissions targets, developing local plans and plans for verifying the effects of their policies in 1999. By 2006, Durban had a complete inventory of its greenhouse gas emissions production. With the inventory done, it started its pilot program for energy saving and building energy efficiency. 

Durban, like most of South Africa, faces heavy constraints on its water availability. High variability in rainfall and temperatures leads to droughts and uncertain storage capability. Durban has been attempting to involve integrated water resource management techniques. It has set up recycling units for treating sewage to reduce dependence on freshwater sources. In 2018, one of such plants was launched with the appearance of a botanical garden. The plant is reported to remove the odour of the sewage treatment and producing less sludge (by 30%) with the help of its garden. There is increasing integration of risks due to sea-level rise and freak-weather events in urban planning and construction. Despite its successes, however, most people who work with the municipality environmental department and the local population report incomplete understanding of climate change and its causes. 

In another paper by Gladstone et al, the research team investigated the perceptions towards climate change by smallholder farmers. They found that farmers are ill-equipped to handle the risks that climate change presents towards their livelihoods. The reasons for this situation are varied. The youth are not drawn towards farming and instead seek to move to larger cities. There are imbalances in the way lands are drawn due to the apartheid history. Social grants and a right to water have created a dependency on the government. A small number of farmers are proactively trying to adapt to the increased variation in water availability by implementing local rain-water harvesting projects independent of state support. Again, there is little awareness of climate change impacts and of the policy measures implemented by the state. There is hope, however. There have been successful cases of narrative integration of the locals with the government leading to successful adaptation. The smallholder farmers in the Suid Bokkeveld area are one such resilient community. The farmers are dependent on rooibos tea cultivation and livestock hearing for their livelihoods. The community does not have access to education or skill-based learning. The farmers have set up the Heiveld Co-operative to help them penetrate the niche market for fairtrade and organic rooibos tea that exists in the Northern Hemisphere. Nowadays, the co-operative exports 40 tons of tea a year bringing in enough revenue to support the community. Because of the organic and fairtrade label, the farmers have to abide by standards thus making their practice more sustainable and reducing water consumption. As was seen in the case of Nambia, most successful and sustainable practices seem to be those that are decentralized and build resilience at the most grassroots levels. 

References: 

1. Neville, L. "South Africa Talks Climate: The public understanding of climate change." (2010).
2. Gandure, S., S. Walker, and J. J. Botha. "Farmers' perceptions of adaptation to climate change and water stress in a South African rural community." Environmental Development 5 (2013): 39-53.
3. Roberts, Debra. "Thinking globally, acting locally—institutionalizing climate change at the local government level in Durban, South Africa." Environment and Urbanization 20.2 (2008): 521-537.
4. Archer, Emma RM, et al. "'Farming on the edge'in arid western South Africa: climate change and agriculture in marginal environments." Geography 93.2 (2008): 98.