Friday, April 27, 2007

Climate change to cost Western Cape billions

Cape Town - The Western Cape is likely to have to fork out billions of rand over the next 20 years to limit and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The Environmental Affairs Department’s director for strategic and environmental management, Mark Gordon, told the Cape Argus on Wednesday that the money would be needed for new power stations, desalination of sea water, new dams, changing crop cycles, finding new export revenue streams and the effects on housing and coastal development of possible rising sea levels.

Other expenses would include sanitation and communicable diseases, he said.

“When it gets warmer there is always the likelihood of more disease, so more money will be spent on healthcare. Introducing other forms of renewable energy will be more costly than the cheaper coals we are using.”

Gordon said that doing nothing would cost more in the long run… - Cape Argus

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