A summer storm

RELATED LINKS: Rains at end of month JOBURGERS will have to cool their heels with some freezing weather this month, before the summer rains set in. Read more Environment back on agenda THE national government has assessed South Africa's progress in meeting the targets set out at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. Read more El Niño coming THIS morning the roads were rivers of rain, motorists were skirting puddles, and pedestrians huddled beneath umbrellas but, despite this, there's no reason to suspect that the rainy season has begun, says the South African Weather Service. Read more Rain for February not above average AFTER a pretty wet week, Joburgers would be mistaken in thinking we have had a more than normal amount of rain this month. We haven't. We have had 90,6 millimetres of rain so far this month; the average for February is 90 millimetres. Read more Conference centres Johannesburg has the facilities to host the largest conferences. There are four major conference centres - the Sandton Convention Centre, Gallagher Estate, the Coca-Cola Dome and the Expo Centre - dotted around Johannesburg, as well as about 40 other top-class venues. Read more

Heavy rain

Scientists to look at climate change JOHANNESBURG is hosting the country's first conference on climate change, which will look at ways to stop the problem. October 12, 2005 By Sipho Maduna HURRICANES, mud slides, floods, droughts and melting polar ice caps - these stories fill the media. And global warming and climate change are blamed. Set up to educate citizens and to consider ways to alleviate climate change, the South African National Conference on Climate Change, South Africa's first conference on the topic, is being held at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, in Johannesburg from 17 to 20 October. According to the Department of Environment and Tourism, the objective of the conference is to inform all South Africans on all aspects of climate change from a global, African and South African perspective. It is empowered to consider climate change alleviation and adaptations in all activities and areas of influence. The conference will be opened by Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk. Climate change is considered to be the biggest threat to sustainable development, and Africa's Third Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel of Experts on Climate Change has confirmed that climate change is already occurring. The phenomenon causes new weather patterns, the rise of sea levels and an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme events such as floods and droughts. These have costly implications for developing countries, like loss of life, livelihoods, financial and economic setbacks. "When you have floods you lose money," explains Joanne Yawitch, the deputy director-general of environmental quality and protection. They will also undermine global poverty alleviation efforts, including any chance to achieve the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals. The conference will run two parallel, overlapping sessions. From 17 to 19 October African scientists will meet to discuss scientific methodologies and research findings related to climate change on the continent. From 18 to 20 October the National Consultative Conference on Climate Change will test and inform South Africa's policies, strategies and action plans; direct the country's international negotiations on climate change; and chart the way forward on future commitments. It will also generate information for the second National Communication on Climate Change. Shirley Moroka, the deputy director of global climate change in the national department, says this is a report written to the United Nations on the outcomes from the conference. Any revision of policies will take into account new scientific developments and closely co-ordinate South Africa's environmental approach with its national energy strategy. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za