Tag: flooding

Among the greatest threats facing infrastructure development today is climate change. To mitigate the associated risks for all sector stakeholders, we urgently need to make better use of modern technologies. We also need to establish contractual frameworks that are appropriately structured from the outset.

In George, thirty-four people died when a partially completed five storey residential building collapsed. This event is tragic, and albeit the worst building disaster in South Africa, is by no means an isolated incident of professional incompetence.

Climate change-induced extreme weather events have remained elevated across the globe in the last decade, proving disruptive to both economic and social activities. According to the global reinsurance broker, Aon, the 2023 economic losses due to natural catastrophes was 22% above the 21% century average – raising questions about the long-term affordability and sustainability of cover for vulnerable communities.

Mitigating the increasing effects of climate change has become a top priority for South African insurers who have collectively paid billions of Rands in related damages over the past five to 10 years. The increasing frequency and severity of severe weather events – such as heavy rainfall and resultant flooding – threatens the sustainability of insurers who must protect the integrity of their balance sheets to continue paying claims for years to come.

It’s 2050, a climate changed world where humans and the digital devices are closely entwined. Natural disasters such as drought, famine and floods are the order of the day. Government is making living all that much harder. Many people are displaced as new immigration laws come into effect and the gap between the haves and the have nots widens.

Last year was a year of climate carnage in Africa. At least 15,700 people lost their lives to extreme weather disasters, according to the latest report from Carbon Brief, while another 34 million have been affected.

Risks such as heavy rain, flooding, hail, frost, drought and fire are by no means new to the South African agricultural sector, but due to the effects of climate change, they are increasing in frequency and severity. These risks are also becoming more unpredictable amid changing weather patterns, which complicates risk management efforts for farmers.

Every year, as the mercury dips and we begin searching for our winter coats, the construction industry likewise starts to grapple with a myriad of cold weather challenges. Frigid winter weather directly impacts the efficiency of construction workers, increasing the potential for project delays, logistical hurdles, and numerous health and safety hazards.