Research Warns Climate Change Could Leave South African Tourism High and Dry

Date: Jan 31, 2017 | Faculties, Faculty of Science, News

An article co-authored by UJ Tourism Geography Associate Professor, Gijsbert Hoogendoorn, was puiblished by the global experts’ media resource, The Conversation, arguing that climate change poses a risk to South Africa’s tourism industry if action is not taken ahead of the study’s 2015 projection.

According to the researchers, the sub-Saharan region is likely to be hard-hit by climate chance over the years, experiencing temperature increases above the average global rate. “It will experience temperature increases above the average global rate. Extreme weather events will become more common and the region’s rainfall patterns are set to change. Some areas will experience increased rainfall and a heightened flood risk, while others are projected to experience a decrease in rainfall and become more drought prone.”

The article poses that that there is still room for action as “understanding can improve the sector’s capacity for effective adaptation and mitigation”.