FROM THE UNION BUILDINGS
A message from President Cyril Ramaphosa
SA part of global efforts to tackle climate change
D
elegates from
The extreme weather
diseases are more easily
el, we need to integrate
across the world
events that we are ex-
spread when there is fre-
climate change con-
have gathered
periencing as a result of
quent flooding.
siderations into service
in Glasgow, Scotland, for
climate change affect the
the COP 26 UN Climate
health, lives and liveli-
committed to making our
Change Conference.
hoods of people in every
fair contribution to the
areas such as the design
country, including our
global climate change ef-
of human settlements,
own.
fort, and have recently set
in energy management
new and more ambitious
though solar water
The summit takes place at a crucial time. Nations of the world urgently
Adverse weather such
As a country, we are
delivery planning. This needs to be in
need to slow down the
as droughts affect our
greenhouse gas emis-
heating for low-income
rate of global warming
already scarce water
sions targets.
households, and in the
and tackle the effects of
supplies, making ac-
climate change.
cess to water harder and
ing national efforts to
in municipal water and
While we are undertak-
use of renewable energy
The agreements
causing widespread crop
achieve these targets, it is
wastewater infrastructure.
reached at the global
failure that threatens our
equally important that we
A number of municipali-
climate summit affect
food security. Polluted
combat climate change
ties, notably in KwaZulu-
the daily lives of all our
air negatively affects hu-
through local actions.
Natal, are already piloting
people.
man health. Waterborne
8
At local government lev-
the use of different re-
Public Sector Manager • November 2021
