Climate change: More droughts, floods and fires for SA, says UN report

South Africa will experience increasing droughts, fire weather conditions and even flooding as a result of climate change, according to a UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

The IPCC this week released its Working Group I report - Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis. The report is the first in a series linked to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report, which will be completed in 2022. It indicates that unprecedented climate change events are expected to hit the planet, some of which have already started, mainly due to rising global temperatures.

It estimates that over the next 20 years - global temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming. Changes in the climate will increase with additional warming, according to IPCC Working Group I co-chair Panmao Zhai. All regions will face increasing changes to the climate.